Dare County Library will go live on NC Cardinal on June 25, 2026. The library will be “offline” for about three days before bringing NC Cardinal online. During our downtime, the online catalog will not be available and it’s recommended to have your physical library card with you for quicker check out. Please be patient as the tech team moves all the Library data from our old system to the NC Cardinal system and gets everything running smoothly!

State-wide resource sharing with NC Cardinal Libraries begins on Monday, July 13, 2026.

May 20 - All East Albemarle Regional Library (EARL) branches - including Hatteras, Kill Devil Hills, and Manteo - will be closed for staff training. 

June 8 - 5:30 p.m. Manteo Library - Cardinal and Libby Information Sessions for the Public 

June 9 - 5:30 p.m. Kill Devil Hills Library - Cardinal and Libby Information Sessions for the Public 

June 10 - 12:00 p.m. Hatteras Library - Cardinal and Libby Information Sessions for the Public 

June 11 - 12:00 p.m. Online - Cardinal and Libby Information Sessions for the Public 

June 15 - 24 - Placing holds on books is suspended 

June 18 - Last EARL courier run; restart of courier to be determined  

June 20 - Dare County Libraries CLOSED 

June 22 - Dare County Libraries open using NC Cardinal in limited capacity 

- Items can be checked out 

- Accepting returned items; they will be checked in on 6/25

- Libby users will be prompted to select a home library from eiNC list when logging in, choose 'Dare County'. Your PIN will be the last 4 digits of the phone number we have on file for you. 

June 24 - Dare County Libraries close at 4:00 p.m. 

June 25 - Dare County Libraries open at 11:00 a.m.; NC Cardinal fully functional

- All physical materials available for placing holds, checkouts, renewals, and returns 

July 13  - State-wide resource sharing with NC Cardinal libraries begins. 

The first time you access your Libby account starting June 22, 2026, you will be prompted to re-login into the E-iNC Library. When doing so, choose Dare County Library as your home library. Please note that your PIN will be reset to the last 4 digits of the phone number that we have on file for you. Holds, current check outs, and your history will stay in place with no changes. 

Due to the transition, on June 22nd you may be asked repeatedly to login without actually being logged in. If that happens, remove your E-iNC library card and add it again:

1. Follow the steps for Removing a Card. Note that all downloaded titles borrowed on this card will be wiped from this device. When you re-add your card in the next step, any active loans and holds will reappear. You may need to download borrowed titles again, but they are still on your shelf.

2. Follow the instructions for Adding a Library:
   Enter Dare County Library and choose E-iNC Library.
   Enter your 14 digit library card number. Your PIN will be reset to the last 4 digits of the phone number that we have on file for you.  

3. If needed, follow instructions to download your loan on the device. 

DO NOT delete the Libby app because this will cause all account information to be lost. 

Getting a New Dare County Library Card and Your Libby Account

You do not have to get a new library card, but we anticipate some patrons will want to get a new Dare County Library card, which is great!  If you do, you will get a new card number and PIN and that will require creating a new Libby account and moving all of your usage information and Holds list. Don’t worry, we can help with the data transfer if that’s what you decide to do.  

Tip: If you want to save your Libby checkout history, follow these steps for creating a passkey and saving your borrowed timeline in the Libby app.

Unless you request a new library card, your 14-digit library card number will stay the same through this transition.

Your library card PIN (Personal Identification Number) will be reset to the last 4 digits of the phone number that we have on file for you. Once you log in to your new account on NC Cardinal, you will have the option to change your PIN.

Libby Login

The first time you access your Libby account starting June 22, 2026, you will be prompted to re-login into the eiNC Library. When doing so, choose ‘Dare County Library’ as your home library. Please note that your PIN will be reset to the last 4 digits of the phone number that we have on file for you. Holds, current check outs, and your history will stay in place with no changes. 

If you need any assistance navigating this change, please call your Dare County Library branch.

