Borrowing

You can apply for Muskoka Lakes Public Library membership by completing a membership form. 

You can use your library card at both branches:

• Port Carling (main) 69 Joseph Street, Port Carling, Ontario P0B 1J0 
• Bala (in the community centre) 1008 Maple Avenue, Bala, Ontario P0C 1A0

Both branches are open year round. Come on in and browse! You may also pre-order items by placing holds through the library catalogue. You will get email notification when your items are ready for pick up. The book drops are open 24/7 for your returns and are located at the back of the Port Carling branch to the left of the lower entrance door (closed during the winter months due to ice build up), as well as at the upper level, side entrance door. The Bala book drop is outside the entrance door.

View tips for searching, placing holds, and utilizing your account. 

• place holds for items through the online catalogue or by phone if you cannot access your account online
• you will receive an automatic email (or personal phone call if you do not use email) when your items are available for pick up
• library item return box is always open at both branches of Muskoka Lakes Public Library

• do not use cleaners of any kind on library items at home

• we are accepting donations of recently published items at this time

• WiFi is available outside the building 24/7 and is also available to use inside during our hours of operation.

Eligibility

All persons who live, work, attend school or own property in the Township of Muskoka Lakes are entitled to become a member of the Library without charge.

The Library also has reciprocal borrowing arrangements with the other libraries in the District of Muskoka and residents of these communities are treated as permanent residents:

If you are a non-resident of Muskoka, you can pay a $25 fee to become a member for six months.

You can apply for Muskoka Lakes Public Library membership by completing a membership form, as well as by bringing supporting documentation into either branch.

Identification

To get a library card, you will need to show acceptable identification to verify your name and address for membership registration. If your valid Ontario driver's license shows your Muskoka address then you will not need to present any other document to get a library card. Otherwise, one piece of acceptable identification, as shown below, plus proof of Muskoka address is required.

Acceptable identification

• health card with photo
• citizenship card
• passport
• school ID card
• other government issued photo ID

Proof of Muskoka address

• utility bill (telephone, hydro, water, gas, cable TV)
• motor vehicle permit
• mortgage, rental or lease agreement
• property tax assessment or bill
• insurance policy (property, auto, life)
• employer record (pay stub or letter from employer)
• secondary school, college, or university report card or transcript
• bank account statement

We use identification documents to verify your name and address only. We do not keep any other information from the documents on file. 

Loans, limits, fines, and holds

You can renew most items and request holds on most items.

Checking your account

To find out when your items are due, put an item on hold or renew an item, check your account online. You will need your 14-digit library barcode number (or your staff-issued alternate ID name) and your 4-digit PIN (often the last 4-digits of your phone number). You can also call us at 705-765-5650, email muskokalakes@pclib.ca, or come into the library in person.

You can check out 25 items per card (10 check out limit with a purchased non-resident card) with the following limits:

Borrowing limits

Automatic reminder emails are sent out one day prior to the due date, and 7 and 21 days after the due date. At 28 days past the due date, the items go to lost and you will be billed for the replacement cost of the items plus a processing fee.

Interlibrary loans

Interlibrary loans (ILLO) are library materials borrowed from another library system. If Muskoka Lakes Public Library does not own an item that you need, you can ask us to request it from another library system.

ILLO terms and conditions

•  Check our library catalogue first
  • We do not place ILLO requests on items that are already in our catalogue
  • Exceptions: books for a book club and lost or damaged materials
•  You can request all types of print and AV materials with the exception of the following:
  • Music CDs
  • Mass market paperbacks
  • Magazines
  • Children's board books, paperback books or easy readers
• All requested materials must be at least 12 months old for all materials
• Materials must not be in high demand in other libraries
• We cannot request rare, fragile or reference materials
• All requests must be in agreement with the policy of the lending library
• Loan periods are set by the owning library
• There are no renewals on ILLO materials
• ILLO requests can take up to six weeks to arrive
• You can lose your ILLO borrowing privileges if you are consistently late in returning ILLO materials, or by not following the ILLO terms and conditions
• If you lose or damage ILLO material, the lending library will determine the charges
• We cannot guarantee that we will fulfill any or all ILLO requests