Kenton County residents who borrow books, audiobooks and e-books from the Cincinnati and Hamilton County Public Library will need to pay $90 a year starting Jan. 3, 2027.
The library system emailed Northern Kentucky cardholders Aug. 18, announcing it will end a reciprocal borrowing program that gave residents of Kenton, Boone and Campbell counties free access to all 41 CHPL branches and its digital catalog, including the Libby app. After Jan. 3, those residents can purchase a nonresident card at the same $90 rate charged to all other out-of-state users.
The fee is not arbitrary. Communications director Angela Hursh told WVXU it matches what the owner of a $150,000 home in Hamilton County pays in library-related property taxes each year.
Why the change
Ohio's 2025 two-year state budget, signed by Gov. Mike DeWine, replaced the longstanding formula tying the Public Library Fund to a percentage of state general revenue with a flat line-item appropriation. The result: statewide library funding dropped from $504.6 million in fiscal year 2025 to $479.7 million in FY2026, according to WLWT, citing Ohio Library Council data. CHPL alone lost about $1 million.
Rising digital costs compounded the squeeze. Hursh said audiobooks are now the library's most-used digital format and recently surpassed print circulation. Unlike physical books, digital titles must be relicensed after a set number of checkouts, with publishers charging libraries $55 or more per temporary license.
"We have to repurchase titles after a certain number of check-outs," Hursh told WVXU on Aug. 19. "So an e-book or e-audiobook ends up costing more than the print version of it does. And, of course, demand has risen."
How many cardholders are affected
Thousands of residents across all three Northern Kentucky counties hold free CHPL cards that will expire Jan. 3, according to WVXU's reporting. Just over 1,200 other NKY cardholders already pay for the nonresident card. A county-by-county breakdown was not available.
What local libraries are doing
Kenton County Public Library public relations director Chad Showalter said the library is reviewing the impact but has not decided whether to end its own reciprocal agreement that currently lets Hamilton County residents use Kenton County branches for free.
Boone County Public Library executive director Carrie Herrmann said her system will also end its reciprocal deal with CHPL, with a formal board vote expected in September. Campbell County Public Library said it is discussing the matter with its board and will update patrons when a decision is made.
Kenton, Campbell and Boone counties each operate their own library systems, and residents can continue checking out physical and digital materials from their home county library at no cost.
What's next
Current free CHPL cards remain active through Jan. 3, 2027. Residents who want uninterrupted access to Cincinnati's branches and digital collection after that date can purchase the $90 annual nonresident card. The Kenton County Public Library board has not announced a date for its own reciprocity decision; the Boone County board is expected to vote in September 2026.