Manteo 252-473-2372    Kill Devil Hills 252-441-4331     Hatteras 252-986-2385

Everyone who lives, works, goes to school, or owns property in Dare County is eligible for a free library card with proper identification. Card applications may be completed in-person at a Dare County Library branch and online. For more details, please refer to Dare County Circulation Policy.

Library cards are honored at all libraries of the NC Cardinal system.

To search the catalog and access your account online please visit dare.nccardinal.org.

If you are unable to find your card, we can issue you a new one with a new card number. You will be asked to verify account information to prove ownership. 

Cards expire every three (3) years

- Every three years, patrons are required to verify that the information on file for them is accurate and complete. If the three-year mark passes without updating your information, your online access to eResources will be suspended; please visit your home library location or call to update the information and reinstate your card. 

Expired cards are removed after three (3) years 

- If you do not use your card for more than three years and have no outstanding fines, your library card account will become invalid and deleted from the system. 

Keep us up-to-date 

- Library patrons are responsible for notifying the library of any change to their information, including name, address, phone number, and email address.

“Card Blocked” means that you may not check out any physical or digital items from the library until the block is resolved. A library card is blocked from use under these circumstances:

• Expired Card - The purpose of expiring cards is to maintain updated patron contact information. Cards that have expired may not be used until they are renewed. Patrons should call their home Library to update information and reactivate their card.

• Unpaid Balance - A card is blocked if a patron has unpaid fees equaling or exceeding $50. Cards blocked for exceeding the fee limit must have these fees paid and the balance below $50 before the block is removed.

• Banned User - The patron has been banned from the library for violating library policies.

Dare County Library accepts checks or cash for payment.

Visit dare.nccardinal.org to access the online catalog.

- Click My Account in the upper right-hand corner.

- Use your 14-digit card number and your four-digit PIN to access your account. Hint: Your PIN may be the last 4 digits of the phone number we have on file for you.

- From the My Account Summary, you can see a list of all the items you currently have out and their due date. You can also renew items you have out and place hold requests for materials.

- If you are going out of town or would like to slow down the number of books you receive, you can Suspend books on your Hold list until a specified date. In addition, you can review any Lists or Saved Searches you have created of materials. 

Please contact your local Library for assistance. 

You can return most library materials to any of the libraries in the NC Cardinal system, no matter which library owns them, or which library you borrowed them from.

For your convenience, there are book drops located:

• in front of each of the libraries 
• Southern Shores at the Town Hall
• Nags Head at the Town Hall
• Rodanthe Beach Access
• in Buxton at the Fessenden Center.

Please note:
Items checked out from the Library of Things must be returned to a library staff member during open hours at the library.

The library gladly accepts donations of 'gently used' books. Many used books are added to our collection or swapped out to replace well used copies of titles that we already own.

Please note: 

- We do not accept used textbooks, items in unsellable condition, or National Geographic Magazine.

- If you have a large number of books to donate, please call ahead as our storage space is limited.

- We will provide a tax form that you can fill out with the estimated value; however, the library is unable to offer a tax value for any used books donated to us.

Donated items we choose not to add to our collection are put in our on-going used book sale. All proceeds of this sale benefit the Dare County Library's programs and collections.

Most library materials check out for 3 weeks. 

You may renew materials up to 2 times in-person, over the telephone or through your account on dare.nccardinal.org, as long as no one else has requested them.

Some very high demand items, including new fiction titles, some DVDs, and items in the Library of Things, may have shorter loan periods.

Fines represent significant barriers to access to using the library, especially for children and teenagers. Dare County Public Library does not charge overdue fines for materials kept out beyond the due date.

The library does charge replacement fees for items considered lost or damaged beyond repair. An item is considered lost if it isn’t returned to the library within 30 days of its final due date.

Patrons who lose or damage any library items owned by Dare County Library will be charged the list price of the item, plus a $2.00 processing fee. At library staff discretion, patrons may purchase a new copy of the item as a replacement. Paid fees for lost materials will not be reimbursed if those materials are later recovered.

As an NC Cardinal Consortium member, some materials may be borrowed from another NC Cardinal Library and will have Lost and Damaged fees set according to the guidelines of the library that owned the material.