This feature is not currently available on our new website.
In the meantime, you can select all the items on your first page by clicking Select 1-25 and clicking Renew. If you have more than 25 items checked out, please go to the second page of items and repeat the process.
If you're looking for direct access to the Library's digital providers, please visit our eBranch page, now renamed Stream & Download. There, you'll find links to your favorite digital provider (like Overdrive, Hoopla, and Freading)!
You can find the link to Stream and Download under the 'Browse' heading in our navigation.
You should know that our new catalog combines our digital and physical collections. We recommend filtering your catalog search by digital platform, a great benefit of our new catalog!
Learn how to borrow an eBook from the Library on your computer or mobile device.
Your library card gives you free access to three eBook services: Overdrive, Hoopla, and Freading.
What you need:
How to check out an eBook using our website:
How to check out an eBook using an app from one of our eBook services:
Please contact us by phone, 513-369-6900, or use our chat service, opens a new window if you need assistance with this process.
Yes, whether you're on your phone, tablet, eReader, or even TV, there's a Library app to help make digital borrowing quicker and easier.
Please note, the Overdrive app phased out in early 2023 and fully transitioned to Libby. Both apps access the same digital collection and Libby provides even more features to explore. Libby allows for simple, customizable reading, the ability to export notes and highlights (perfect for book clubs), tags to track your favorite reads, wish lists, and more.
Visit our Stream & Download page for links and descriptions.
During the Aug. 10, 2021 meeting of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library Board of Trustees, board members agreed to end the practice of issuing fines for overdue items. This change goes into effect Sept. 26, 2021.
In lieu of late fees, the Library locks a customer’s account if any item is 12 days overdue, meaning no additional print items can be checked out until either the overdue item is returned or the customer has paid the replacement fee for it. Customer accounts will also be blocked from renewing or placing holds until the overdue item is resolved.
Read more in this FAQ answer.
The locations are divided into four categories:
The plan is divided into three sections.
The Facility Master Plan has a 10-year horizon, and within that time all 40 branches and the Main Library will see improvements. Section III of the Facility Master Plan includes recommended sequencing for these 41 projects, based on cost, capacity, and other critical factors.
The Board of Trustees identified six guiding principles for the planning process: sustainability, industry leading excellence, diversity and inclusion, transparency, customer focus, and maximize access.
The Price Hill, Walnut Hills, and Madisonville branches are not at all accessible for those with mobility challenges. To support our focus inclusion and maximizing access, a priority is ensuring these branches are accessible to everyone including those with disabilities.
The Price Hill design process is complete and we expect to break ground in March of 2020. We hope to break ground on Walnut Hills in the fall of 2020, and we’re currently exploring opportunities for the Madisonville Branch. Once renovated, each of these facilities will be fully accessible.
Read more about the Facility Master Plan.
Meeting or study room reservations may be made online, opens a new window. For assistance with this process, please contact your local branch, opens a new window, or call 513-369-6900. Please note:
The Library offers a wide variety of eBooks and eAudiobooks through several different vendors. Each service works a bit differently. You'll find directions for getting started on their websites:
Please contact us by phone, 513-369-6900, or use our chat service, opens a new window if you need assistance with this process.
No, Libby and Flipster Magazines can be read in a web browser.
During the Aug. 10, 2021 meeting of the Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library Board of Trustees, board members agreed to end the practice of issuing fines for overdue items. This change goes into effect Sept. 26, 2021.
In lieu of late fees, the Library locks a customer’s account if any item is 12 days overdue, meaning no additional print items can be checked out until either the overdue item is returned or the customer has paid the replacement fee for it. Customer accounts will also be blocked from renewing or placing holds until the overdue item is resolved.
Although the Library will no longer charge late fees when an item is overdue, materials still have to be returned. As of Sept. 26, 2021, at 30 days overdue, customers receive a bill for items that have not been returned and have been classified as “lost.” Previously, customers did not receive a bill until an item was overdue for 45 days. Customers can still return materials that have been billed, and the replacement fee will be removed. In addition:
Please refer to our Circulation Policy for additional information about fees. You may also be charged repair or replacement costs if you lose or damage library material. Please refer to our Table of Fines & Fees for additional information.
The Library distributes overdue notices by email, text message, or phone as a courtesy. Failure to receive an overdue notice does not exempt a library cardholder from responsibility for items that have not been returned.
Your Library PIN (Personal Identification Number) is needed to:
Until you change it, your PIN is the last 4 digits of the phone number you provided when you applied for your card. PINs are four to 10 characters long, and can be changed to any combination of letters and numbers. If you do not know or cannot remember your PIN, call the Library at 513-369-6900 or contact your local branch.
Sign up for a Cincinnati & Hamilton County Public Library card online or in person at any of our 41 neighborhood branches.
Customers with disabilities who cannot visit the Library can sign up for a card by mail. Please contact the Library at 513-369-6900 for additional information about signing up by mail.
Parents signing up for a child must be accompanied by the child when the signup is processed, except in the case of applicants under age 18 who are applying for a Child-only or Teen-only library card.
The titles you saved were not lost. You can import all the items from your wish list onto your "For Later" shelf.
Log in, go to your For Later shelf, and then click the Import button to import your wish lists from the old catalog. This is a one-time process, and then you can move items to other shelves or lists as needed.
Here is a direct link to suggest a title for purchase. You must be logged in to request a title.
Please check the Library catalog before suggesting a title for purchase.
If you have searched for the title and there are no results, you will see a screen that looks like this:
Click the "Suggest a title for purchase" link under the heading "Library Services." You must be logged in to make your suggestion.
If you have searched for the title and there are results, but the results do not include the title you had in mind, scroll to the bottom of the page. Then, click the graphic that looks like a flashlight next to the text "Didn't find what you're looking for?".
The menu will unfurl. Then, click the "Suggest a title for purchase" link under the heading "Library Services." You must be logged in to make your suggestion.
We currently allow 10 purchase suggestions per month per user.
Please be aware that we generally do not order items for our collection more than two months ahead of publication date. Priority is given to suggestions that are currently, or soon to be, published.
Updated 9/4/25
If you need to retrieve your library card number, please call 513-369-6900 or chat, opens a new window with a library staff member. We need to verify your name, date of birth, and address on the card to provide account information.
Visit our MakerSpace Reservation page.
Once there, you'll be asked to enter your library card number and PIN. Next, select the station you want to reserve and the date and time. Due to capacity limits, there are a limited number of appointments available each day.
RBdigital, one of our eAudiobook and eMagazine providers, was acquired by OverDrive / Libby, another digital book vendor. That means that all the content that you’ve come to enjoy through RBdigital is now available through the Libby app instead of the RBdigital apps.
The transition timeline for eMagazines was Jan. 28, 2021.
Thanks for your patience and understanding during this change. Please contact digitalbooks@chpl.org or chat with us if you have any comments or questions.
No, our new app is not currently available on Kindle devices. To access your account information on a Kindle, visit CincinnatiLibrary.org in a browser then click "Log in/My CHPL" in the top right corner of any page.
It is also possible to borrow library books, magazines, and other digital items on your Kindle using our vendors' apps. These apps include the Overdrive app, opens a new window to access library eBooks.
If you have further questions about accessing library books on your Kindle, please contact us 24 hours a day.
