If your local library is thin, you can often pay a modest annual fee to join a much bigger system and get its whole digital collection. This is the best-value move on this page. It is also the one most riddled with stale information elsewhere, so every entry below was read on the library’s own site on 2026-09-29.
Fairfax County Public Library
On sale nowFairfax, Virginia
$50 for 1 year, $75 for 2 years, $100 for 3 years
Open to anyone in the USApply from anywhere
Who: Anyone living in the United States whose home address is not in Fairfax County, the City of Fairfax, or a reciprocal jurisdiction. No age requirement is stated.
You get: Online resources only, including eBooks and eAudiobooks. This card does not include physical borrowing. The library's pages do not name which apps (Libby, hoopla, Kanopy) are included, so treat the specific platform list as unconfirmed.
How: Apply online. The application is processed within 7 business days, then you are emailed an account number and payment instructions. The card does not work until the fee is paid.
The strongest remote option found: a genuinely out-of-state card you can buy without travelling. Corroborated at askthelibrary.fairfaxcounty.gov/faq/190502 and /faq/190589.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Queens Public Library
On sale nowQueens, New York
$50 per year
Open to anyone, worldwideApply from anywhere
Who: Their page: for an annual fee of $50 all non-New York State residents, including international users, can purchase an account. No age requirement stated, no in-person visit required.
You get: Digital only: research databases, e-journals, digital media and downloads (eBooks, audiobooks, eMagazines, video, music). No physical borrowing, because a physical card additionally requires a New York street address.
How: Start the eCard form online, answer No to "Do you live, work, go to school, or own property in New York State?", then pay $50 by Visa, Mastercard or Discover. Account number and PIN arrive by email.
The other genuinely remote option. Corroborated at queenslibrary.org/library-card/apply-online-payment.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Atlantic County Library System
On sale nowMays Landing, New Jersey
$60 per year, $25 seasonal, or $10 per month
Open to anyone in the USHow to apply: check the page
Who: Free to all Atlantic County residents with ID and proof of address, plus county employees, students and faculty, military, employees of county businesses, and property owners in member municipalities. The paid card covers everyone else.
You get: Borrowing across the Atlantic County Library System.
How: See the library's join page.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Camden County Library System
On sale nowVoorhees, New Jersey
$100 per year, $50 for 6 months, or $25 for 3 months, per household
Open to anyone in the USHow to apply: check the page
Who: Free for residents of the 24 member municipalities that pay the county library tax. Residents aged 65 and over in a non-member Camden County town get free annual membership. Also free for business owners, teachers, county employees, Camden County College students, nonprofits, library volunteers, and literacy tutors and students.
You get: Borrowing across the Camden County Library System.
How: See the library's member communities page.
The 65-and-over carve-out is easy to miss and worth a lot to anyone in a non-member Camden County town.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Charleston County Public Library
On sale nowCharleston, South Carolina
$80 per year
Neighbouring counties onlyIn-person visit required
Who: Only residents of Berkeley, Colleton, Dorchester or Georgetown counties in South Carolina. Their page states plainly that if you live outside those four counties you are not eligible for a card.
You get: Print, audiovisual, e-resources (e-books, audiobooks, music, film), databases and public computers.
How: Complete the online application, then visit a branch in person with photo ID and proof of address. Under 18 needs parental consent.
Frequently listed in other directories as an out-of-state option. It is not one at any price.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Fort Worth Public Library
On sale nowFort Worth, Texas
$50, valid one year from the date you buy it
Open to anyone in the USIn-person visit required
Who: People who do not live in or own property in Fort Worth and do not qualify for a TexShare card. No state or US residency restriction is stated.
You get: Up to 100 items for up to three weeks, online research and learning tools, downloadable music and e-books, and library computers. Libby, hoopla and Kanopy are not named on the page.
How: In person at any open library location. The instant online signup is for Fort Worth residents only.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Los Angeles Public Library
On sale nowLos Angeles, California
$50
Open to anyone in the USIn-person visit required
Who: Anyone whose permanent address is outside California. Under 18s are not asked for identification.
You get: A 30-item checkout limit, the same as a regular card. The free e-card is separate and is limited to Los Angeles City residents by vendor licensing, so it is not an out-of-state route.
How: In person only. Their page states cards are issued and renewed in person at the time of payment, and are not issued through the mail.
