PINES Library Access for Youth (PLAY) Student Library Card Program
What is the PLAY program?
The PINES Library Access for Youth (PLAY) card program gives students free access to fines-free public library materials and online resources to help them succeed in school. PINES library systems sign a memorandum of understanding (MOU) with local school districts to participate in the program. Library card accounts are created by PINES using data securely provided by the school district. Parents and students have the ability to opt out of the program with the school district, both before initial account creation and at any time during the year.
Each student’s username is created using their student ID/lunch number combined with a unique prefix assigned to the school district, and the password is based on the two-digit month and four-digit year of the student’s date of birth (ex: RCS123456; 042010).
The PLAY program is currently available to all pre-K through 12th-grade public school students in school districts serviced by PINES libraries.
What are the benefits of the PLAY program?
The public library provides free access to books and online resources to help your child succeed in school, as well as fun resources that help develop a lifelong love of reading. Your public library is available all year long, including during the summer months. The “Summer Slide” is the backward movement many children make when they forget what was taught to them in the previous year. Research shows that the number one thing that prevents the summer slide is reading books.
Benefits online:
Search the PINES library catalog of over 11 million items for books, DVDs, audiobooks, and other materials at over 300 libraries across Georgia.
Place items on hold for free delivery to your library branch of choice through your PINES account.
Store lists of books you’ve read and would like to read through your PINES account.
Check out free downloadable ebooks and audiobooks (and more) from our Digital Libraries for all ages.
Benefits in-person at the library:
Check out up to five items at a time (books, DVDs, audiobooks, etc.).
Pay no late fines! (*fees apply only for lost or damaged items)
Ask expert library staff for book recommendations.
Pick up books you’ve had delivered from other PINES libraries.
Enroll in classes and programs offered by your local library, including summer reading programs and tutoring services.
PLAY accounts give students in the following school districts free access to Azalea Regional Library resources and services. Students also have access to over 11 million items through the PINES lending network.
Greene County Students (GRE)
Hancock County Students (HCS)
Jasper County Students (JCS)
Morgan County Students (MCC)
Putnam County Students (PCS)
Social Circle Students (SCC)
Walton County Students (WCS)
Students use their student ID number just like a regular PINES library card.
The program is free, and there are no overdue fines. Fees apply for lost or damaged materials only.
Use library computers and wireless internet. Check out five items (Audiobooks, Books, DVDs, Launchpads, and more) at a time.
Some online resources require creating a free account with a valid email and username/password of your choice. When prompted for a library card number, use your school district prefix (see above) and student lunch number (ex: HCS12345).
How do I log in with the PLAY student card account?
Visit the Books, Digital Libraries, & E-Media image below for a full listing of digital option available.
Check the PLAY Card Digital Library Instructions for specific more information on how to use your PLAY card to log in.
PINES PLAY Card FAOs
Inspired by the Georgia Department of Education’s Vision 2020 to provide every student in the state of Georgia with a public library card.
The program reduces many barriers students may face in obtaining a library access:
Students do not have to rely on a parent/guardian to physically bring them into the library and register them. When their account is created, they have immediate access to PINES library resources.
Students are not charged for overdue fines, and parents are responsible for any lost, long overdue, or damaged fines.
Students are not issued physical cards but can log in to the PINES app for a barcode facsimile. They can also give their information to the library staff at the circulation desk when checking out items.
Students can check out up to five physical items at a time.
Data process:
The student accounts are created through student data files sent by the school to PINES using a secure SFTP server.
The school sends a file of student data before the “go-live” date, and after that, they can send at a frequency of their choosing.
Accounts expire October 15 of each year, so schools are asked to send a file once a new school year starts, which updates the current accounts to expire the following year and creates accounts for any newly enrolled students who have not opted out. With this process, schools do not have to worry about removing students who have transferred to other districts or graduated. If the student’s account expires, they can register for a regular PINES card.
This is an opt-out program. Parents/guardians can opt out with the school at any time. If the student does not have an account already, the school will exclude the student’s data from the files. If a student does have an account, the school will send a separate opt-out file to PINES, which will then trigger the complete deletion of the account.
Students can update notification preferences within their account just as any other PINES cardholder.
Students can also have a regular PINES card as well as a PLAY account, and those accounts are treated separately.
Trouble Shooting:
The School 3 letter prefix is all CAPS
There should be no spaces, dashes, or special characters in the password.
If you have a student with a "No Media" tag in Infinite Campus, parents have requested no photos or social media be posted of their child. This will also prevent the student from having their information shared with the public library system; thus, they will not have access to My PINES or a PLAY Card through the school system.
