FAQs

To protect your privacy, we ask that you provide your library card or photo identification before we release information about what is checked out on your card. If you prefer, you may access your password protected library record from our online catalog or the Ida App.

Eligible items checked out to you automatically renew. Two days before the due date, items will be renewed and you will be notified of the new, extended due date. If the item has already been renewed twice or another cardholder has a hold on the item, it will not renew. 

Materials can be renewed prior to two days before the due date in person, by phone or online:

• Online: Go to My Account. Log in using your library card number and (PIN). From this screen you may renew your items.
• On the Ida App: Download the Ida - An Idaho Library App to view the checkouts in your account. From your list of checkouts, you may renew eligible items.

Customer accounts are blocked from renewing items if:

• There are outstanding fines and fees of $10.00 or more on the account.
• The library card has been reported lost, stolen or is expired.
• There is information in the account that requires updating. 

If your account is blocked or your items are overdue, please visit or call one of our locations during regular business hours for assistance. 

Your PIN (Personal Identification Number) is usually the last 4 digits of your phone number. If you’ve forgotten your PIN, you can reset it.

Log into your account in the online catalog to place a hold on an item that is checked out or at another library location. Each account is allowed up to 15 regular holds, including titles waiting to be filled and those waiting for pick up. OverDrive titles are limited to 10 holds. You will be notified by email, phone, or text when your item is ready for pickup. To be notified by email, update your library card information with your email address under "Contact Information and Preferences" when you log in to Your Account using the online catalog. 

No! As a member of the Lynx Library Consortium, you can pick up your items at any of the following locations. Simply select the intended pick-up location when you place your item on hold. 

• Ada Community Library, including Victory Branch, Lake Hazel Branch, Hidden Springs Branch and Star Branch
• Caldwell Public Library
• Eagle Public Library
• Emmett Public Library
• Garden City Public Library
• Kuna Public Library
• Meridian Public Library, including Orchard Park and Silverstone Branches
• Mountain Home Public Library
• Nampa Public Library
• Twin Falls Public Library

Let us know immediately. The cardholder is responsible for items checked out before the card is reported missing. Replacement fee for a lost card is $2.00. 

If an item is damaged, bring the damaged item to the library with your library card. We will assess the damage and ask you to pay accordingly. If the damage is severe or the item is lost, you will need to pay the price of the item. Boise Public Library does not accept personally purchased replacement copies in lieu of payment of fines or fees. 

You can update your account information in the online catalog under My Bookshelf then Profile, or work with any of our staff.

1. Log into My Account
2. Click on "Contact Information and Preferences"
3. Update your email address or change your PIN (Personal Identification Number)

You must come into a library location to update your name, address or phone number. Please note: 

• If you have a change in residence, you will need to show proof of your current address.
• If you move outside of Boise City limits, you may need to change your library registration to your local library district. 

See the policy manual or contact a library branch location for more information. 

Boise Comic Arts Festival is a two-day comics celebration that includes presentations, performances, panel discussions, workshops, cosplay contests, gaming and an Artist's Alley with vendors, exhibitors, local and national comic creators. 

BCAF is FREE to attend!

Yes! Guest announcements will begin in early summer. The Library's Facebook page and BCAF page are the best places to stay informed on guest creators.

Yes! Several in fact. Details will be available this summer.

Anyone interested in volunteering at BCAF should contact Renee Addington. 

Please contact event coordinator Josh Shapel.

Registration for table space will be open from Friday, January 31 through Monday, March 31. 

Yes. BCAF is taking place at Boise Centre, where all public areas from the exhibition and meeting spaces to the elevators and restrooms are ADA and wheelchair accessible.

Learn More

Contact event coordinator Josh Shapel.

The Emerging Artist Mentorship program was created to support and inspire teens interested in pursuing a career in comic arts or related fields. The program provides information, training, and opportunities to aspiring creators and culminates with the mentees tabling at the Boise Comic Arts Festival (BCAF). This year’s event will be held on Saturday, August 30 and Sunday, August 31.

We found the name Teen Comics Mentorship wasn’t conveying to potential applicants and partners what the program entailed. The name Emerging Artists better reflects who the program is for and what we are trying to do: help young artists take their first steps toward a professional career.

Throughout the summer there will be 6-8 required trainings that will help prepare mentees to table at the festival and will cover topics such as budgeting, how to get artwork printed, how to set up and manage table space, how to market oneself as an artist, and more.

At the festival mentees will be responsible for running their own table space. They will be representing themselves as artists and there will be nothing designating them as a participant in the mentorship program.

