Administration
| Jennifer Burke | Director |
| Rena Brower | Library Assistant |
| Melissa Lewandowski | Youth Services Librarian |
| Pete Schult | Technology Librarian |
Your OCPL Library Card
Your OCPL library card can be used at any public library in Onondaga County. At Maxwell Memorial Library, patrons need a valid library card in order to check out materials. Library cards are offered free of charge.
To obtain a card, patrons must present photo identification with their name and current address, or a combination of current photo ID and a second piece of identification that verifies their name and current address such as a recent utility bill or tax receipt.
We ask that children under twelve be accompanied by a parent or guardian to obtain a card, and they must be able to write their first and last name. Cardholders are responsible for use of the card, unless it has been reported lost or stolen to the library.
When patrons have a PIN attached to their card, they have the capability of accessing the OCPL website from any location to access reference databases, view their account, place items on reserve, and renew items they have checked out. The Library asks that you have your library card with you when you visit, or call, the library.
How long you can keep material
Most of our material gets checked out for three weeks. There are exceptions (notably DVDs and Rapid Read books), so ask if you’re not sure about the period for any item.
Patrons may have up to 50 items checked out on their card, with up to 10 of those items being media, that is, Audio Books and DVDs.
Most items may be renewed twice providing there are no reserves or other special restrictions on them. Renewals may be done in person, by phone, or through the OCPL website.
Note that renewals cannot be performed by emailing the library.
Fine-free policy
As of June 27, 2022, most items in Maxwell’s collection do not accrue late fees. However, for lost or severely damaged items, the account is still charged a replacement fee. An item is considered lost if it is 30 days or more overdue.
The full policy is available here. Here are the highlights:
- Patrons who amassed overdue fines with Maxwell Memorial Library before we went fine-free are no longer required to pay those fines. If you have a fine on your account, please ask to speak someone at the Front Desk.
- You are still responsible for all borrowed library materials and encouraged to return all items in a timely manner.
- Fees for damaged and lost items still apply and will be charged to borrowers’ accounts.
- If items are overdue by 30 days, patrons will be charged for the replacement cost of the item plus a processing fee.
- You will be charged overdue fines for those items in our special collections. Fines for special collection items are $2.00 a day for a maximum of $20.00. Items in the following special collections accrue fines:
- Museum and Park Passes
- Cake Pans
- Board Games for Kids and Teens
- Tech Toys for Kids and Teens
- Early Literacy Backpacks
- Technology
Note that fines schedules may vary among OCPL’s suburban member libraries, and for material sent from other libraries, the owning library’s fine schedule is what applies to the item.
An overdue notice is sent out when an item is 2 weeks late. A final notice is sent 2 weeks after that.
Borrowing privileges are suspended when the balance on the card is $5.00 or more.
Reserves and Interlibrary Loans
Patrons may request items that are not available at the library be sent from another library in the OCPL system be sent to Maxwell Library.
Patrons can be put on a waiting list for popular titles.
When a requested item arrives, we ask that the item be picked up within five library business days.
Items not available at any library in the county may be requested through a special interlibrary loan. This has to be done at the Main Desk. When these items arrive, they may be checked out for a for a period of time determined by the lending library.
Interlibrary loan items must also be returned to the library from which they were checked out.