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El Paso Public Library Reference Desk (915) 543-5433
El Paso Public Library Reference Desk (915) 543-5433
3200 Copper5515 Robert Alva9600 Dyer501 N. Oregon620 E. 7th Street610 N. Yarbrough9321 Alameda1300 Hawkins1865 Dean Martin12480 Pebble Hills6701 s. Desert Blvd.554 Redd Road125 Belvidere
El Paso Public Library cards are free to residents of El Paso, County. The cards are good for two years and may be renewed after that for another two years.
You must:
If your identification card does not include your current address, we will also need:
Adults must be present in the library before library cards will be issued.
Adults who cannot come to the library should contact the Dial-A-Book Coordinator at 543-5433 for assistance.
If you are under 13 years of age, your parent or legal guardian must present his/her ID and sign your library card application.
Children must be present in the library when library cards are issued.
Military personnel and their dependents may show their military ID when applying for a library card, but must also provide proof of residency in El Paso County.
You must be registered as a library cardholder in order to borrow materials, and you must present a library card or photo ID when checking them out.
Please report lost library cards promptly. You will be charged $1.00 to replace a lost children/teen library card or $2.00 to replace an Adult library card. Library cards damaged during normal use will be replaced without charge.
Library cards must be renewed every 2 years. You must present the same kind of identification that you presented when you first requested a library card. (See above.)
Download a Library Card Application Form. Please bring in the completed application to a library near you.
You are legally responsible for all library materials borrowed on you card, whether the items were borrowed with or without your permission. Parents and legal guardians are responsible for materials borrowed on their children’s cards. You must report any change of name, address, or loss of card to the Library immediately. Patrons must pay any fines and/or fees for damaged or lost items. Patrons owning $10 or more in fines, or having five of more items overdue will be blocked from checking out any more materials until payment/renewal is arranged.
If you lose or damage an item you will be charged for the replacement cost, which is equal to the retail price of the item. If you pay for a lost item but it is found and returned to the library within 60 days of your original payment, the replacement cost will be refunded automatically to your library account.
| You can check out | How Many* | How Long |
| Books | 30 | 3 weeks |
| Magazines/Revistas | 15 | 1 week |
| Fotonovelas | 15 | 1 week |
| Music CDs | 3 | 1 weeks |
| Audiobooks | 3 | 3 weeks |
| Kits | 3 | 3 weeks |
| DVDs | 3 | 1 week |
| Reference books | May not be checked out | |
You must return all library materials on or before their due dates. All materials may be returned to any El Paso Public Library location, no matter where they were checked out.
All materials may be renewed up to 5 times. You may renew materials in person, by telephone at any library location, or on the Internet by logging in to your account.
To better assist you, we would like to know your e-mail address. In the future we would like to e-mail you notices about your account and books that you have requested. You may add your e-mail address on to your account online or by contacting your nearest branch library.
Find out how to get a PIN number
All overdue items are fined at a rate of $0.15 per business day, starting the day after the items are due. Fines are not charged for days that the El Paso Public Library location owning the items is closed. Please note: items from facilities open more than five days per week may accrue larger fines over the same time period than items from other facilities.
El Paso Public Library staff will accept cash, checks, or money orders as payment for overdue fines and lost items. Patrons owing $10.00 or more in fines will be blocked from checking out any more materials until payment is arranged. If you are unable to pay fines immediately, arrangements may be made for a reasonable payment plan. Any new fine accrued before the payment plan is complete will void the arrangement and fines will have to be paid in full immediately. If patrons refuse to pay fines, borrowing privileges will be cancelled.
If you don't find what you need on our shelves, you can ask our staff to help you place requests for library materials from other El Paso Public Library locations. A maximum of 10 requests may be placed on each library card at any one time. You may also place requests yourself by using the Internet. Contact your local library to find out how.
Your requests will be filled as soon as possible, but please be aware that other patrons may be requesting the same items, and that each patron is allowed to renew items once. Library staff will telephone you once your requested items arrive at the destination you choose. Your items will be held for 5 calendar days. Please pick them up as soon as possible.
If the items you need are not available in the El Paso Public Library system, please ask us about ordering them through Interlibrary Loan.
Interlibrary Loan is a service provided to the patrons of the El Paso Public Library to obtain materials not owned by or available from the El Paso Public Library System.
To request materials via ILL, you must have a valid El Paso Public Library card with no overdue items on record, and with fines totaling less than $1.00. Your phone number and address listed in your library card record must be current.
ILL requests may be made in person or by phone at any El Paso Public Library branch. For inquiries concerning the status of your ILL requests, please call the ILL office.
LIMITS
- You may place up to a total of 5 requests per month.
- Requested items must be available from a library in the continental United States.
- No renewals will be given for ILL materials. Graphic for Inter-Library Loan
The following items are not eligible for ILL requests
- Materials published within the last 12 months (as verified in Amazon.com)
- Audio visual material (movies, sound recordings, etc.)
- Computer or video games in any format
- Rare, archival, manuscript or fragile items
- Bound volume or individual issues of magazines and newspapers. (We will work within the constraints of current copyright law to obtain photocopies or scans of individual articles, if you can provide us with a complete citation. Please keep in mind that much of this material may already be available to you in our databases.)
- Textbooks
- Reference material such as directories, encyclopedia sets, and indexes
- Books currently in the collection of the El Paso Public Library which are not listed as lost or missing
If the item you are seeking is not eligible for request via ILL, you may suggest this item to the EPPL Collection Development office for purchase consideration. To do this, use the EPPL Patron Suggestion/Comment Form, available at all EPPL service desks. If you wish to send your suggestion electronically, please use the Ask a Librarian feature
ILL request forms must be filled out as completely as possible to ensure that we are searching for the correct item. You must include your current contact information on the request form.
