Cardholder Signup: Collecting and Analyzing How Patrons Get Library Cards

In May 2023, with funding from the Mellon Foundation, Brooklyn Public Library (BPL) launched an 18-month research project to collect and study cardholder signup policies from public libraries across the nation. The project aims to identify the range of policies and procedures which govern cardholder access as well as the rationale used for establishing (or protecting) those policies. Findings will be shared with the field in a report issued in Spring 2024.

Using the findings, BPL will convene a representative working group of public library leaders and legal experts in the Spring/Summer of 2024 to develop a framework of guiding principles and best practices for cardholder registration. The hope is that we may begin to shift our standard signup policies to meet the practical realities of those in our communities who have a range of situations and are not any less trustworthy or deserving of access.