All Henry County Schools students are issued a free PINES Library Access for Youth (PLAY) Card account as part of a collaboration between Henry County Schools, Georgia Library PINES*, and your Henry County Public Libraries: Cochran Public Library, Fairview Public Library, Fortson Public Library, Locust Grove Public Library, and McDonough Public Library.

The PLAY Card account will provide each HCS student with free materials (books, magazines) and online resources from the public library to help your child succeed in school, along with fun resources to support a lifelong love of reading.

The PLAY Card account is an opt-out program. If you do not want your student to have an account, please log on to your Infinite Campus Parent Portal to opt out.

*According to https://pines.georgialibraries.org/about, "Georgia Library PINES (Public Information Network for Electronic Services) is the public library automation and lending network for 300 libraries and affiliated service outlets in 51 library systems covering 146 counties. PINES creates a statewide "borderless library" that provides equal access to information for all Georgians."

PLAY Card accounts will use HCS student ID numbers as the library card number - one less login to remember!

Check out 5 physical items at a time from the library catalog of over 11 million items for books, DVD’s, audiobooks, and other materials at over 300 libraries across Georgia.

Check out e-books, audiobooks & digital magazines! Titles are returned automatically with no fines!

No fines for overdue items! Fines still apply for lost, long overdue, or damaged materials; however, the account, library resources, and services are all free.

Learn a new language online with Mango Languages. Online courses are offered in 70+ languages!

Get help with homework using: Digital Library of Georgia, EXPLORA, Learning Express, and tutor.com.

Take practice tests for the SAT, PSAT, and others.

Obtain state park and museum passes, including Georgia State Parks and Historic Sites, Zoo Atlanta, Center for Puppetry Arts, Chattahoochee Nature Center, and more!

Q & A

How does my student log in?

Visit the PINES Account Login Page.
Enter your Library Card Number or User Name

The username is HCL and the student's ID number (often called the lunch number).
HCL must be capitalized.

Example: The student's ID is 123456. You will type in HCL123456.

Enter your password

The default password is the student's 2-digit birth month and 4-digit birth year (MMYYYY) with no spaces.

Example: The student's birthdate is August 24, 2010. You will type in 082010.

When will my student receive their PLAY Card?

The PLAY Card is only an account. No physical card will be given to students.

What can be checked out using a PLAY Card?

The PLAY Card account allows students to check out 5 physical items at a time of any material type. It also provides full access to online resources.

If you would like your child to borrow more items, you can apply for a free PINES library card at any time. To do so, please visit your local library and bring your photo ID.

How does a student check out a physical item while at the library?

Please go to one of the circulation desks to check out an item while at the library. The library card number will be HCL and the student's ID number (often called the lunch number).

Example: The student's ID is 123456. The username will HCL123456.

What if a student already has a library card?

Students may have both a PLAY Card account and PINES card. The PLAY Card account has the added benefit of not accruing fines (fines still apply for lost, long overdue, or damaged materials) with a check-out limit of 5 items.

The PINES card allows for more items to be checked out at one time, but does accrue fines.

What happens when a student changes schools within HCS, withdraws, or graduates?

When a student changes schools within HCS, students maintain the same PLAY Card account.
When a student withdraws or graduates from HCS, their PLAY Card account will expire at the beginning of the next school year. The student may apply for a regular PINES account at that time.

Who do I contact if the information on my PLAY Card account is incorrect?

Parents/Guardians should contact:

The child's school to update:
- - address
  - grade level*
  - school*
PINES (by visiting your library) to update:
- - preferred name

*Please note: The student's grade level and school will automatically be updated shortly before the beginning of the new school year. In the summer months, the information on the account will display the previous year's school and grade level.

School updates will be entered into Infinite Campus and updated with the next data sync between HCS and PINES. Please note it could take up to a month before changes are reflected on the PLAY Card account.

Will parents/guardians have access to see what the student has checked out?

Parents/guardians will have the ability to see what is checked out on the account of a minor.

What libraries can I check out from with a PLAY Card account?

You can visit and check out materials from any of the Henry County locations or PINES partner libraries across the state.

What about homeschool students?

Homeschool students can apply online for a library account for digital access only. Click here to visit the PINES website and apply online. You may also visit your local library in person to apply for a PINES library card which will allow access to both digital and physical materials. If under the age of 18, a parent/guardian's contact information and consent are required.

How do I change my home library location?

The student's home library is assigned based on the address the school district has on file. If the address is incorrect, please contact the child's school to request an update. If the address is correct, but you would like to change to a different home library, you can do so with a member of the Heny County Library staff.

Who should I contact if I still have questions about the card?

Please contact the Media Specialist at your child's school or the Henry County Libraries.

Q & A

How does my student log in?

When will my student receive their PLAY Card?

What can be checked out using a PLAY Card?

How does a student check out a physical item while at the library?

What if a student already has a library card?

What happens when a student changes schools within HCS, withdraws, or graduates?

Who do I contact if the information on my PLAY Card account is incorrect?

Will parents/guardians have access to see what the student has checked out?

What libraries can I check out from with a PLAY Card account?

What about homeschool students?

How do I change my home library location?

Who should I contact if I still have questions about the card?