Frequently Asked Questions

General Library Questions

You can find information about our regular hours, as well as holidays and weather closings, on our Hours and Holidays page.

Questions About Your Account

If you live in Mahomet Township, you live in the Mahomet Public Library District and have already paid for your library card through your property taxes. If you do not live in Mahomet Township and do not pay taxes to another library district, you can purchase a library card at the Mahomet Public Library. For more information, please see our Library Cards page.

The Mahomet Public Library District is a member of the Illinois Heartland Library System. You may use your Mahomet Public Library card at any IHLS member library except for the Champaign Public Library or Urbana Free Library. For more information on using these libraries, please see Using C-U Libraries.

You may also use your card online to access eBooks and audiobooks, magazines, and online research tools.

The Mahomet Public Library is a fine-free library, with two exceptions: Wi-Fi Hotspots and Roku Streaming Sticks.

Patrons must pay for lost or damaged items.

You can pay your fines and fees:

  • By check or cash at the Library
  • By credit card at the Library self-check stations
  • By credit card online

For more information, please see our Loan Periods, Fines, and Fees page.

If an item checked out on your card is lost or damaged, you are responsible for the replacement cost. Unfortunately, we cannot accept replacement copies of lost or damaged items. For our complete policy on lost or damaged items, please see our Circulation Policy on our Library Policies page.

Login to your account and change the settings under My Account/My Record/Contact Information and Preferences.

Mahomet Public Library patrons with cards in good standing (not expired and with total fines and fees less than $5.00) can access Libby, CloudLibrary, Hoopla, or our online research databases. If you are unable to log into one of these resources, one of the following may be true:

  • Your card has expired (login to your account and check My Account/My Record to view your expiration date).
  • Your card has fines and fees in excess of $5.00 (login to your account and check My Account/Fines&Fees to view your account balance). If your fines exceed $5.00, you can pay them directly from this page using a credit card.

If your card has not expired and your fines and fees total less than $5.00, please call or visit the Library and a staff member will help determine the problem.

If you cannot renew items on your card, one of the following may be true:

  • Another patron is waiting for the item.
  • You have renewed the item the maximum number of times.
  • Your card has expired (login to your account and check My Account/My Record to view your expiration date).
  • Your card has fines and fees in excess of $5.00 (login to your account and check My Account/Fines&Fees to view your account balance. If your fines exceed $5.00, you can pay them directly from this page using a credit card.

Questions about Library Services

Whether you need help with library eBooks, creating an email account, or using the new iPad someone gave you for Christmas, we can help you with your technology questions! Please see our Book-a-Librarian page for more information.

The Edgar Meeting Room is available for groups by reservation. The study room is available for individuals or small groups in 2-hour increments. For more information, please see our Meeting and Study Rooms page.

Our catalog features over 10 million items from almost 500 libraries, but you may not find everything you need. Some things to try:

  • Register your card at the Champaign or Urbana libraries and search their catalog. Please see our Using C-U Libraries page for more information.
  • Ask library staff to search libraries outside the region.
  • If you believe the item should be added to our collection, complete and submit the form on our Suggest a Purchase page and a librarian will take your suggestion into consideration. If we purchase the item, you can be the first one to borrow it.

The length of time you have to wait to receive an item depends on several factors:

  • How many people are waiting for the item
  • The library that is sending the item
    • It takes longer for items to come from libraries that are farther away.
    • Some libraries, like the Mahomet Public Library, send and receive deliveries five days per week; smaller libraries may have delivery stops only once or twice per week.

Other Questions

Yes, we do accept book donations. Please see our Used Book Donations page for more details about the materials we can and cannot accept.

Contact us by chat, phone, or email with any questions. Or just stop by—we’re here to help!