Memberships and Open Card
The Open Card provides membership to the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library, the Billy Bishop Museum, Marine & Rail Museum and the Tom Thomson Art Gallery. Visit opencard.ca to learn more.
Visit our Membership page for all the details.
Loans and Fines
The usual loan period is three weeks. DVDs, magazines and park passes circulate for 7 days.
The Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library is currently not charging overdue fines for items returned late. However, it is still important to return items on time so that they are available to others. Please renew items that you want to keep out beyond their initial due date. Log into your account to renew your items and review your account.
If an item stays out 28 days beyond its due date, it will be declared lost and a charge will be applied to your account. Your account will be blocked until either the item is returned or the fine is paid.
Fines are also charged for items damaged while on loan to a patron. Fines for lost or damaged items are the full replacement cost of the item plus a $5 processing fee.
No. Please call or visit the library.
renewals and holds
Renewals are possible on most items borrowed, but some restrictions apply. Log into your account to renew your items. You may not renew items that have holds or that have already been renewed twice. Inter Library Loan items are not renewable. If you have questions, contact the Circulation Desk at 519-376-6623 ext. 0.
Log into your account to renew your items. If you need assistance, follow these instructions to renew.
You may also choose to speak to a staff member at the Circulation Desk or call 519-376-6623 ext. 0.
Log into your account to place holds. If you need assistance, follow these instructions to place a hold.
You may also choose to speak to a staff member at the Circulation Desk or call 519-376-6623 ext. 0.
When the requested item is available you will be notified by telephone or email. You can also log into your account to see the status of your holds.
Email notices will be sent to the email address on record. It is the responsibility of the cardholder to inform the Library of any changes to contact information.
You can pause your holds if you know you will be unavailable to pick up your hold while you are away or you are unable to make it to the Library. Log into your account to pause your holds.
You maintain your place on the holds list while the hold is paused. If an item becomes available for you, the item will automatically pass on to the next person. When you return, the item will be made available for you when it is brought back to the Library.
You can pause your holds by following these instructions.
You may also choose to speak to a staff member at the Circulation Desk or call 519-376-6623 ext. 0.
requesting materials
Speak to a staff member at the Information Desk, phone 519-376-6623 ext. 3, email info@library.osngupl.ca, or fill out our Request Form.
When emailing the Library for a material request or general inquiry please include:
- your name
- your phone number
- your Library Card number
- the details of your request (title, author and if known, ISBN & publication year)
Life is busy! Let us help you find your next great read with a Book Bundle. Tell us your interests and we’ll select up to five items, which could include books, DVDs, or even themed items! Leave it to us.
We will pull the items from the shelf and notify you when they are ready for pick up.
Fill out the Book Bundle Request Form or call 519-376-6623 ext. 3
Tell us what you like to read and we’ll send you recommendations via email monthly!
We call this service OSNGUPL Reads. Watch your inbox for our email on the second Sunday of each month.
Please fill out this Form to get started.
Inter Library Loans (ILLO)
The Inter Library Loan service enables patrons to borrow materials from public libraries across the province and beyond that are not housed in our local collection.
We are part of the information resource sharing network for Ontario public libraries allowing patrons access to public and academic libraries across the country and the Archives of Ontario.
Items requested through ILLO must be more than 1 year old. Requests for reference items and rare books cannot be accepted. Requests for DVDs and books on CD may be requested, however it is not always possible to obtain these items.
If you are unable to find the item you would like in our online catalogue you can request an Inter Library Loan in the following ways:
- Fill out our Request Form
- Visit the Information Desk
- Call 519-376-6623 ext. 3 or
- email info@library.osngupl.ca. If emailing, please include your name, phone number, library card number and the details of your request.
You may request up to 5 items per 7 days.
Inter Library Loan items lend for 3 weeks. Inter Library Loan items are not renewable.
Patrons are able to request Inter Library Loans themselves. In order to do so, they must have an active library card and have an ILLO patron account created by Library staff.
To register, send your full name, address, phone number and library card number in an email to illo@library.osngupl.ca or drop by the Information Desk at the Library.
To learn more about the process of requesting an item using Patron-Initiated Inter Library Loan, you may wish to read this brochure or this training PDF.
Library to Go - Extension Services
We offer an outreach service to patrons who are unable to visit us in person. Library to Go provides home delivery by volunteers who select and deliver materials on a monthly basis. Volunteers are matched with homebound individuals and select materials based on the patron’s special needs and preferences.
Regular or large print books, books on CD , Daisy Books, magazines and DVDs.
For further information or to register call: 519-376-6623 ext. 3 or email info@library.osngupl.ca
Do you like books and people? Can you spare a few hours monthly and have transportation?
Consider volunteering by selecting and delivering material to patrons who are unable to visit in person.
For further information or to register call: 519-376-6623 ext. 3 or email info@library.osngupl.ca
Library Community Kiosks
The Library Community Kiosk has a vending machine that loans books and DVDs to Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library members.
The kiosk also includes a return box so that borrowed materials can be returned at that location.
There is one kiosk at the Keady Community Centre and one at the Shallow Lake and District Community Centre.
Access to the kiosk is dependent upon the hours of the community centres.
The Library Community Kiosks holds a variety of materials for adults and children, including: children’s and adult DVDs, adult non-fiction and fiction in various genres (romance, mystery, thriller, western, etc. ), children’s fiction, graphic novels, easy readers and picture books.
We are happy to receive feedback from the communities and work to ensure that we are including titles and formats that you are most interested in. Comments on the kiosk collections can be sent to info@library.osngupl.ca.
You will need your Open Card (library card) in order to borrow an item from the Library Community Kiosk. Simply scan your card and enter the location of the item you would like to borrow (just like you would do with a vending machine for snacks or drinks). The item will fall from the shelf and you will be able to collect it from a slot in the bottom.
The Library Community Kiosks have return boxes located next to them at both the Keady Community Centre and the Shallow Lake and District Community Centre. You may return borrowed items by placing them in these boxes, or you may return them to the Owen Sound & North Grey Union Public Library. The Library has a return box located outside the front entrance so that borrowed items may be returned regardless of whether the Library is open or not.
Library materials assigned to the kiosks will show up in our catalogue as “Available but not Holdable” and in the collection of “Shallow Lake Community Centre Community Kiosk” or “Keady Community Centre Community Kiosk”.
You may choose to add this item to your “For Later” list in your account in the online catalogue, or you may choose to go to the kiosk to attempt to borrow the item. We cannot guarantee the position of the item in a kiosk or that it won’t have been borrowed by someone else before you get there.
Library staff are unable to place holds on items located in kiosks.
Items in the kiosks will be transferred back into the main library collection after a period of time. If you have questions about an item located in a kiosk, please speak to library staff.
My question wasn’t answered in any of the above topics
For information on how to use the catalogue, please see the Help page.
Please contact our staff at 519-376-6623 ext. 3 or info@library.osngupl.ca