Working at the Northwest Library, we see a lot of people who live outside of our primary service area who would love a library card, but balk at the $40 Annual Fee (which, I know, is generous). It's tough when they work a block away from the library and feel that they are shut out from utilizing our services. The Pioneer Library System allows people to get a Pioneer card as long as they work in their service area--perhaps MLS can do a hybrid card, where if you work in OKC/OK County an Annual Fee card is $25?

Separately, why do we charge a processing fee only for Deposit Cardholders? I would be okay with a processing fee applied to any lost item regardless of the card type, but it seems unfair to target just one group with a processing fee.

I would rather us do like Pioneer and have free cards for those who work and go to school in OKC/OK County as well. Technically the employers are paying property taxes for the buildings that these employees work in. Our reciprocal agreement with Pioneer says "Each library system respects the eligibility requirements of the other in issuing reciprocal cards. MLS considers as eligible those persons who reside, work or attend school in Cleveland, McClain or Pottawatomie counties or attend school in Blanchard." If we're giving free cards to people who only work/go to school in Pioneer's service area, why aren't we doing the same for our customers?

I saw something recently on the Intranet about the possibility of loaning subject collections to schools. Would it be possible to have school cards? Not the school-based cards where students who go to school in OK county can get, but cards that the school/teachers can use to check out items for their classes. This would be extremely helpful for schools like John Rex, where they don't have a library. Also, because of school budget cuts, I'm guessing the school libraries won't have much to work with this year. My son goes to a small private school, and most of their books come from Scholastic book fair profits and sometimes from the Friends Booksale if there is money available. I've been serving as their school library card this year by checking out materials they need on my library card (and reminding them that they're on my card so they'd better not lose them or damage them). They've completely filled up my card once, so I couldn't check things out. It'd be nice if they had a school card that materials could be checked out on for them to use in class.

"Additional cards for immediate family members currently living in the same household may be obtained at no additional cost."

I don't know why we discriminate on the relations to the person in the household who pays $40 every year for a reciprocal card. Why do we care or specify a requirement for persons in a single household to additionally qualify? Families can have parents who aren't married and persons who aren't families can live together as well. I'm not sure why we want to take a stance against two or more persons co-habituating, especially when they might communally share the cost of the annual fee. It seems like this stance would negatively affect market penetration.