The $50 is usually reported elsewhere as annual. LAPL's own page does not state a period, so we do not either. A regular LAPL card is free to any California resident, not just Los Angeles residents.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Monmouth County Library
On sale nowManalapan, New Jersey
$100 per year, or $75 for veterans with a DD214
Open to anyone in the USHow to apply: check the page
Who: Free to anyone living in or owning property in a member municipality that pays the county library tax. Residents of exempt municipalities pay the annual fee. Exempt towns named on their page include Aberdeen, Asbury Park, Avon, Belmar, Bradley Beach, Freehold Borough, Keyport, Long Branch, Matawan, Middletown, Neptune Township, Red Bank, Sea Girt and Spring Lake.
You get: Borrowing across the Monmouth County Library system.
How: See the library's card page.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Multnomah County Library
On sale nowPortland, Oregon
$285 per year, per household
Open to anyone in the USIn-person visit required
Who: Anyone outside the free service area, including out-of-state residents. The free area is Multnomah, Clackamas, Hood River and Washington Counties in Oregon plus Clark, Klickitat and Skamania Counties in Washington.
You get: Full borrowing and holds for every member of the household, e-books, audiobooks, streaming media, home access to research databases, and interlibrary loan.
How: In person only. You must visit a library and show photo identification to collect the card.
Widely republished elsewhere as $180. That figure is stale: the live page says $285. One of the few paid cards that covers a whole household and includes physical borrowing.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Ocean County Library
On sale nowToms River, New Jersey
$9.50 per month
Open to anyone in the USHow to apply: check the page
Who: Out-of-county residents and residents of Beach Haven. Free for Ocean County residents other than Beach Haven, and free for Burlington and Monmouth County residents.
You get: Borrowing at all 21 Ocean County Library locations.
How: See the library's card page.
Unusually generous: unlike most New Jersey county systems, Ocean gives free cards to county residents even when their town runs its own library.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
San Francisco Public Library
On sale nowSan Francisco, California
$10, valid 3 months
Open to anyone in the USIn-person visit required
Who: Visitors from outside California. Any California resident gets a free card instead.
You get: Physical collections and online resources. The page does not say whether the $10 visitor card carries the same digital access, so treat the digital scope as unconfirmed.
How: Apply online, then appear in person with photo ID. Their page states the library does not issue cards online.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Somerset County Library System of New Jersey
On sale nowBridgewater, New Jersey
$60 per year, as of March 1, 2024
Open to anyone in the USIn-person visit required
Who: Free if you own property, live, work or attend school in a member municipality. Everyone else pays.
You get: Full system borrowing. Note that people using SCLSNJ through reciprocal borrowing rather than a card cannot borrow e-books, museum passes, or book meeting rooms.
How: In person.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Sussex County Library System
On sale nowFrankford, New Jersey
$100 per year
Open to anyone in the USHow to apply: check the page
Who: A free two-year card is available to Sussex County residents and property owners except in Sparta. A free one-year card is available to people who work or attend school in Sussex County, again except Sparta and the Sparta school district. Everyone else pays.
You get: Borrowing across the Sussex County Library System.
How: See the library's policies page.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
The Seattle Public Library
On sale nowSeattle, Washington
$85 per year non-resident card, or $25 for a 3-month visitor card
That state's residents onlyIn-person visit required
Who: The non-resident card is for Washington state residents who live outside the Seattle area. The visitor card is for people living in Seattle for a short time. No out-of-state option appears anywhere on the page.
You get: The $85 card carries a 50-item limit and the $25 card a 5-item limit. The page does not state whether paid cards get the same digital access as free ones, so do not assume digital parity.
How: Paid cards are not described as purchasable online; the page directs you to a branch with valid ID.
Often listed as an out-of-state option. Both paid tiers are scoped to Washington state or temporary Seattle residence.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Brooklyn Public Library
DiscontinuedBrooklyn, New York
No fee published
Not available
Who: Their card page states BPL no longer offers a fee-based out-of-state library card. Existing out-of-state accounts stay active until they expire and cannot be renewed.
How: Free cards are available to anyone who lives, works, pays property taxes or attends school in New York State.
BPL's Books Unbanned programme is a separate and still-live free option for young people nationwide.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Las Vegas-Clark County Library District
Fee not publishedLas Vegas, Nevada
No fee published
Not available
Who: Their circulation policy says a card is free for Nevada residents and that for non-residents the district reserves the right to assess a yearly fee. No dollar amount appears anywhere, so we publish none.
