An active library card is needed in order to check out materials. If the library card is not in your possession, materials may be checked out with photo identification. Library card barcodes presented on smartphones or other mobile devices are also accepted.

For new patrons, checkout is limited to 2 items for your first 2 checkouts. After that, checkout limits are as follows:

• Books & Audiobooks: We do not limit the number of books and audiobooks a patron may check out. The only limit is the two-week checkout period. 

• Periodicals: The most recent issue cannot be checked out, but older issues are the same as books and audiobooks. 

• DVDs: Maximum of 3 per adult card for 2 weeks.
  *At this time, you must be 18+ to check out DVDs. No DVD checkouts will be permitted for any child card under any circumstances.*

• STEAM Kits:  1 kit per checkout for 2 weeks. Unavailable for restricted cards. 

• Hotspots:  1 hotspot per household, per checkout for 1 week. Service is terminated at the end of the business day on the day they are due. No renewals. Unavailable for restricted cards. 

• Inter-library loans: Maximum 3 per patron for 1 month. Renewals are by loaning libraries' discretion. Unavailable for restricted cards.

A receipt received at checkout serves as the official notice of the due date for an item or items. Patrons with outstanding fees over $5.00 will not be allowed to check out additional materials. 

• For everyone: We offer free WiFi at the library. Simply connect to SPL Public Access Wireless on your device. 

• We currently offer 1 hour of computer access per day to all patrons of Sweetwater Public Library. Additional session slips available upon request, provided no one is waiting to use computers.

• The library also offers mobile hotspots for checkout. Please ask a staff member for more information.

• Special accommodations can be made under certain circumstances. Please call ahead or ask a staff member for assistance.

• Tech Assistance: Staff members can assist you one-on-one with basic computer questions or problems upon request.

Method 1 - Reserve Online: Head over to our card catalog, log in with your library account, and search for the items you want. If we have it, it'll appear in the search listings. Click on the "Request This Item" button to reserve the item. 

Method 2 - Reserve Over the Phone: Call the library with a list of titles that you know you'd like. Please have a list prepared, as staff may not have time to search for the exact book you're looking for.

Once reserves are placed: Wait about 30 minutes for staff to pull them from the floor, then head over to the library. Park in our curbside spot, and give the library a call, let us know which spot you're in, and a staff member will bring them out to your vehicle.

We offer a number of printing/copying services at the following costs:

• Black-and-white printing/copies: 25¢ per page

• Color printing/copies: 50¢ per page

• Legal size printing/copies: 50¢ per page

• File scanning: 50¢ per page (USB transfer provided)​

We offer faxing services at the following costs:

• Receiving faxes: 50¢ per page

• Sending faxes (in-state/toll-free): $1.00 per page

• Sending faxes (out-of-state): $2.00 per page

• Sending faxes out-of-country is currently unavailable.
  
  
  Right now, the library only accepts cash for payments. We do not have a debit/credit reader. We apologize for the inconvenience.

Patrons may place hold requests on circulating items. Holds can be requested online within a catalog search or over the phone.

Items are held for three (3) days once the patron has been notified the item has come in. If the item is not picked up within the time allotted, the hold is cancelled and the item is returned to circulation or fills the next hold in the queue.  

There are no overdue fees at Sweetwater Public Library. Patrons are still expected to return materials in a timely manner and in the condition they were loaned out. If a patron fails to do so, they will be charged the full cost of the library materials and a $5.00 processing fee per item.

Want a book, audiobook, or DVD that we don't have? We can ask other libraries to loan it to us for you! Through our inter-library loan program, we can request up to 3 titles for you for a loan period of up to 1 month. Simply call us or ask at the front desk and we'll request it for you!

​Please note, it does take some time for the material to get to us, depending on where it ships from (on average, about 2 weeks). We'll call or e-mail you as soon as it comes in!

*Note: New/restricted patrons (those on limited checkouts or who have excess fines) may not request inter-library loans until the restrictions have been removed from their card. 

TN READS: The Tennessee Regional E-book & Audiobook Download System (TN R.E.A.D.S.) offers over 100,000 digital e-books, audiobooks, and videos to patrons of public libraries that belong to the Regional Library System. These digital titles can be downloaded or streamed to your personal computer or a various portable devices such as smartphones, tablets, or e-readers. Simply select your library and log-in with your library card number. Click here to access TN READS.

TEL: The Tennessee Electronic Library (T.E.L.) is a virtual library that you can access from your home computer, school computer lab, or smartphone – anywhere with an Internet connection. Access to over 400,000 electronic resources including magazines, scholarly journals, podcasts, videos, e-books, test preparation materials, federal census records, Tennessee primary source materials, and more can all be found on TEL. Click here to access TEL.