Educator Card for Classroom Use

Request an application for an Educator Card at any Ocean County Library location, use our online Educator Card Application, or click here for a printable Educator Card Application.

You must provide a valid school ID for a school in Ocean County as well as one (1) of the following:
valid employment contract OR letter of request on school letterhead.

Be prepared to present our required forms of identification when you visit an Ocean County Library Branch for your card.

Once registered, your card will be valid for one calendar year. Annually you will need to present the same documentation to renew your privileges.

Educator Cards come with privileges unique to your position as an Educator and is intended for professional use only. If you do not already have an Ocean County Library card for your own personal use, we encourage you to apply at any of our 21 Ocean County Library locations or use our online Library Card Application.

The following are some important details about the privileges associated with Educator Cards:

Borrowing Limits: Up to 50 physical items may be checked out on your card at a time, with the exception of video games, which have a limit of 3 checkouts.

Loan Periods: 40 day loan period on physical books, audiobooks, and non-fiction DVDs; 7 day load period on Feature Films (DVD and Blu-Ray); standard loan periods on all other items physical and digital apply (e.g. magazines, CDs, video games, digital downloads).

Renewals: No renewals on 40 day items; up to 2 renewals on all other eligible items; subject to library restrictions governing renewals.

Hold Requests: Up to 50 holds allowed on eligible items; please cancel any requests that you decide you no longer need.

Checkouts: Items may be borrowed from any of the 21 Ocean County Library locations.

Returns: Return borrowed items at any of the 21 Ocean County Library locations. Return them promptly to avoid late charges.

Fees: Borrowing privileges are suspended when unreturned material fees exceed $25.00.

Library Notices: Will be sent to you via your preferred method of notification when a requested item is on hold for you, when a borrowed item is near it due date, and when an item is overdue.

Card Expiration: Your card will be valid for one calendar year. To renew your privileges, present the same documentation provided for your initial registration. Use your personal library card for borrowing during the summer months.

You can access our online catalog to search for items, place holds, and manage your Educator Card account.

Access OCL’s hundreds of electronic resource databases with your library card are available at any one of our locations, most of which are offered anywhere with an internet connection. Subjects include:

Download and stream digital materials: eBooks, eMagazines, audiobooks, streaming video and music.

Can’t get to the library? Stream it in real-time with your school’s internet access. We offer a variety of eBooks, eMagazines, audiobooks, newspapers, streaming video and music on our Digital Materials page.

For help and support with these digital materials, please visit our help page.

Click here to view our Digital Materials.

Tell colleagues from your school and other schools about Ocean County Library Educator Cards for Classroom Use.

Did you know about Discover Ocean County Library: An Education Initiative? It is an ongoing partnership between the Ocean County Library and our schools. Library staff can visit teachers, administrators, PTA’s/PTO’s, etc. to discuss library services and demonstrate online resources for research and enrichment. Our librarians can provide professional development hours for educators.

We encourage you to contact your nearest Ocean County Library location to arrange a visit from library staff. Learn more by exploring our Education Initiative Portal.

The goal of Discover Ocean County Library: An Education Initiative is to put a library card in the hands of every student and to better serve the curriculum needs of educators, students, and their families. All students in Ocean County schools are eligible for library cards for personal use. If they do not already have an Ocean County Library, they can apply at any of the 21 Ocean County Library locations or use our online Library Card Application.

Our library staff can visit classrooms to promote reading and demonstrate online resources for research and enrichment. We also offer library card sign-ups for your classes. If you would like to set up a visit, please fill out our Class Visit Form. This will be sent to your local librarian.

Educator Cards are not currently available for staff at daycare and private pre-schools. However, Institutional Card applications are available by visiting any of the 21 Ocean County Library locations. Please call or visit your nearest library for more information about obtaining an Institutional Card for your location.