ME Libraries

Transform your Shortgrass library card and use it at other libraries!

Are you visiting another place in Alberta and wish you could borrow from their library? Good news: your Shortgrass library card has the superpower to do this and can transform into a Super Library Card that can be used at libraries across the province!

Simply login to melibraries.ca with your card information and pick other libraries you’d like to borrow from. The site checks your personal information to make sure it’s accurate and automatically registers you with the other libraries you picked. After you’ve registered, you’ll be able to use your own library card to borrow physical items at the other libraries just like a local cardholder.

To use the ME Libraries service, Shortgrass cardholders must:

Be in good standing
Be over the age of 18 (younger cardholders can register in-person at libraries you want to borrow from accompanied by a parent/guardian)
Have registered your name, email, and complete mailing address with your library

After you’ve registered:

Visit the other library and find items you want to borrow
Bring your Shortgrass card to the library's circulation area and use it to check out your items
Return the items at any library in the province and they'll be sent back to the owning library

Keep in mind:

Your borrowing information can only be viewed through the other library’s website (items you borrow from another library won’t show up in the Shortgrass BiblioCommons)
You must follow the other library’s borrowing policies, including paying fines for late returns
You will only be able to borrow physical items; Digital content (including eBooks) have licensing restrictions that limit access to only local cardholders
Academic libraries are not yet part of the ME Libraries service; but can be accessed with your TAL card
Interlibrary loans can only be requested at your home library

This access to more than 10 million items in over 300 libraries is a service provided by Alberta's Public Library Network

Frequently Asked Questions

What's the difference between a ME account and a Shortgrass Card?

With either service, you can borrow the same formats and number of physical items as a local patron. This means that you cannot borrow ebooks or access online databases at the library you are visiting with either card.

Shortgrass cards must be obtained in person from the library. In addition, a staff person at a non-Shortgrass library must manually create an account for you the first time you visit. If you are visiting a university or college library, you must use a Shortgrass card (the ME service is only available for public libraries).

ME accounts are associated with your current Shortgrass library card, and you can sign up online for a ME account at any participating library - either before you visit, or on the spot while you're there. (Minors must still be signed up by a staff person, with the permission of a parent or guardian.)

Are there different physical cards for ME and Shortgrass itself?

No - your Shortgrass library card functions as both, so you don't have to carry around more than one card.

Can I still use my Shortgrass card as a ONE Card at Medicine Hat College?

Yes. While University and college libraries are not part of the ME initiative, You can still use your Shortgrass card as a ONE card at Medicine Hat College Libraries to borrow items or pick up holds.

Which libraries are participating in the ME project?

All Alberta public libraries are part of this project except: Andrew, Banff, Lamont, La Crete, Fort Vermilion, Willingdon, and Zama.

All other libraries in Alberta will be available on the ME website by late 2014. If a library you're interested in is not yet connected to the ME website, check back later!

When I sign up at one library, will all libraries have a ME account set up for me?

No. On the ME website, you must specify which libraries you want your account information sent to. For privacy reasons, it will not automatically be sent to all of them.

Where do I go to see items I have checked out from other libraries?

When you sign up for a ME account at a non-Shortgrass library, you are entered as a patron in their system. When you check out items from that library, you can log in online to renew them, see your due dates, etc., just as a local patron would. So, for example, if you check out items from Edmonton Public Library using a ME account, you would log in on the EPL site to view those items.

How do I renew my ME account or update my account information?

You must first renew your Shortgrass card at a Shortgrass library. Then, to renew your ME account(s), go to the ME website just as if you were registering for the first time. Your expiry date, address, and phone number will be updated at the libraries you select. Any changes to your PIN number will not be transmitted - you will need to log in directly at the other library's website to change this.

Information for Member Libraries

Access the ME Libraries return flag here