Frequently Asked Questions

To activate, or register, your library card for use with the library's catalog, click or touch the blue and white Log In/My ELPL button located in the top right corner of every page of elpl.org:

A drop-down menu will appear.  Click or touch the green and white Log In/Register button:

A login page will appear.  In the Username or Library Card Number field, enter your entire 14 digit library card number, with no spaces.
In the PIN or Password field enter your PIN.  If you have not been assigned a PIN call the Service Desk at 517-351-2420 or Contact the Library to create a PIN.

After you successfully log in the system will walk you through a few more steps, including:

• Creating a username 
• Confirming your email address and date of birth
• Determining if you would like to keep track of your reading history

Once those steps are finished you will be taken to Your Library Dashboard, where you can:

• View and renew checked out items
• View and manage holds
• Submit a Suggestion for items not owned by the library
• Create Lists of library items for yourself or to share with others
• Add items to your Completed, In Progress, and For Later shelves to help you keep track of what you've checked out and what you would like to check out.

Yes.  There is a drive-up book return on the south-west side of the building.  Pull in the half circle drive on the south-west side of the library.

To submit a suggestion for purchase, log in to your library account , opens a new windowand visit your Library Dashboard to locate the Submit a Suggestion form and track the status of your submissions.  Once you are logged into your library account the link to the Submit a Suggestion form is on the left side of your Library Dashboard.  It looks like this:

Please note that the library will only consider requests that meet the following criteria:

• Titles released in the last 5 years
• Authors not already acquired by the library via an automatic standing order plan.

You can place 50 MeLCat items on hold (this number includes the MeLCat items you have checked out)

You can place a total of 100 items on hold.
Just remember that you can only check out 10 DVDs at a time and 50 items total.

Requests for items not owned by the library may be submitted via the library's Submit a Suggestion form if:

• They have been released in the last 5 years
• The author is not already acquired by the library via an automatic standing order plan.

To submit a suggestion for purchase, log in to your library account , opens a new windowand visit your Library Dashboard to locate the Submit a Suggestion form and track the status of your submissions.  Once you are logged into your library account the link to the Submit a Suggestion form is on the left side of your Library Dashboard.  It looks like this:

• 10 DVDs
• 10 Magazines
• 1 Wifi HotSpot
• 50 items total

• Books, Audio books, music CDs -- 4 Weeks
• DVDs -- 1 Week
• Magazines -- 1 Week
• Lit Kits -- 8 Weeks
• Science/Family Activity Kits -- 2 Weeks
• Internet Hot Spots -- 2 Weeks
• MeLCat Materials -- 3 Weeks