This is the place to find the answers to your questions. Interested in how you can register to vote or make copies at your Library? Looking for details on reserving a tutor room, hanging a poster or getting a Library Card? It's all here!
Any resident of the state of Ohio can receive a Dayton Metro Library Card for free. A non-Ohio resident can receive a Card for $25 a year. You can apply for a Library Card in person. When applying in person, please show valid photo identification, such as a driver's license, a state issued identification card, a current student card, or an armed forces identification card. If your ID does not have your current address, please bring verification of address, such as a utility bill or bank statement. You must bring the card in with identification for account verification before checking out library materials.
There is no minimum age requirement to have a Library Card. A parent or legal guardian must sign the card application for anyone under the age of 18. Special Library Cards are available for children participating in our Summer Reading Club.
All new Library Card users will have a ten-item limit for the first eight weeks of membership.
Special cards are also available for teachers, businesses and organizations. Please ask at the Library for details.
Need immediate access to our digital collection? Apply for an eCard. When you are ready to checkout physical materials you can get a Library Card by following the instructions above.
You have three options:
RETURNING ITEMS YOU BORROW
You can return items to any Dayton Metro Library, regardless of which Library you checked them out from originally. Items can be returned (24/7) directly to book drops and to our automated material check in windows depending on the locations you use.
AUTOMATIC RENEWALS
We renew most items for you. Items you have checked out from the Library will automatically be renewed up to five times. This means you don't have to access your account or call the Library when you want to renew. It also means you won't have overdue fines when you forget or don't have time to renew the items yourself.
Two days prior to the due date, your items will automatically be renewed if no one else has requested them. If we have your email address, you'll get a message letting you know which items are due in two days, and which have been renewed, along with a list of any other materials you currently have checked out.
Most items can be renewed up to five times if there are no outstanding requests. Some items, including Fast Reads and Check Me Out, do not allow five renewals. Materials checked out on classroom cards do not have automatic renewal.
If you have misplaced or forgotten your Library Card number or PIN, we can help. Please call our Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665, Monday through Saturday, 10 am - 6 pm. Or, send us an email with your specific questions here.
TIP: Download the DML App to your phone or device for faster, more convenient Curbside Pickup.
Learn more here about Curbside Service and the Library app here.
eCards give you instant access to databases and digital borrowing without the need to visit one of our locations.
Physical materials at our library locations cannot be checked out with an eCard. However, eCards can be upgraded to a standard library card by showing valid photo ID and proof of address when you visit any of our libraries. You can signup for an eCard here. Need help please watch our video
f you find you already have a Library Card number but do not remember your Library Card number or PIN, you can call our Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665 for help.
Location is listed at the top of the page. You can use the map to find a branch near you or use the sorting tools under the map to see further details. Click here for a list of locations and addresses. You can also get driving directions to each location.
Effective January 1, 2018, there are no overdue fines for Dayton Metro Library materials.
Items checked out and not returned within 21 days past the due date are considered lost and the borrower will be charged the replacement cost of the item.
If the item is not returned within 35 days past the due date, the account is turned over to collections and an additional $10 fee is assessed to the borrower.
If a library card account has $10 or more in charges, the account holder will be blocked from checkout until sufficient payment is made.
All locations have free WIFI.
Most locations have printers as well as copiers with fax and scanner. To see if a location near you has what you need check out our location amenities.
If Dayton Metro Library does not have the item you are looking for you can now tap into hundreds of public libraries to find items using SearchOhio or at university libraries using OhioLink. Request online for free delivery directly to your local Library. All you need is your Library card. You can easily access SearchOhio through our catalog. Anytime you conduct a search that returns no items in our catalog, you are then given the option to check for the item in SearchOhio.
SearchOhio Borrowing Guidelines
As of June 2, 2021 our small Meeting Rooms (Tutor Rooms, Quads, Group Study Rooms and Conference Rooms) have reopened for public reservations.
One June 21, 2021 the Main's Green Screen Room and Editing Suites will reopen along with Branch Library AV/Labs and Carts.
One July 19, 2021 Community Rooms will once again be available during open hours with after hours access resuming August 16, 2021
Reservations can be made by calling our Ask Me Line at 937.463.2665.