Cardholder Signup Policies: Access in Practice

Saturday, June 28, 2025

11:00 AM – 12:00 PM EDT

Location: Pennsylvania Convention Center, Room 115 B C

Presenter(s)

Lindsay Laren (she/her/hers)

Assistant Commissioner, Collections, Content and Access
Chicago Public Library
Amy Mikel

Director, Customer Experience
Brooklyn Public Library
Carrie Watson

Library Operations Manager
Englewood Public Library
Michelle Gordon Hartman

Collection Services Manager
Sacramento Public Library

In our efforts to protect the right to read, have public libraries been proactive about eliminating the potential barriers to access embedded in our cardholder signup policies? Utilizing case studies from three public libraries and drawing upon a recent study to collect and analyze cardholder signup policies nationwide, this program will reflect on opportunities for public library staff, leaders, boards, and community stakeholders to restructure their registration policies to better align with the profession’s values of access and intellectual freedom. Attendees will leave with an actionable plan for revisiting their own library’s cardholder signup policies and procedures.

Learning Objectives:

Describe common areas of policy and practice that may create barriers to the public’s ability to get a library card.
Access and use available resources which provide guidance and best practices for structuring cardholder signup, as well as those which reflect policy trends and patterns nationwide.
Develop an action plan to revisit their own library’s registration process through the lens of access.
Understand through case studies how three libraries in practice have re-examined and re-structured their cardholder signup policies to increase access to resources and services.