You get: A free Nonresident Instant eCard is available online to anyone outside Clark County, but it explicitly excludes the eBook and eAudiobook collections in Libby and hoopla.
How: Online for the free nonresident eCard; full borrowing needs an in-branch visit with photo ID.
Identity for the free eCard is verified through a third-party data vendor, which is worth knowing if you care about who handles your personal information.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Burlington County Library System
Fee not publishedWestampton, New Jersey
No fee published
Open to anyone in the US
Who: Free if you live, work, teach or go to school in one of the 37 participating Burlington County municipalities. Residents of Moorestown, Mount Laurel and Willingboro, and non-residents, may apply in person and pay. The fee schedule is not published on the pages we could read, so we state no amount.
You get: Borrowing across the Burlington County Library System.
How: In person, with payment due when the application is submitted.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Chicago Public Library
No paid cardChicago, Illinois
No fee published
Not available
Who: Their FAQ states plainly that they do not offer library cards to out-of-state visitors. Cards are free but need current valid ID showing a Chicago address.
You get: You do not need a card to use materials on site.
How: In person only. From May 1, 2025 CPL no longer issues eCards.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Denver Public Library
No paid cardDenver, Colorado
No fee published
Not available
Who: Any Colorado resident, or a student attending a Colorado college or university, gets a free card. No paid out-of-state card is offered.
You get: A free eCard registered online expires after 6 months. Out-of-county eCard holders must show photo ID in person before they can use Libby or OverDrive, and Kanopy is available to Denver residents only.
How: Online for the eCard, in person to finalise.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Free Library of Philadelphia
DiscontinuedPhiladelphia, Pennsylvania
No fee published
Not available
Who: Current pages list only free cards for people who live, work, pay taxes or attend school in Philadelphia, plus free cards for anyone living in Pennsylvania. The online application states that only people who live in Pennsylvania may register online.
How: No non-resident fee option is listed and there is no path to one in the current application flow.
The $50 out-of-state card is historical: it appears on the library's own blog in a 2019 post but on no current page. Treat it as gone.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Houston Public Library
DiscontinuedHouston, Texas
No fee published
Not available
Who: The free MyLink card is open to any Texas resident, and the online application hard-codes the state as TX. HPL announced that from April 7, 2025 it would no longer renew out-of-state resident cards.
You get: MyLink gives instant digital access (eBooks, e-audiobooks, digital magazines, music) via a 7-digit number emailed to you. Physical borrowing needs an in-person visit.
How: There is no out-of-state path in the current application form.
The widely cited $40 per year and $20 per 6 months non-resident fees do not appear on any HPL page we could read. We do not publish them.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Hunterdon County Library
Fee not publishedFlemington, New Jersey
No fee published
Open to anyone in the US
Who: Free to anyone of any age who lives or owns property in the Hunterdon County Library service area. Flemington Borough and Lambertville residents are excluded because those towns fund their own libraries. Non-residents pay an annual fee set by the Main Library Alliance, which is not published on the page.
You get: Use at any Hunterdon County Library branch, the bookmobile, affiliates, and Main Library Alliance member libraries. Flemington Borough residents can have their local card entered into the county system for limited use.
How: See the library's card page.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
New York Public Library
No paid cardNew York, New York
No fee published
Not available
Who: NYPL does not sell a non-resident card. No fee appears in their card pages or terms and conditions. Free cards go to anyone who lives, works and pays income taxes, attends school, or pays property taxes in New York State.
You get: A free on-site visitor card exists, valid 3 months, issued in person only. It explicitly excludes e-books, databases and Culture Pass.
How: In person for the visitor card.
The widely repeated $100 NYPL non-resident fee is not supported by anything on nypl.org.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
Orange County Library System
DiscontinuedOrlando, Florida
No fee published
Not available
Who: Their own FAQ: as of July 31, 2026, OCLS is no longer offering new fee cards.
How: No fee card option remains. Out-of-district users can still get a Melrose Center-only card, which requires an in-person orientation.
The $75 for 3 months and $125 per year figures still circulating in other directories could not be confirmed on any OCLS page, and are moot now in any case.
Read it on their site →source read · 2026-09-29
