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
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
