PERU – Up to 1,000 Miami County residents will have access to a free library card starting Monday after a new pilot program was approved by the Peru Library Board and county officials.
The Miami County Council Tuesday approved $75,000 of county economic-development funds to pay the $75 library-card fee for county residents on a first come, first serve basis. The Peru Library board approved the agreement last week.
County residents have had to pay the fee since 2015, when the library board turned down $50,000 in funding from the county. Board members said the county’s contribution to the library had become inequitable and wasn’t enough to cover the cost of county residents using the library’s services for free.
The library is funded through a tax on Peru residents only.
The new pilot program was created after months of negotiations between library and county officials to get some county residents free access to the facility.
Now, library officials plan to use the new program to gauge the possibility of moving to a county-wide taxing district to fund the library and provide free access to every Miami County resident.
Peru Library Board President Anna Jo McKaig said if hordes of county residents turn out to get a free card, that could indicate a willingness to expand the library taxing district to the entire county.
“We’re using this to see what the interest is and how many people want the library service,” she said. “We’ll know if all the cards are gone right away.”
Council President Ethan Manning said officials will meet again later this year to review the data they collect from the program to “see where we are, and then work together to negotiate a longer-term agreement that provides library services to county residents.”
McKaig said for now, library officials are just happy to provide free access again to some county residents.
“The Peru Library Board of Trustees and the library staff welcome the return of our county patrons to our newly remodeled facility and are eagerly anticipating the opportunity of providing our programs and services to more Miami County families,” she said. “Hopefully, this pilot program will lead to the institution of a more permanent and stable solution for the future,” McKaig said.
County residents who wish to obtain a library card can visit the library at 102 E. Main St. starting Monday to fill out an application. Residents must show documentation that they live in Miami County and show a driver’s license or state-issued ID with a matching address. Residents must also be in good standing with the library.
A parent or guardian must accompany all children applying for cards and must meet the above qualifications. All cards will be issued under adopted library circulation policies.