Library Policies - Circulation

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Town of Durham

Durham Public Library Circulation Policy

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Circulation Department

The circulation Department at the Durham Public Library provides optimum service to the Town of Durham in satisfying the educational, informational, and recreational needs of the community. Circulation Librarians assist patrons in applying for library cards, searching the catalog, making interlibrary loan requests, and accessing the complete world of knowledge.

Borrower Responsibilities

By borrowing materials from the library, the borrower is deemed by the library to have agreed to return the materials by the stated deadline and in the same condition as they were borrowed. Patrons are responsible for the replacement/repair cost of lost or damaged materials that were taken out by them.

Library Cards

Eligibility

The Library shall serve all residents of the community. Persons residing outside the geographical area but owning property in Durham, those attending or employed by the Oyster River Schools, those employed by the Town of Durham, or working for any business located in Durham shall be considered residents. All UNH students shall have full access to Durham Public Library and shall be allowed access as long as they remain students as stated in the UNH/Town of Durham agreement of December 10, 1996.

Non-residents will be required to pay an annual fee to obtain borrowing privileges in the Durham Public Library. This fee may be waived as a professional courtesy at the discretion of the Director.

Use of the library may be denied or restricted by the Board of Trustees or the Director for due cause. Such cause may be failure to return books and/or destruction of property (RSA 202-A: 24).

Application Process

Residents and students should bring a picture or student ID or a utility bill listing a current Durham address to the Circulation desk. They must fill out an application card and the librarian will issue a Durham Public Library card.

Durham residents may get a card for free. Students and teachers in the Oyster River School System, students from UNH, and town employees may get a library card for free. Non-residents will be charged a $30 annual fee for a card.

Children may get their own cards once they can write their full name. Parents may want to consider checking out materials fro young children on the parent’s card as patron information is restricted by state law, RSA 201-D: 11.

There will be a $2 fee for replacement of lost library cards.

Online Access

Patrons may view the materials they have checked out and the dates due by visiting their account through the Library’s catalog, accessed through the website www.durhampubliclibrary.org. The Library will issue each patron a password with which they can access their library account. Passwords can only be given out in the Library after the patron presents identification. Passwords will not be issued over the phone.

Loan Rules

·  Patrons may check out as many items at one time as they wish with the exception of DVDs and videos. Restrictions may be placed on the number of items at the discretion of the Librarian.

·  Five (5) DVDs/videos may be checked out on one card at a time.

·  Lost items will be charged at the retail value of the item.

·  Materials may be renewed for the applicable loan period (see chart below) as long as there are no existing reservations on the item. Items with a reservation placed on them must be returned to the library by the due date to make them available for the next patron.

Loan Periods

Material Type	Loan Period	Renewal
New Books	3 weeks	One time for 3 weeks
Fiction / Nonfiction	3 weeks	One time for 3 weeks
Audio Books	3 weeks	One time for 3 weeks
Music CDs	3 weeks	One time for 3 weeks
DVDs / videos	1 week	No renewal
Reference	Does not circulate
Museum Passes	1 day for passes Coupons do not need to be returned	No renewal

Late Fees

·  Patrons are responsible for late fees on items not returned by the due date.

·  There is a 3 day grace period for overdue materials. Patrons will be responsible for the entire overdue fee from the fourth day on. (Ex. A book returned 3 days after it is due will not incur a late fee; a book returned 4 days after it is due will incur a late fee of $0.40, and $0.50 on the fifth day).

·  Late fees accrue for each item separately.

·  Patrons will not have to pay more than the maximum fee for each item returned.

·  Patrons will be charged the replacement cost – including shipping and processing – for materials that are lost or not returned.

·  Patrons with more than $5.00 in late fees or replacement charges will not be able to check out more materials until paid down below $5.00.

·  Patrons will be billed for the replacement cost of items not returned within 6 weeks of the due date.

 

Material Type	Daily Late Fee	Maximum Late Fee/Item
New Books	10 cents	$2.00
Fiction / Nonfiction	10 cents	$2.00
Audio Books	10 cents	$2.00
Music CDs	10 cents	$2.00
DVDs / videos	$1.00	$5.00
Reference	Does not circulate
Museum passes	$1.00	$5.00

Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees May 15, 2008

Amended June 19, 2008

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Durham Public Library
7 Mill Road Unit H
Durham Public Library
Durham, NH 03824
603-868-6699
Fax 603-868-9944