Each mentee will be provided with a stipend to help cover the costs of printing artwork and preparing their table space.

In addition to tabling at BCAF, mentees will be expected to attend additional educational and networking opportunities including panels, workshops, and portfolio reviews during the event.

There may be other networking and professional development opportunities for participants during the summer.

Mentees will be expected to attend all trainings, share a table at BCAF with a guest creator, and attend specifically designated panels during the event.

Participants will also be expected to spend time outside of the formal training sessions working on their art in preparation for the festival.

We are looking for candidates who are interested in exploring a career in the comic arts and are passionate about creating and drawing, as well as interested in gaining experience tabling at a festival. Candidates will be self-motivated and will work independently to prepare themselves and their artwork for BCAF.

The mentorship will not provide formal instruction on art or drawing. The goal is to eliminate entry barriers for mentees' first event and connect them to other artists and professionals. 

This opportunity is open to local artists 15 -18 years of age.

Between 3 - 5 applicants will be invited to participate in the program. 

Applications may be submitted starting Friday, February 14th. The deadline for turning in completed applications is Monday, March 24th. Applications will not be accepted after March 24th.

Visit www.boisepubliclibrary.org/bcaf to learn more about BCAF and to apply for the mentorship program or visit the direct application link

We’d like to see artwork selections that you feel best represent you - your creativity, your style, and your skills. There should be at least one finished or “print-ready” submission. Other submissions don’t have to be completed works, (sketchbook pages or works-in-progress are welcome) so long as they capture where you’re at in your artistic journey.

All applications submitted by March 24 will be reviewed by staff. Selected candidates will then be invited to participate in an in-person interview, after which final candidates will be determined. 

All applicants will receive an email informing them of their application status by Monday, March 31. Those not selected to proceed to the in-person interview round will receive feedback on their application and suggestions on how to improve their application for next year. 

The candidates accepted into the program will be informed by Monday, April 14th. 

Each mentee should plan to have 6-8 finalized art pieces ready in time for the festival but are welcome to prepare more.

Mentees will share an 8-foot table with a BCAF guest creator, so will have a 4-foot space to set up. 

The exact dollar amount has not yet been determined, but it will be large enough to cover basic printing and booth set up costs.

The provided stipend should cover everything a participant needs. However, in the past, participants have chosen to spend their own money on extra things such as a specialized banner for their booth or extra high-quality prints of artwork they want to highlight. 

Any money mentees earn from sales at the festival is theirs to keep.

For any questions about the application process or program, please contact Josh Shapel. 

We are only able to fill interlibrary loan requests for specific rolls of microfilm. 

• Please use the Request an Item form and put the details of the microfilm in the Comments section
• All microfilm will need to be used in-house at the Downtown Boise Public Library location

Because of the way OverDrive works, we are not able to place holds on eBooks or eAudiobooks. Please visit OverDrive or check your Libby app for new digital additions. 

We’ve experienced a dramatic increase in purchase requests. Limiting requests to one per week allows us to give them due consideration.

There are many reasons why we might not be able to fulfill a request. These are the most common: 

• The item is out of print and unavailable for purchase by a trustworthy source.
• The item is an international edition not published in the United States. (We don’t purchase from international vendors).
• The item is too expensive.
• The item falls outside our scope.
• The item isn’t available in the requested format.
• We do not purchase titles that are or appear to be AI.

Due to the high volume of requests, we’re unable to respond to individuals. 

• We analyzed the service and came to the conclusion that we would serve more of the community by focusing on adding materials to the collection rather than borrowing materials from libraries outside of the Lynx Library Consortium.
• ILL service is expensive, both in terms of money (including packaging, shipping, and the software to manage ILLs) and staff time.
  • Including staff time, it cost an average of $94.56 for each ILL borrowed on behalf of a Boise Public Library cardholder.
• Analysis of requests showed that only 27% were filled via ILL
  • Most requests (57%) were filled through purchases
  • The remaining requests (16%) were unable to be filled for a variety of reasons
• Requests were being made by less than 2% of Boise Public Library cardholders.
• Any increases in usage of the ILL service would be unsustainable.

Yes! Boise Public Library offers eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines through the digital book provider OverDrive (also known as Libby). We manually select eBooks and eAudiobooks from OverDrive’s catalog. We have approximately 50,000 unique eBooks and eAudiobooks in our collection and we add new items regularly. With a few exceptions, each of these books is licensed by the publisher to be checked out to one user at a time. To keep the wait times manageable, we frequently purchase multiple copies of in-demand books.

