Homeschool benefits through County library homeschool resources and passes
James V. Brown Library gives people who live, own property, work, or attend school in Lycoming County a free Full-Service library card, including homeschool families who qualify by residence. Borrow up to 50 items, with books for 21 days and museum passes, toys, and board games for seven days.
Who qualifies
Has a Lycoming County connection
Living, owning property, working, or attending school in Lycoming County qualifies you for a free Full-Service card. A homeschool family can qualify through county residence without school enrollment.
Verifies identity and residence
Complete and sign the card application, then present proof of identity and residency. You can start online, but verification is required before physical or digital borrowing.
Accepts responsibility for a child
Anyone of any age can receive a card. When registering a minor, the adult accepts financial responsibility for the child's borrowing and charges.
Uses the correct home library
Cards work throughout the Lycoming County Library System, outreach vehicles, and LINK locations. Residents served by another home library can face restrictions on James V. Brown digital materials.
What the card gives you
The replacement borrowing-policy PDF linked by James V. Brown Library lists these checkout periods, card renewal rules, and the 50-item maximum.
- Books and audiobooks
- 21 days
- Board games and toys
- 7 days
- Museum passes
- 7 days; no automatic renewal
- Wi-Fi hotspots
- Up to 14 days; no automatic renewal
- Total items on one account
- 50
- Library card registration
- Renew every 3 years
How to get and keep the card
- Before applying
Identify your home library
Use your county connection to determine Full-Service eligibility and whether another member library is your home library for digital resources.
- Online or at the library
Apply for a card
Start registration online or complete an application in person. An online registration card lasts 30 days and only permits holds until your information is verified.
- Before first checkout
Verify your information
Present identity and residency evidence. An adult registering a child accepts responsibility for the card's charges.
- When borrowing
Follow each item’s terms
Return books after 21 days and most specialty items after seven days. Return board games, museum passes, toys, video games, hotspots, and outside-system interlibrary loans to James V. Brown Library.
- Each year and every three years
Keep registration current
The library checks addresses annually and requires card renewal every three years. Charges above $10 or more than three claimed-returned or claimed-never-had items suspend privileges.
What it includes
Included
- Books and audiobooks
- Museum passes
- Toys and board games
- Digital media for eligible Full-Service users
- County system and outreach borrowing
Not included
- Digital media on Limited-Service cards
- Automatic renewals for museum passes
- Automatic renewals for Wi-Fi hotspots
Who to contact about the card
Library staff answer card eligibility, home-library restrictions, specialty-item, and loan-policy questions.
Homeschool rules and statewide help in Pennsylvania
You must file a notarized affidavit or unsworn declaration with the superintendent before starting and by August 1 in subsequent years. Include educational objectives and required health and immunization documentation or exemptions. Certify that the supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody have no conviction for the listed statutory offenses in the preceding five years.
Pennsylvania sets these rules:
- Subjects: Teach in English the subjects required for elementary or secondary home education, including English, math, science, geography, history/civics, health, PE, art, music, and ongoing fire-safety instruction. Provide 180 days or 900 elementary/990 secondary hours annually.
- Testing: Include reading and math test results in the portfolio in grades 3, 5, and 8. Obtain an annual evaluation and submit the evaluator’s certification to the superintendent by June 30. The supervisor, parent or guardian may not administer an alternative approved standardized test.
- Records: Keep a portfolio with a reading-materials log, work samples, required test results, and the annual evaluation. Document the required instructional days or hours.
- Teachers: The supervisor must be the parent, guardian, or legal custodian with a high-school diploma or equivalent. The supervisor, adults living in the home, and persons with legal custody must meet the statutory five-year criminal-conviction condition.
Read the Pennsylvania homeschooling guide See statewide programs in Pennsylvania
Questions parents ask
- Can we borrow toys and museum passes from the Lycoming County libraries?
- Yes, on a Full-Service card. Passes and toys go out for seven days, depending on availability, and go back directly to James V. Brown.
- Does starting Lycoming library registration online give immediate borrowing?
- No. The temporary online card permits holds for 30 days. Verify your information before checking out either physical items or digital materials.
- Can books renew automatically?
- Yes, most books, up to three times unless another patron has a hold. James V. Brown-owned items can have up to four renewals in total; museum passes and hotspots never renew automatically.
- Are there late fees?
- Not on standard materials such as books, audiobooks, DVDs, CDs, and magazines. Specialty materials and interlibrary or other-library loans can carry fines, and you pay for lost or damaged items.
- Does every county address get the same digital access?
- No. The policy lists municipalities assigned to other home libraries and says their residents may be restricted from James V. Brown digital borrowing. Your home library's policies determine those restrictions.
Turn support into your child’s next lesson
Books and library resources give your child something to explore. We turn their interests into coursework, so library discoveries can lead to deeper study at home.
$149/month per child after the trial.
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