CIRCULATION POLICY
(revised 2015)
- LIBRARY CARDS Library cards are free to all residents of Pennsylvania. Children 12 years old and older are eligible for their own library card. Library cards MUST be shown at the time of checkout. Please notify the library if you change your address or lose your card. Replacement fee for a lost card is $2.00. Non-resident cards are available for $10.00 for 12 months.
- LOAN PERIOD: The loan period for books, magazines, audio books, Playaways and video is three weeks (21 days). The loan period for new books, DVDs and magazines is one week (7 days). Book Club in a bag is 60 days. Patron cards are limited to borrowing 75 total items. Non-resident cards are limited to borrowing 25 total items. A total of five (5) DVDs (Blu-Ray and DVD) may be borrowed at once.
- BOOKS: Reserving libray items is a privilege. You will be notified when items are available and will be held for you for seven (7) days
- RENEWALS: Renewals may be made twice on most materials. Items on hold for other patrons or Interlibray Loan books may NOT be renewed. Renewals may be made over the telephone or online if the material is NOT overdue. Please be ready to provide the following information: your name, library card number, title, and author of book(s). Online renewals require your library card number and your password.
- REFERENCE MATERIAL: Reference materials (e.g., encyclopedias, local history books) cannot be taken out for circulation. However, the Librarian may photocopy any material for you for a 25¢ per page donation, even IRS Tax Forms. Or, scan a copy for you, free of charge.
- INTERLIBRARY LOAN: Interlibrary loan is a free service. If none of the libraries in the Public Libraries of Erie County Shared Catalog own a book you want, the Librarian can try to get it from other libraries. Give your request to the Librarian. Pickups and returns of Interlibrary loans are handled directly here at the Library. Please allow 2 weeks, minimum, for arrivals. There is a limit of 1 ILL per person at one time and 1 ILL per person, per month. ILL materials are borrowed for 2 weeks, no renewals. If the request is for a school project, report or etc., the Librarian has the discretion to order 2 requests at a time. Interlibrary loans from outside of Erie County not picked up within the specified time will result in a $5.00 charge.
- OVERDUE FINES: Overdue fines for Adult and YA materials are 25¢ per day, per item. 50¢ per day, per item is charged for DVDs and Interlibrary Loan materials. Juvenile fines are as follows: 10¢ per day, per item. 50¢ per day, per item for DVDs.
- BOOKDROP: A book drop is located at the Library's front door if you wish to return material when the library is not open. If the Library is open materials must be returned to the circulation desk.
- ACCESS PA: Rice Avenue Community Public Library is a participant in the Statewide Library Card project called Acess Pennsylvania. A blue and white sticker on your library card entitles you to borrow materials at any of Access PA paticipating libraries. To get a sticker, go to your home library and ask for an Access PA sticker to be attached to your library card. Your home library is the library funded to server the municipality where you live.
INTERNET ACCESS AND COMPUTER POLICY
(revised April 26, 2007)
The Internet offers a access to a wealth of material that is personally, professionally and culturally enriching to individuals of all ages. It is, however, an unregulated medium with a highly diverse user population. The Library cannot control or monitor the amount of material accessible via the Internet. It is possible that individuals might access information they personally find offensive or dustrubing. Individual users must accept responsibility for determining the suitability of content for themselves and their children. In response to advances in technology, the Rice Avenue Community Public Library is endeavoring to develop resources and services that meet the informational, educational and recreational needs of the community.
It is within the context that the Library offers access to the Internet. To be granted access to the Internet at the Library, users must a valid Rice Avenue library card (or any other library in Erie County) and agree to abide by certain rules and regulations related to the appropriate, legal and ethical use of the Rice Avenue Community Public Library computers.
- *Users must sign an Internet Computer User's Agreement, which commits them to the stated policies.
- *Internet access will be given to persons under the age of sixteen (16) years only with written parental permission. All appropriate signatures must be signed in front of a Library official. Parents or guardians much accompany children under the age of twelve (12) while they are using the Internet access.
- *Users are warned that sources on the Internet do not always provide accurate, complete or current information. As with any material provided by the Library, the user must take responsibility in questioning the validity of the information found. The internet computer equipment and software must be used as installed.
- *Users are not permitted to delete, add to or modify the installed hardware or software. All equipment is to be treated with respect.
- *Users may not request the use of any specific computer and may not wait until a specific computer becomes available. The Library does not provide e-mail acccounts. The Library will allow access to forms of e-mail that do not use Library computer storage.
- *Users may not use the Library's computers to make unauthorized entry into any other network computer.
- *Users may not disrupt or interfere with other computer or network users, services or equipment. Users may not represent themselves as another person or use the Internet access to transmit or receive obscene language or depictions of any kind or to harass other users.
- *Users will be subject to a 15-minute time limit on the Internet if others are waiting to use the equipment. The Librarian has the authority to limit the time for any users on the equipment to one (1) hour per day, even if not other user is waiting.
- *Users may not turn off or reboot Library computers.
- *The Library reserves the right to use filtering and/or blocking software to enforce this policy and any other applicable laws.
- *The Library reserves the right to use logging software to monitor use of Library computers. If the logs show inappropriate or possibly illegal activity, then the corresponding sign-in sheet will be used to identify the user using the computer equipment.
- *The Rice Avenue Public Library is in complaince with the Children's Internet Proceted Act (CIPA). Even though the Library employs a Technology Protective Measure (TPM), objectionable sites may slip through. No TPM is 100% effective.
- *The Internet and Computer Access policies were developed to prohibit the access to objectionable sites and to protect minors. Computer and Internet and/or other Library privileges may be revoked for up to six months per infraction for inappropriate behavior or any policy violation. Violation of these policies may result in termination of Internet privileges or a revocation of the violator's library card, in addition to the criminal penalties found in 18 Pa C.S. 5903, a copy of which is available from the Librarian, or applicable civil penalties.
- *The Library will report illegal use (including, but not limited to: displaying child pornography, displaying obscencity or dsiplaying materials harmful to minors) to the appropriate local, state, or federal law enforcement agency and cooperate fully with those authorities.
PLEC | 2018
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