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Borrower's Cards

Who Can Obtain a Card?

Indiana residents, 16 years or older, who can show proof of their current address may register for an Indiana State Library Borrower's Card at the Loan Desk. Certain restrictions on first-time borrowers apply such as a three item limit.

Indiana residents, who live in an area without free library service, may mail or telephone a request for materials. Call (317) 232-3675 for assistance.

How Do I Borrow Materials?

Materials can be borrowed from the State Library through one of the following methods:

  • Regular Loans
  • Short-term Loans
  • Interlibrary Loan

Materials are circulated through the Loan Desk to insure proper handling of returned, overdue or lost items. Decisions on whether or not to loan older material from the general collections are primarily based on their format and condition. Pre-1900 imprint materials and bound volumes of magazines (serials) are not loaned. No more than six issues of a magazine (serial) title may be borrowed at one time. A maximum of 30 items may be borrowed at one time. Renewals may be requested in-person or by telephoning (317) 232-3675.

How Long Can I Keep Materials?

The time period or length of loans varies depending on the type of material

  • Books, magazines, audiocassette tapes and vertical file (pamphlet) materials are usually loaned for 30 days upon request at the Loan Desk. Renewals may be requested in-person through the Loan Desk or by telephoning (317) 232-3675.
  • Federal government documents and Data Center materials are usually loaned for up to 30 days with the permission of one of our Reference Librarians. There may be a shorter loan period (3 days) for materials in high demand.
  • Compact-Discs (CD-ROM) may be available on selected topics for borrowing for a two-week loan period, one disc per person at a time.
  • Videotapes (VHS) from the general collections may be borrowed for 1 week. Copyright restrictions may apply. Videos may be reserved ahead of time.
  • Short-term loans lasting from a few hours to overnight may be granted with the permission of one of our Reference Librarians. Short-term loans are processed through the Loan Desk.

Some materials do not circulate. Reference materials from any division do not circulate. The collections in the Genealogy Division do not circulate.

The bulk of the Indiana Division collections do not circulate. This includes pamphlets, photographs, maps, broadsides, original newspapers, manuscripts, county histories, Civil War regimental histories, reference books, materials published before 1900, and any item for which the Division has only one copy. Materials in poor condition do not circulate.