Library Station Begins Accepting Passport Applications June 8
June 1, 2015 —
Applying for a U.S. passport is about to get more convenient for busy people and families. Staff at the Library Station, 2535 N. Kansas Expressway, will begin accepting passport applications beginning Monday, June 8, at convenient hours, seven days a week.
It is the second Springfield-Greene County Library branch to become a Passport Acceptance Facility. The Library Center, 4654 S. Campbell Ave., began accepting passport applications on June 9, 2015, as a way to offer more convenient day, weekend and evening hours for individuals and families.
Passport service hours will mirror those at the Library Center: 8:30 a.m.-8 p.m. Monday-Saturday, and 1-4 p.m. Sunday. No appointment is necessary. Librarians are trained and certified to accept passport applications for individuals of all ages and take passport photos if requested.
Before visiting the Library Station, individuals first must consult the U.S. Department of State’s official page, www.travel.state.gov to download an application and for details on what documents and fees are required when applying at the library. Both libraries also have application forms. The libraries cannot renew existing passports; refer to the Department of State’s website for details. Only check or money orders are accepted.
“When we first offered passport services to the public at the Library Center, we had no idea what a success it would be,” said Library District Executive Director Regina Greer Cooper. Since the service began there in June 2015, staff has processed more than 2,945 passport applications and taken 1,965 passport photos.
“Our patrons have welcomed the service and made tremendous use of it. This was a pilot project for the library district, and our intention from the first was to expand the offerings to other locations if the project was successful,” Cooper added. “So offering the service at the Library Station was our next step, and we expect patrons will be excited about the added convenience of another location to accept passport applications."
The library district is already the public’s source of travel information, with an extensive travel collection, language learning sites and speedy access to answers about required immunizations and travel restrictions.
Beginning June 8, the Library Station will also begin highlighting its book and DVD travel collection in a browse-able area much like a commercial book store.
Library Station staff members have undergone the government’s required training for correctly and securely handling passport applications. The Library purchased the necessary equipment – about $600 – and adopted all approved procedures to provide accurate and secure processing of passport applications.
The fee structure is as follows:
- The full application fee collected at that time will be payable to the U.S. Department of State. A federally required, $25 execution fee per application is payable to the Springfield-Greene County Library District. (Fees and all details are available on the State Department’s website, www.travel.state.gov.)
- Anyone needing a passport-quality photo at any time can pay $10 fee to the library district, or they may bring their own. (Cost for passport-quality photos taken at other locations varies from $7.95 to $11.99.)
Proceeds from fees payable to the library district will go toward library operations.
The library is a complete travel resource.
The new passport application service is just one more way travelers launch their next adventure at the library.
- Bring your own device and use the Library’s free WiFi, or use a free public computer to book your hotels, airline or train tickets, car rental, tours and places to eat along the way.
- You can find books and travel guides, nonfiction and “best-of” destination resources through the Library’s online catalog, thelibrary.org/catalog. Some items are available in multiple formats. The Library has travel materials for children,too! And if you don’t find what you need, we can get it for you from other library systems.
- Take a visual tour of your upcoming journey through a documentary or travel film, or listen to the music of your travel destination, available on CDs and DVDs through thelibrary.org/catalog.
- Pick up cultural cues, historical background and learn about the people who live there through a colorful, online resource, CultureGrams*. You can also find it at thelibrary.org/history.
- Learn the language! Check out a language CD from the Library, or choose from more than 60 languages to learn while you pick up cultural tips. Visit the popular online language learning system, Mango Languages, or go to thelibrary.org/mango. You can create a free account and at the start page and take lessons at your own pace, or click Quick Start and select a language.