You are responsible for returning ILL materials by the due date on your check out receipt. A fine of $.15 per day is charged for each overdue item.
$1 will be charged for each missing ILL paper strap and barcode.
You are financially responsible for materials that are damaged or lost.
In order to access your online account. You need a PIN Number.
You must request your PIN number in person at any EPPL facility. You must have a valid EPPL Library Card. PIN numbers and LIbrary cards are FREE.
A PIN (Personal Identification Number) is a four-digit number that you choose while at the Service Desk at your local library. This four-digit number along with your library card number can help you access your library account online while you are at home.
With your PIN and library card number you can:
- Check online for books that are available.
- Request books and other items.
- Renew your items.
- Check to see if you have items overdue, and fines.
- Make changes to your address, phone number and email address.
E-mail notices will be sent from time to time about library services. So, don’t forget to give your email address to the library staff.
Rules for Computer Use | Acceptable Use Policy | Internet Guidelines | Internet Disclaimer
In order to use the public computers at EPPL facilities, you must have a valid Library card. Library cards, public computer access and use of software is free. There is a minimal charge for printing. Please ask Library staff for additional help in using the computers.
The El Paso Public Library System provides access through the Internet to a variety of electronic resources as a means of fulfilling its mission to provide current, efficient, cost-effective access to information, education, culture, and entertainment to our patrons. Because of its international character, the Internet does not have external monitoring. While most of the information accessed can be valuable and enlightening, the patron may also find materials that are unreliable, personally offensive or illegal under U.S. law. The Library assumes no responsibility for any damages, direct or indirect, arising from its connections to the Internet. The Library cannot police a global network and each individual must take responsibility for his or her own activities on the Internet and for the activities of his or her children.
Patrons who use the Library’s Internet connection to access other computer systems are subject to the policies and procedures established by the administrators of those systems as well as those of the El Paso Public Library System.
El Paso Public Library adheres to and supports the principles of intellectual freedom expressed in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights. All Internet resources accessible through the Library are provided equally to all Library patrons.
It is the responsibility of each patron to be guided by the following principles:
EPPL has embraced Internet access as an additional reference tool to provide informational and educational services for personal and professional development. The guidelines listed below are designed to maximize Internet availability and to insure free and fair access for all.
I. By using library system equipment and electronic infrastructure, library patrons imply their agreement to abide by the posted library rules and regulations and the following list of acceptable behaviors:
II. Unacceptable behavior while using the Internet includes but is not limited to the following:
III. While library staff are happy to assist patrons in accessing the Internet, each patron is nevertheless responsible for his or her own search. Staff cannot provide in-depth personal training in the use of the Internet or of personal computers, nor can they perform Internet reference searches for requests received by telephone.
IV. Patrons may not store files on any Library computer hard drive. They may download material into their own diskettes.
V. Patrons are not allowed to alter settings and preferences for the computers, nor shall they restart the computer equipment. Patrons must ask a library staff member if they have any questions or if they encounter problems. Failure to abide by this policy may result in the patron being banned from future Internet use for a period of time to be determined by the branch manager and/or Library Director.
VI. EPPL may restrict or pre-empt Internet access during specified days and times for Library programming and/or operational needs.
The Internet is a global electronic information network that is not regulated by any local, state, federal or international authority. The links found on our own or any other website will take you to sites outside of the Library’s control. Materials found on them may contain information that is controversial, offensive, erroneous or illegal. The contents of these sites do not necessarily reflect the values or opinions of the officials or employees of the City of El Paso or the El Paso Public Library System.
Use of the Internet by minor children is the sole responsibility of the parent or legal guardian, who must sign an Internet Use Permission Form for children. Parents, NOT library staff, are responsible for monitoring their children’s use of the Internet and other electronic information resources accessed using the library’s connection. We encourage you to read the online safety guidelines for children and teens from the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children.
These rules have been formulated with the cooperation of the City Attorney’s Office.
EPPL offers FREE Wireless Internet Access. In order to use the FREE WiFi you must have a device capable of receiving wireless internet signal.
A. Residents in the Downtown coverage area who wish to participate in training and the take-home computer program should register for courses at La Fe Clinic, or, soon, Sacred Heart Catholic Church.
Accessing the Wireless Internet: The user will need a computer or laptop with a wireless card. The user must be in a "hot spot," or coverage area. (See Map) Depending on the wireless card and operating system (Windows or Mac), the user will see a pop-up or icon on the screen with information about available wireless networks. The user may click on the icon to see a list of available networks. The user should select "digitalelpaso" from the list of available networks and connect. Finally, the user may launch a web browser (such as Internet Explorer or Safari) to access the web.
A. No, you don't need to register or get a password.
A. Windows 2000 or later. Mac users OS 9.0 or later.
A. Speed will vary between 500 K to approximately 2 Mbps, depending on how many people are connected and what type of content is uploaded/downloaded.
In other words, you should be able to access simple web pages and some video clips, depending on how many people are accessing Digital El Paso at the same time.
A. You may choose an independent service provider from the local phone book (look under Computers or Internet). Depending on your issue, they may charge a fee for their services. You may also contact the Help pagefor the EPCC service desk.
A. No. Your access to the web is not monitored. However, EPISD students navigating on school laptops will be routed to your school Internet browsing system.
For more information visit the Digital El Paso website.
All EPPL facilities accept public donations of books, music recordings, and other materials. Materials should be in good condition. To donate please contact the manager of your nearest facility.