Library Card Use, Fines, and Fees

Library membership is free for residents of St. Marys and Perth South with proof of address such as a driver's license or bill.

Getting a library card

Residents of Huron County, Middlesex County, and Oxford County may also obtain a card through a reciprocal lending agreement between the libraries of each county.

Visitors may purchase a temporary library card for $10 per month.

Library fines

Borrowers are still encouraged to return their materials on time. Materials will continue to have their regular loan period and will be automatically renewed up to three times, if the item is not on hold. Libraries will continue to send reminders to customers when items are past due.

The following items are now fine free:

Print books (except the Xpress collection)
Books on CD
Magazines
DVD's (except the Xpress collection)
CNIB materials
Video games

Long overdue items will be billed and a material recovery service will assist in the retrieval of lost materials.

Fines still apply to:

Interlibrary Loan (ILLO) materials
Book Club Kits
Mobile Hotspots
Park Passes
Non-Traditional Collection items like Tennis Rackets, Laptops, SAD Lamps, Yoto’s, etc.

Checkout limits and renewals

The library now provides automatic renewal for your materials. Most of your items will renew up to three times as long as they are not on request for another customer. See information about automatic renewals below.

Loan period rules

Loan period rules
Kind of item	Limit	Loan period	Fee per day
Adult books	no limit	3 weeks	no fines
Children's books	no limit	3 weeks	no fines
High demand items	no limit	2 weeks	no fines
Books on CD / kits	no limit	3 weeks	no fines
Magazines	no limit	1 week	no fines
Music CDs	no limit	3 weeks	no fines
DVDs	no limit	1 week	no fines
Park passes	1 per card	1 week	$1 per day
Wireless hotspot	1 per card	1 week	$1 per day
Book club kits	1 per card	5 weeks	$1 per day
Yoto children's readers	1 per card	3 weeks	$1 per day

Auto-renewal

With Auto Renewals, items on your account will automatically renew 3 days before they are due. All library members will be signed up for Auto-Renewal but you may opt-out at any time by contacting the library. Most physical items borrowed (books, DVDs, audiobooks, music CDs) are eligible for up to 3 auto-renewals.

The following are not eligible for auto-renewal:

Items that have reached their renewal limit
Items another customer has requested to borrow (items on hold)
ILLO items (special items borrowed from another library system)
Downloadable and streaming materials (e.g. eBooks and eMagazines)
Book Club Kits
Mobile Hotspots
Park Passes
Reference materials

Customers will receive a notice 3 days before their items are due indicating which items have been renewed and which have not. You can also check the status of your items at anytime using the online catalogue.

Lost and damaged materials

Customers have 6 months to return lost materials. If materials cannot be found or are damaged, customers must pay the replacement cost of the item.

Checking the status of your borrowed items

You can check the status of your items at any time using the online catalogue.

Log into your account using your library card or username and your PIN (last 4 digits of your phone number)
Click on My SMPL then Checked Out.
You will then see the due dates of your items.
If something is coming due, click in the checkbox beside it and click on the Renew button.

You can also call the library at 519-284-3346 during our open hours and ask a library staff member to check your due dates and renew the items.

Email and text reminders

Our Courtesy Reminder service notifies users by email that their items are due back in three days. Please contact the library at 519-284-3346 to take advantage of this useful service. A reminder that this is a courtesy service - returning your items on time is your responsibility.