David Spangenberg looks at books Friday at the Chattanooga Public Library. Spangenberg is a Lookout Mountain, Tenn. resident, and must pay $50 a year for a library card.CITY LIBRARIESBesides the Public Library in Chattanooga, some Hamilton County cities have their own library systems.• Signal Mountain• East Ridge• CollegedaleTHE NEW RULESOnce their current library cards expire, Hamilton County residents who live outside of city limits must pay a $50 per card, per year.
When Christina Atchison’s family moved to Hamilton County this summer, one of the first things on the family’s to-do list was to find a library.
A few weeks ago, Atchison took her 4-year-old to story time at the Eastgate branch of the Chattanooga Public Library for story time. On their way out, she went to the desk to sign up for a library card.
When the librarian checked Atchison’s address and found she lived a mile outside of city limits, the next words dealt a blow Atchison wasn’t ready for: $50 for library card before any books could be checked out.
“I am pretty sure my jaw hit the floor of that library,” she said. “I had to question him and asked, ‘Well, where do we go then?’ He said there are no libraries for my family that would be free.”