October 21, 2024

Library accounts are issued to eligible individuals and qualifying institutions in order to provide access to services and resources. The library service area includes the city limits of Rapid City and Pennington County, excluding the towns of Hill City, Keystone, and Wall. Unless otherwise indicated, accounts are for individuals 18 years old or older.

Account Holder Responsibilities:

• Account holders, parents or legal guardians of minor children, and institutions are responsible for material checked out on their accounts
• Library cards must not be loaned to others
• The account holder must report a lost or stolen card to the library as soon as possible
• An account holder may designate one authorized user who is permitted to check out items on behalf of the account holder. Authorized users must have an account in good standing
• If a person has a blocked account at another Black Hills Library Consortium library, that account must be in good standing before receiving an RCPL account

Account Types & Eligibility:

• Resident – an individual who provides address verification and resides within the service area
• Local Property Owner – an individual who owns property within the service area, but resides elsewhere or who is a current benefited employee of Rapid City
• 180 Day Resident – an individual who resides within the service area at an address primarily expected to be short term, seasonal, or used to establish mail service and has provided proof of physical residence lasting 180 days or longer within a year
• Provisional – an individual who is unable to provide address verification such as those experiencing homelessness or living in transitional housing
• Non-Resident – an individual who lives outside the library’s service area described above. Payment of an annual non-resident fee is required, as outlined in the Lending and Fees policy
• Youth – An individual 17 years old or younger whose guarantor (parent or legal guardian) meets one of the eligibility requirements above
  • The guarantor must have a library account in good standing
  • The guarantor accepts responsibility for what the child accesses in or checks out from the library, both financially and in terms of content
• Computer Access – An individual 12-17 years old who is unable to obtain a resident or county youth account because their guarantor’s account is restricted
• Ellsworth – Current active duty personnel, or their spouses, stationed at Ellsworth Air Force Base
• Home Delivery – an individual residing in Pennington County and within the Rapid City School District boundaries who has a barrier to library services, including disability, injury or illness
  
• Institutional – Agencies within the city or county, including assisted living, retirement, schools, and childcare facilities whose clients are unable to utilize library services without assistance
  • The agency’s chief executive or the person with the agency’s financial authority must sign a registration form and designate authorized users
  • Service provided by the library is not intended to take the primary place of an agency providing library service for themselves when they are specifically charged to do so

Identity Verification:

• To obtain an account, individuals must verify their identity with a photo ID and provide date of birth
• A photograph will be taken at the time of registration and may be updated as needed to identify the account owner

Address Verification:

• Verification of a current physical residence in Rapid City or Pennington County is required, unless otherwise indicated above
  • A current military ID is required for an Ellsworth account
• Addresses are verified through Rapid City’s geographic information system
  • Individuals who own property in Rapid City or Pennington County but reside elsewhere must provide annual confirmation of local property ownership
  • Post Office boxes, personal mailbox services and commercial mail service addresses may be used as a mailing address but do not constitute verification of a physical residence
  • Campers, recreational vehicles and campsites are not considered a physical residence for purposes of address verification

Account Terms & Renewals:

• City or County Resident and Home Delivery accounts are valid for two years
  • If the contract for county library services is terminated, County Resident accounts will expire when the contract ends
• Local Property Owner, 180 Day Resident, Ellsworth, Provisional, and Computer Access accounts are valid for one year
• Verification of current physical residence is required before an account is renewed, except in the case of Provisional accounts
• Accrued fees must be paid down to a level that unblocks the account
• A guarantor may renew accounts for all guaranteed accounts

Replacement Cards:

• A photo ID or account photo, date of birth, and verification of residential address is required to replace a library card

Revised October 21, 2024; December 11, 2023; March 13, 2023; February 13, 2022; April 13, 2020; January 22, 2020; October 14, 2019; April 8, 2019; July 9, 2018; May 14, 2018; March 14, 2016; January 11, 2016; December 14, 2015; September 8, 2014; July 8, 2013; reviewed October 2012; revised October 21, 2010; July 15, 2010; December 9, 2009; June 14, 2006; April 2006; January 2005; November 12, 2003