Borrowers' Guidelines

 

Obligations of Borrowers

• Borrowed materials are the responsibility of the individual identified on the library card, who is subject to all the fines, policies rules, and regulations of the Library.
• Parents or guardians are financially responsible for all items checked out on their children’s cards and are urged to apply for cards of their own. The Library may refuse to issue a new card to any members of a family that has overdue material or outstanding fines and/or fees.
• Parents or guardians are solely responsible for ensuring that the material borrowed by their children is appropriate. The library provides a range of materials serving a diverse clientele. The library urges parents to be involved in the selection of material for their children.
• Borrowers should inform the Library whenever there is a change of residence, telephone number or e-mail address.

Where Can I Drop Off Library Material?

Material may be dropped off at any library in the Western Regional Library System no matter where the material was borrowed. Book-drops are also provided at all locations and are available 24/7 for your convenience.

You may want to drop off items, pay fines and pick up reserves at the drive-up window at the Cabell Main Library. All other services are performed inside. The hours of the drive-up window are identical to the rest of the building.

 

Loss of Borrowing Privileges

Books will not be checked out to borrowers in any of the following circumstances:

• Your borrowing limit of 20 items has been reached.
• Your bills or overdue fines are $5.00 or more.
• Your library card has expired.

Loan Periods and Limits

Most books, CDs and CD-ROMs can be borrowed for three weeks. A few books (e.g., Top Ten) have a shorter loan period. You may borrow a total of ten CDs on your account at any time. You may have five videocassettes and three DVDs out at any time. (Videocassettes and DVDs are loaned for one week only).
You may have a maximum of twenty items out on your record.

Renewals

Patrons may renew most items up to four times. DVDs, videocassettes and items requiring a deposit may be renewed only once. Interlibrary loan materials, Top Ten books, and any items that are being held for someone else may not be renewed.
Materials may be renewed in person or by the phone. When calling to renew please provide your library card number. You may also renew online.

Holds (Reserves)

Reserves may be placed on all circulating materials. You may reserve items yourself online or by asking a staff member for assistance. You will be notified by e-mail if your e-mail address is in the library’s database or by mail when your reserved item is available and when the hold period expires. When placing a reserve, please select the library location where you want to pick up the item. You may also reserve up to five items over the telephone.

Patrons who wish to pick up material being held for another person must have the other person's library card and either the reserve notification letter or proof they share an address.

 

Fines and Charges

The purpose of a library fine is to encourage the prompt return of library materials in order that others in the community may use them. Fines may be paid by either cash or check. The Library will work with patrons to allow reasonable payment plans, if necessary.
The fine for every type of overdue item stands at $0.10 per day.
The fee for lost or damaged materials is the replacement cost. Fines are waived once material has been paid for. One half the money paid will be refunded for lost items that are found and returned within 30 days of payment.
There is a $1.00 replacement cost for lost or damaged audiovisual cases.

 

Overdue Materials

When your materials are overdue for:

10 days                   the Library mails/e-mails you an overdue notice.

21 days                   the Library sends you a second overdue notice.

35 days                   your account is turned over to a library materials recovery agency. A $10 non-negotiable fee is added to your account to cover the costs of the recovery service.   The recovery service will begin contacting you through a process of letters and telephone calls.

120 days                    the service reports your overdue account to the national credit bureaus, which may affect your credit rating for up to seven years.

                                   

How Can I Find Out When my Library Materials Are Due?

Once you have logged onto your account by entering your library card identification number and PIN simply click on “review my account”. Or you can call the library.

What Audiovisual Equipment Is Available For Checkout?

The library has slide projectors, 16 mm and 8 mm film projectors, portable projection screens, and overhead projectors, all which may be borrowed. These items require a $40.00 deposit.

Deposits

Some library materials require deposits either by cash or check before they may be checked out to patrons. Only the patron whose signature appears on the deposit form may pick up the deposit when returning the item, unless another arrangement has been made. The circulation department will accept the return of the item by anyone, but will return the deposit only to the original patron.