A library card can get you so much more than a gripping page-turner or the latest issue of a local paper. Now, thanks to the internet, library card holders can access online databases filled with music, movies, audiobooks, e-books, language courses and so much more, not to mention a host of amazing services hosted by libraries themselves.
The Miami-Dade Public Library System (MDPLS) has an extensive supply of books, magazines, classes, services and resources available to card holders, all at little to no cost at all! Here’s how to get a library card and, most importantly, all the cool things you can do with it!
How to get a MDPL library card
The majority of residents in Miami-Dade County are eligible for a library card at no cost, while those living outside the county or in certain town limits may obtain a card for a small annual fee. Check the requirements here!
The MDPLS uses an electronic library card system, so after you apply you will receive a unique barcode to use when you utilize digital services or checkout a physical book.
Here are some of the resources and services you can access through the library system here in Miami!
Resources and services you can get through the MDPLS
Online adult learning
Whether you’re learning Spanish, English or Portuguese; preparing to take the GED or SAT test; brushing up on some math or studying for your U.S. citizenship test, the online adult learning classes through the Miami-Dade Public Library System are an invaluable resource to anyone with a library card.
Classes are 100% online and range anywhere from 7-10 weeks long throughout the year. Check in before each semester to see what new classes are being offered!
Drive up Wi-Fi
We’ve all been there. We need to email a file in the next 2 minutes, download a file to sign, take a call over zoom or check the stats of the latest big game. There’s no time to run into a coffee shop and buy your obligatory coffee for access to the Wi-Fi, and of course cell service hotspot data is slow.
Then comes the MDPL drive-up Wi-Fi, which grants you quick and easy access to the wonders of high-speed internet from your drivers seat just when you need it. It’s convenient, quick and available at 22 library branches around Miami. Bring your laptop, phone or tablet and stay up to date with life when you need it most!
Homework, tutoring and literacy help
Online and in-person homework help
Tutoring and homework help is available to students K-12 who live in or attend school in Miami-Dade County. Sessions range from 30-minute one-on-one online lessons to 60-minute in-person group classes, all covering subjects like reading, writing, math and science.
Storytime Express
This free early literacy program is available to preschools, parents, kindergarten centers and child care centers within the Miami-Dade area. These pre-packaged kits allow parents, guardians and teachers to enhance their story time sessions with tactile play sheets, puppets, music CDs and educational toys to go along with specially-chosen books for the child’s specific developmental stage.
There are 80 available themes to choose from, ranging from the ABCs to Florida animals to emotions, self-esteem, grief, joy, family, and more, so take advantage of these outstanding kits if you’re looking to add a little extra learning to your story times!
Interlibrary loan
Whether you’re looking for a scholarly journal, an extremely specific audiovisual item, a book that apparently no-one else in Miami has ever been interested in or even a photocopy of a newspaper’s front page from the other side of the country, you can get all that and more using the Miami-Dade Public Library System’s interlibrary loan network.
Library card holders can request these materials from other libraries in the loan system, usually at no cost or for a small shipping fee.
Home delivery services
If, for whatever reason, you can’t make it to the library to browse through the catalog or pick up an item, the MDPLS offers a few different home delivery services to library card holders.
First, there is the Braille & Talking Books Library, which delivers audio and braille books, magazines, audio players and other accessible items for free to those eligible!
There’s also the Connections Home Library program, which loans library books, magazines, audiobooks and more to individuals who, for whatever reason, can’t make it to the library in person.
And, finally, there is the Libraries @ Your Door program that will mail your requests to you at no additional charge. You can return these items by mail, drop it off in a book drop or return it in person!
Device lending
If you’ve ever spilled coffee on a laptop, smashed your tablet or broken your fiber ethernet cable, then you know that it can be a pain to rush around trying to fix or replace your devices on short notice.
Luckily, the Miami-Dade Public Library System has Chromebooks, tablets and Wi-Fi hotspots available for checkout to anyone with a library card. You can borrow these items for up to 30 days at a time, making them perfect for emergencies, visiting guests, temporary projects and more!
Printing services
With nearly all our work online nowadays, printers are less and less common in the home or in an apartment. Every now and then, though, we need to print out a form, recipe, worksheet or something along those lines, and that’s where the library comes in handy!
With a library card in hand, you can head to your nearest library branch and print whatever you need on the public printers there. You can also submit documents to be printed from the comfort of your own home and pick them up later — whatever works best for your own schedule. There is a small fee for the printing services, but it’s an easy and convenient way to get your documents printed hassle-free!
Passport services
Some might say that a library card is a passport to a world of knowledge. And, in this case, a library card is also a passport to a passport application, which can be done at the North Dade and South Dade Regional Libraries. Using the services there, you can schedule an appointment up to 2 weeks in advance and have your passport application in the mail before you know it!
Make sure you read up on the documents you need to have with you before you attend your appointment, and bring your passport photos with you to the appointment as the libraries do not have photo printing services available there.
If you live in or near our luxury South Florida apartments, then a library card is a free golden ticket to a world of resources and services that you can utilize whenever you need! Even if you never use your library card, getting one is a great way to show support for these important institutions that make Miami so great!
Pin it!
Featured photo courtesy Pixabay/StockSnap
Colleen Ford is a South African who now lives on Oahu in Hawai'i. She loves to travel, camp, spearfish and hike. She's also part of a super cool canoe club and is pretty decent at it. Colleen enjoys Star Wars and also not being cold ever.
View All Posts by Colleen Ford