Borrowing, Fines, and Library Membership

Our collection of approximately 135,000 items* consists of books, periodicals, compact discs, books on tape, large print books, travel brochures and videos. We have materials for all ages and almost every interest. Our special collections include theater, poetry anthologies, and other developing areas.

* BCCLS (2009). Reports on demand, item count report for MAHW. Electronic document retrieved 11/30/09 from http://reports.bccls.org/reports/

Borrowing terms, fees, and fines, by item type

With a valid library card, library patrons in good standing can borrow materials for preset periods:

Payment of fines and charges: Fines must be paid in person, by cash or check. The library cannot transact credit card payments. Overdue fines for any library’s items can be paid at any library; charges for lost items can be paid at any library but must be paid by check made out to the item’s owning library.

Renewals: Most materials may be renewed twice if there are no requests for the item(s). All library materials except rental DVDs can be renewed by phone or online using your PIN to access your library card account. (Don't have a PIN?) Rental DVDs must be re-rented in person.

Reserves: Patrons may reserve materials providing that the library owns them. If we do not own a particular item, we can request it from another BCCLS library providing that it is not a new book, bestseller, or other item restricted by local policy.

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E-mail notifications

Patrons who register their e-mail address at the Circulation Desk (in person or by phone) can receive e-mail notification of

• Items that are overdue or are coming due in three days.
• Arrival at the Mahwah library of items requested from other libraries.

This e-mail registration is separate from registration for the Mahwah Library E-Mail News List.

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Library membership and library cards

Every resident of Mahwah is entitled to a free library card. Your card will be honored in all BCCLS, MAIN, and PALS libraries. You must present your library card for every in-person library transaction. Replacement of a lost card is $3.00.

Who can get a library card

• Every resident of Mahwah is entitled to a free library card.
• Children must be enrolled in school (public or private), kindergarten and up, to be eligible for a library card.
• Non-residents who attend school or work in Mahwah may be eligible for a free courtesy card (for use to borrow Mahwah library items only—no interlibrary loans). Proof of enrollment/employment is required.
• Persons residing outside of our service area may purchase a paid courtesy card for $55, on a one-year renewable basis (for use to borrow Mahwah library items only—no interlibrary loans).

How to get a library card

• If you move from one BCCLS town to another, please visit the library in the town you are moving to, to turn in your old card and apply for a new one.
• If you have moved to Mahwah from a non-BCCLS town, you can apply for a library card—
  • In person (click here for directions to the library), or
  • Online by clicking here or by following the “Apply for a Library Card Online” link on the Bergen County Cooperative Library System (BCCLS) homepage.
• When you come to the library to pick up your new library card, please be sure to bring one of the following forms of ID as proof of residency:
  • A valid driver's license with your name and Mahwah address.
  • The deed to your Mahwah house or the rental contract for your Mahwah residence with your name on it.
  • A current property tax bill for your Mahwah address with your name on it.
  • A current utility bill for your Mahwah address with your name on it.

Bank statements or addresses listing a post office box number cannot be accepted as proof of residency.

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Materials donation policy

As of December 2, 2009, until further notice, the library is not accepting any more donations of used items.

The library continually updates its collections with the most current fiction and nonfiction books, reference resources, media, and periodicals, weeds its collections to ensure they remain current, and repurchases new editions of timeless classics. When needed, the library gladly accepts donations of the following kinds of materials only:

• Newer fiction, in hardcover or paperback, in good condition, including children’s
• Cookbooks and craft books, including children’s
• Children’s small wooden jigsaw puzzles in good condition
• Children's fiction and nonfiction in Spanish
• Media: DVDs, music CDs, books on CD

The library is unable to accept donations of the following kinds of materials in any condition at any time, and must discard them or put them for sale if received:

• Textbooks and most nonfiction, including any kind of reference, computer, history, or travel book
• Periodicals/magazines
• Video games
• Any cassette-based media, such as VHS or music

Please do not, under any circumstances, bring us materials in the following conditions, as their presence in the building may pose a health or safety threat to our holdings, our building, and our staff:

• Wet, or once wet
• Stained
• Moldy
• Mildewed

Help keep our collections fresh! Before donating, we ask that you consider whether you would buy it if you found it at a garage sale; if not, then neither will it be useful to the library, which is not a home for elderly and infirm books. Kindly dispose of unwanted print materials properly at the Township Recycling Center, 142 North Railroad Avenue, which takes unwanted books (as “mixed paper”) and magazines. Video games and systems can be recycled as electronics through the Bergen County Utilities Authority at Moonachie or at scheduled local collections.

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Returning library items

• During library business hours, please return your library items in person. The book drop is closed during business hours and is opened when the library closes. When book drop items are discharged, the previous business day's date is used, to avoid excess fine accrual.
• Please use the book drop for books, videos, and DVDs only; do not put CDs, audiocassettes, readalongs or periodicals in the book drop.
• Mahwah materials may be returned to other BCCLS libraries, and all materials from all other BCCLS libraries may be returned at Mahwah. Items are discharged at the library to which they are returned, to avoid excess fine accrual.

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Your library card account online

Mahwah Public Library card holders have access to much more information and many more services through the power of Personal Identification Number (PIN). A PIN enables you to view your library card account 24/7 and see items you have checked out or have on reserve, renew items before they become overdue, cancel requests, and view a list of outstanding fines. If you do not yet have a PIN, please ask for one the next time you visit the Circulation Desk. To protect the privacy of your library card account, we cannot add a PIN to your account over the phone.

To view your library card account, click here or go the Mahwah Public Library home page, Click the BCCLS link, click on “Your Library Card,” then enter your library card number and your PIN number.

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