Frequently Asked Questions

Residents and property owners of Franklin, Johnson, Logan, and Yell counties are eligible for a free card. Temporary residents working or attending school in either Franklin, Johnson, Logan, or Yell Counties are eligible for a free card. Non-residents, who reside in counties outside of the ARVRLS service area may obtain a card for a one-time $20 fee.
To obtain a library card, you must present the following:
* A photo ID and proof of current address, e.g. driver’s license, utility bill, property tax receipt, medical card, company ID, or other printed identification.
* Non-residents eligible for a library card because they own property in the region must show proof, e.g. tax bill.
* Temporary residents working or attending school in the area must present proof of current address and proof of current employment.
* Children under 18 or dependents must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian when applying for a library card. Children can obtain their own library card as soon as they are able to sign their own name.

* All patrons must sign their library card when it is presented to them which acknowledges their acceptance for the responsibility for all materials borrowed on the card and to abide by all Library rules.

NOTE: When you receive a replacement library card, the old barcode is deleted from your account and the lost card, should you find it, is no longer valid. 

Books, magazines, audiobooks, and CDs are loaned for a period of 14 days.

DVDs are loaned for 7 days.

The loan period for downloadable materials is 14 days.

All materials except those that are in special demand, those which cannot be replaced, including rare and fragile items, or those of a special format, will be lent for home use under library regulations and procedures. Items that may not circulate include current issues of magazines, reference materials, and some local histories. Length of loan for interlibrary loan materials will vary according to the date due back at the lending library.

Patrons will be charged for any material not returned to the library or returned damaged. A value or replacement cost will be determined by the library staff for each item.

The number of items a patron can borrow at any time is limited to 10 books, 10 magazines, 2 audiobooks, 3 DVDs, and 1 video game.

Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services are available to Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System patrons who wish to obtain library materials which are not in the library's own collections or unavailable from another Regional Library member. While this service is free to our patrons, any fees as charged by the lending institutions will be applied including late fees or photocopying charges.

If there is no waiting list on an item that was originally checked out, it may be renewed twice for the same period of time as the original loan. Renewals may be made in person, telephone, fax, email, online, myARVRLS app, or postal mail if the patron can give their name and library card number.

The libraries of the Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System offer free filtered, unsecured Internet access points “hot spots” for use with a patron’s wireless devices such as laptops and handheld PDA’s. The access points allow Internet connectivity within the range of the access point. Each library has access points inside and outside of the building. However, there may be some “dead” spots where wireless reception may be limited. Moving to another location in the library may result in a stronger connection. The patron accessing the wireless network both inside and outside the building agrees to the Library’s Computer and Internet use Agreement. This policy prohibits illegal activity while using the Internet and provides examples of acceptable and unacceptable uses. Patrons are urged to read this document prior to accessing the Library’s network. Copies are available at the Circulation desk at each library.

If you are bringing in your own laptop and wish to use our wireless Internet connection, you will need:

- A wireless network interface card, 802.11b or later. To configure your laptop to use a wireless connection (see your laptop manual for instructions on how to do this)

- A charged battery. There are a limited number of electrical outlets available.

- Compatible headphones if you plan to use audio files.

Library staff will provide general information on the settings necessary to access the Internet via our wireless connection. Written instructions are available here. If a user has problems accessing the Internet over this connection, staff will only verify that the library’s connection is operating normally. Staff will not make changes to the user’s network settings or perform any troubleshooting tasks on the user’s own device. Users are urged to refer to the user’s own manual or other support services offered by your device manufacturer.

The Library’s public Internet network is not secure and provides no data encryption between the access points and the patron’s device.  Information sent to and from a patron’s notebook/laptop computer or another device may be captured by anyone else with a connected device and the appropriate software.  Also, any shared files or folders on a patron’s device that are not password protected may be read, copied, and/or deleted by anyone else on the network.

It is the patron’s responsibility to protect his/her laptop or other wireless device through the use of up-to-date virus protection, personal firewall, and other measures.  It is highly recommended that “file sharing” be turned off on the user’s wireless device.  It is strongly urged that credit card information and passwords not be transmitted while using the Library’s network.

The library will not be responsible for any information (i.e. credit card) that is compromised, or for any damage caused to your hardware or software due to security issues or consequences caused by viruses, hacking, or library systems.

Library staff members can place holds on items for you or you may place holds through the online Library Catalog using your account. You will need a valid library card and a PIN. Holds may be placed on any circulating items owned by the Arkansas River Valley Regional Library System. There is no fee for placing holds.

Downloadable materials are available through Library2Go. You will need your library card and PIN to log in.

Refer to the Quick Start Guide for steps on downloading.

While accessing your account online, downloading materials, or using the public access computers, you will be prompted for a PIN. Your PIN is a four-digit number that is assigned to you when you get your library card. You must contact your local library for verification of that number or to change it.

We are now open to the public. Come and see us today! You can find our hours on the Member Libraries page.

All ARVRLS libraries are still offering curbside services; books, magazines, movies, wireless printing, fax services, and more.