OverDrive’s digital magazines work differently in that we don’t pick and choose titles; instead, OverDrive makes their digital magazines available in a bundle. By subscribing to the bundle, we have access to every magazine OverDrive offers and we get new additions automatically. The bundle includes over 6,000 magazines and they’re all available for unlimited, simultaneous checkouts.

OverDrive is a company that sells and leases digital content to libraries across the globe. Boise Public Library uses OverDrive to provide eBooks, eAudiobooks, and eMagazines to library cardholders. You can access OverDrive on the Boise Public Library website under Books + More. 

Libby is OverDrive’s mobile app. It’s available on iOS and Android. There’s also a web version of Libby.  

Because the Libby mobile app is such a popular method for accessing the OverDrive collection, many people use the terms “OverDrive” and “Libby” interchangeably. No matter where you start – the OverDrive collection on the Boise Public Library website, the Libby mobile app, or the Libby app website – you’ll have access to Boise Public Library’s full OverDrive collection. All you need is your Boise Public Library card number. 

Visit the OverDrive collection or download the Libby app on iOS or Android. The first time you check out a book, you'll be prompted to register for an account. To register, you'll need two numbers: the 14-digit number on the back of your Boise Public Library card and your 4-digit PIN (Personal Identification Number). If you’ve forgotten your PIN, you can reset it.

If you don't have a library card, sign up today! 

Visit Getting started with OverDrive. From there, you can click on different entries – help with Libby, help with eReaders, and more – to get detailed instructions.  

OverDrive sees your new card number as a new account and sometimes there’s a glitch when the accounts are merged. When this happens, you won’t see the holds you placed with your old card number. Reach out to library staff and they’ll be able to help! 

Residents across Idaho can access OverDrive books through a program called a Reciprocal Lending Agreement (RLA). Borrow books from public libraries throughout Idaho by “adding” each library in the Libby app. Once you’ve added a library, you can browse its collection and check out books that are available. You can also search for books across all libraries using the "deep search" filter.  

To add partner libraries: 

1. Open the Libby app. 
2. Tap on the hamburger menu (3 horizontal lines). 
3. Scroll to find "Add Library," then tap to select it. 
4. Search for the word Idaho and then select one of the libraries in the list. 
5. Click on "Sign in with My Card." 
6. Look for your home library and card number, then tap to select it. 
7. Follow the prompts to type in your library card number again (if you don’t have this information, contact your home library to get it). 
8. Once you’ve entered your card number successfully, you can rename that partner library or click "next" to continue to view that library's collection. 
9. Repeat the steps to add additional Idaho libraries. 

Visit OverDrive's troubleshooting page. Here you can browse topics by device or type a keyword or two into the search box in the upper right corner. Don't forget - you're always welcome to reach out to library staff for support!  

Contact Us

Short answer - cost and some other logistical hurdles. 

Popular books are more expensive in digital formats 

Publishers are charging libraries much higher prices for digital formats than individual consumers pay, and the prices just keep climbing. Popular eBooks average between $60-90 per copy.  Popular eAudiobooks average between $90-120.   
 
We have reached a point that publisher prices on some books are too high, so it has been necessary to put price caps into place.   

• If an eAudiobook (perpetual access = we own the copy) costs over $130, we don’t buy it. 
• If an eAudiobook (metered access = we lease the copy for a set number of checkouts or certain amount of time) costs over $100, we don’t buy it. 
• If an eBook costs over $90, we don’t buy it. 

Wait times are longer for digital formats 

To manage wait times, we purchase additional copies of popular books – upwards of 40 copies in some cases.  In order to stay within our annual budget, it has become necessary to purchase additional copies using a tiered approach that considers cost and the ratio of people waiting for one copy:  

• 6:1 under $30 
• 8:1 from $30-60 
• 10:1 from $61-89 
• 15:1 from $90-130 – due to price caps, this tier only applies to eAudio

Holds lists are plentiful across the digital collection and can easily exceed 500 users on popular books.  Even using the tiered approach, if a book costs $75 and has 500 holds, we’ll have spent $3,750 on one title and end up with 50 copies to try to meet demand at a 10:1 ratio. 
 
At any given time, as many as 50 books in our digital collection qualify as “high demand” by having more than 500 holds on them. Hundreds of less in-demand books have holds lists of at least 20 people, and more than 2,500 of our OverDrive books have a holds list of at least one person. 
 
