Access PA ILL - General

Access Pennsylvania eligibility for participation: 

1. Public Library - A public library or system is eligible to participate if it:

a. Is organized and governed in accordance with the Pennsylvania Public Library Code;

b. Meets applicable library standards found in the Pennsylvania Public Library Code and its associated regulations; and

c. Pays the POWER Library services annual technology support fee.

2. School or Intermediate Unit - A school or intermediate unit is eligible to participate if it:

a. Is authorized, licensed, regulated, accredited, registered, or established by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania;

b. Has a library supervised by a certified school library media professional;

c. Provides an accessible, centrally-housed, and organized collection of library resources;

d. Has a line item in the school’s budget allocated for the library to purchase library materials; and

e. Pays the annual POWER Library technology support fee.

3. Academic Institution – An academic institution is eligible to participate if it:

a. Is authorized, licensed, approved, or accredited by the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania to confer degrees.

4. Special Collection Library or Institution – A special collection library in Pennsylvania, including those funded by the state, is eligible to participate if it:

a. Has an appropriately trained librarian;

b. Has an organized collection; and either

i. Is open a minimum of 20 hours of service per week or  

ii. Demonstrates a strong commitment to share its resources with other libraries.

Application for POWER Library Services [PDF]

Please note that the application may be completed online or on your computer but a "wet signature" is required. 

Once the application is submitted, the following actions are required:

1. a staff member must attend training (self-paced virtual training is available)
2. a staff member must upload the library's holdings to the Access PA union catalog OR must set up a z server in the library's integrated library system (ILS)