COLUMBUS, Ga. - A library card from the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries is free for anyone who lives in or owns property in Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion or Stewart counties, and for students and educators who attend school or work there. Everyone else can get a full-access card for $50 a year per household. Signing up takes a valid photo ID and, if the ID doesn't show your current address, proof of where you live.

The library system runs seven branches, two bookmobiles and two automated 24-hour library kiosks, according to its website. It is owned and operated by the Muscogee County School District but has its own board of directors. Here is how to get a card, what it costs and what it gets you.

Step 1: Check whether the card is free for you

Free cards go to residents and property holders of the library's four-county service area, which covers Muscogee, Chattahoochee, Marion and Stewart counties. Students and educators who attend school or work in that area also qualify for a free card. Anyone outside those groups can still get a full-access card for $50 a year per household, according to the library system.

Step 2: Gather your ID and proof of address

The library asks for a valid photo ID to register for a card. If the ID does not show your current address, you will also need proof of address. When an adult signs up a child, only the adult guarantor has to provide ID, and the guarantor can choose full access or child and teen materials only.

Step 3: Fill out the application

The library posts a printable application in English and Spanish on its library card page, so you can fill it out at home before your visit. The form notes that photo ID and proof of address are required to complete it. Parents should know the guarantor agreement says an account will go to a collection agency if charges top $50.

Step 4: Visit any branch to pick up your card

You can sign up at any of the library's branches, and the main library is the Columbus Public Library at 3000 Macon Road. The main library is open Monday through Thursday from 10 a.m. to 8 p.m., Friday and Saturday from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m., and Sunday from 1:30 to 6 p.m. Questions about cards can go to [email protected] or 706-243-2669.

Step 5: Set up your digital login

To use the library's online services, your username is your library card barcode number. Your PIN is the last four digits of the primary phone number you gave when you registered. With that login, you can use the library's apps for eBooks, audiobooks and streaming.

Want to start online? Try the eCard

Adults 18 and older who live in the four counties, have never had a card from the library system and only want online services can apply for an eCard. The eCard gives immediate access to Libby by OverDrive for eBooks, eAudiobooks and eMagazines, to hoopla and to Brainfuse live tutoring seven days a week. It cannot be used to check out physical items, request interlibrary loans or reserve computers, but you can turn it into a full card by bringing photo ID and proof of residency to a branch.

Columbus-area branches and hours

The library system lists seven branches, four of them in Columbus. Hours below come from the library's website and can change on holidays. The 24-hour kiosks in Midland and on Double Churches Road are listed after the table.

The two automated 24-hour libraries are at 6600 Flat Rock Road in Midland and 1241 Double Churches Road in Columbus. Items from the 24-hour libraries cannot be put on hold or renewed. Their phone number is 706-243-2787, and the email is [email protected].

What the card gets you

A card lets you check out up to 40 physical items at a time, including up to eight DVDs or Blu-rays, two STEAM kits and one park pass. Books go out for 14 days with up to four renewals, DVDs and Blu-rays for seven days, and most items renew automatically up to four times unless another customer has asked for them. Items can be returned at any branch, and 24-hour book drops sit outside every location, though passes and most STEAM kits must be returned inside.

Online, the card opens Libby by OverDrive, hoopla, Kanopy, The Palace Project, eRead Kids, Biblioboard, Tumblebooks and Access Video on Demand. The library says eRead Kids alone has more than 15,000 eBooks and eAudiobooks for children from pre-K through fourth grade. Card holders in good standing can also request interlibrary loans, although items published within the last year cannot be borrowed that way.

No late fines

The Chattahoochee Valley Libraries calls itself the first fines-free library in Georgia, so there are no overdue fines. Customers still pay for lost or damaged items, and accounts with overdue or lost items are blocked until they are cleared. Accounts sent to the library's collection agency carry a $15 fee, but the library says the agency does not report accounts to credit bureaus.

## How we did this Columbus Times used the Chattahoochee Valley Libraries website, cvlga.org, including its library card, eCard, borrowing, digital library, hours, 24-hour library, interlibrary loan and about pages, along with the printable card application. All facts were checked Oct. 27, 2026. Hours and policies can change, so readers may want to call 706-243-2669 before a visit.