Our goal is to buy additional copies of in-demand books while leaving enough money to continue to buy new books. 

Publishers control the market for digital formats 

Publishers choose how their books are sold to libraries in digital formats, and they set the prices.  There are a small number of publishers that release most of the popular books, which means they can set terms that are unfavorable to libraries and raise prices as books gain in popularity.     

• Many of the most popular digital books are licensed to expire after one year, two years, or a fixed number of checkouts (26 checkouts most often), which means we have to keep buying the same books over and over to maintain a robust collection and keep series intact. 
• Recently, publishers have been raising prices as books gain in popularity.  As an example, before putting the price caps in place, we purchased The Hallmarked Man by Robert Galbraith as a time metered audio book. At the time of the book’s publication, September 2025, the audio format cost $125. 
  
  • We purchased 1 additional copy at the $125 price as the hold ratio continued to increase. 
  • Within six months, the same book – still metered for the same length of time, with no changes to content – had gone up in price to $159.   
  • When both leases expire, we will not repurchase the eAudiobook, which will leave a gap in the series. 
• Sometimes authors and publishers enter into exclusive agreements with digital book companies. For example, Amazon’s eAudiobook company, Audible, asks for exclusive rights to many of the books it releases in audio format. These books aren’t available through OverDrive (and in most cases they’re not available to public libraries through other platforms, either – they’re sold only to individual consumers). 
• Some books never come out in eAudio format; in other cases, there’s a significant lag between the eBook release and the eAudio release. 
• Sometimes publishers take content away from OverDrive.  So, even if we wanted to purchase a leased copy again, we wouldn’t be able to if a publisher has removed the option to buy it. 

Libraries are trying to advocate for fair and sustainable pricing for digital formats 

In 2023, Boise Public Library staff joined a working group that the Urban Libraries Council (ULC) created to look for equitable solutions to the digital book pricing and purchasing challenges.  The ULC work group created a two-page report designed to explain the concerns libraries have with eBook pricing and what a sustainable solution for libraries and publishers could look like. 
 
Highlights directly from the two-page ULC E-Book Pricing Crisis report include:  

• More and more of taxpayer-funded library budgets are eaten up licensing e-books at unreasonably high prices, while libraries get less for their money: many urban libraries spend 50% or more of their collections budgets on e-books, audiobooks, and other digital content. 
• So far, the Big Five publishers have resisted engaging with libraries on alternative models that could be agreeable to libraries and creators – resulting in legislation at the state level in the US and provincial level in Canada. 
• Libraries are big business for publishers and authors... 
• Library borrowers are also book buyers... 
• High prices for libraries hurt emerging authors: if libraries cannot afford to build a balanced collection, they prioritize what’s currently popular over exposing customers to new or lesser-known writers.

We want to open a conversation with publishers to explore reasonable solutions: 

• Library licenses should be based on usage not an arbitrary amount of time 
• Libraries need the option to purchase perpetual access for mid- and backlist books 
• Perpetual access isn’t about ownership; it is about being able to build and sustain a collection after initial demand has waned

We believe that everyone should have the right to access eBooks and eAudiobooks easily and affordably. Digital materials are more than just convenience; they bridge the gap between traditional and digital learning, making reading and information more broadly accessible. In addition, because many books are no longer released on CD or in large print, digital formats have emerged as the best option for users who need audio or larger print. 

How You Can Help

By advocating for fair pricing and sustainable purchasing models, you are championing the principles of equity, affordability, and community enrichment.  

• If you want to learn more about what libraries are doing to provide digital materials, visit Readers First. 
• You can also reach out to the Big Five publishers and ask them to work with libraries to provide licensing models that are sustainable at prices that are reasonable.  
  • Hachette 
  • HarperCollins 
  • Macmillian 
  • Penguin Random House 
  • Simon & Schuster 

No! Anyone can participate in Boise Public Library's Summer and Winter Reading Programs.

There is no required amount of time per day. We hope you make reading a fun daily habit!

No. You are welcome to track your reading using a paper tracker. However, when you come to claim your prizes, Boise Public Library staff will create a profile for you in Beanstack to maintain accurate statistics.

You can also create your own Beanstack profile for tracking.

Absolutely! The Summer Reading Program is for all ages and the Winter Reading Program is for ages 0-18.

Of course! E-Books, audiobooks, e-audio books, comic books, books without words, books without pictures, short books, long books...all books count!

We're here to help! Send us an email at askalibrarian@cityofboise.org, or call or visit one of our locations.