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Reciprocal Borrowing

Reciprocal Borrowing

To expand service to a broader area and give our resident members greater access to information and materials, we have established reciprocal borrowing agreements with many area libraries.

How does it work?

By showing your library card and appropriate identification with proof of current address, resident members of Portage District Library have access to free, limited memberships at each of the libraries listed below. For those who have resident memberships at these same libraries, you can get a free reciprocal membership at Portage District Library by showing your resident library card and appropriate identification with proof of current address. Reciprocal memberships allow you limited access to materials within our collection.

Partner Libraries

Limitations

To better manage the cost of providing premium library services and collections and assure that district resident and paying non-resident members have priority access to them, the Portage District Library limits access to some of our more costly services. Similar limits are instituted by all libraries in Kalamazoo County. Reciprocal borrowing members at Portage District Library would need to seek the following types of services from their home library:

  • Hot Pick Collections
  • Favorite Authors, a reservation program
  • Homebound Service, a selection service
  • Inter-library Loan services from MeLCat
  • Digital Library Collections and Services

Reciprocal borrowers can only utilize the reciprocal borrowing agreements of their home library. Residents of Prairie Ronde Township and Pavilion Township (outside of the Portage School District) do not qualify for reciprocal borrowing with Portage District Library. If you would prefer to have fewer limitation on your use of Portage District Library collections and services, you can always choose to upgrade to a paid non-resident membership.

The following membership types at Portage District Library are not included in our reciprocal membership agreements with participating libraries: businesses, educators, students, and other non-resident types of memberships. Any business owner, educator, or student who resides within the Portage District Library service area should get a resident membership type to take advantage of reciprocal borrowing services.