Sugar-Salem Community Library Circulation Policy
Welcome to our library! We hope you will visit us often. Here are a few things to keep in mind concerning circulation rules and regulations.
Library Accounts: We offer family library accounts for our patrons. These accounts are for heads of household (maximum 2) and any dependent children currently living in the home.
Loan Period: Story kits and backpacks check out for one week at a time. All other materials check out for two weeks at a time.
Renewals: Library materials may be renewed up to three (3) times unless there is a hold placed on the item. All additional renewals will be at the librarians’ discretion. Renewals may be done online, in person (when you visit the library), or over the phone. The librarians may inform patrons of the number of renewals items have received. (If you have lost the item, please inform the librarian, who will then make note of the missing item so that you won’t have to keep calling to renew.) For further information on lost materials, pleases see Lost/Damaged Materials section.
Reservations: Materials owned by the library may be reserved or put on hold. We will notify you when the material becomes available. Please check with the librarians to determine the best way to get in touch with you (phone, email, or text) and make sure they have the necessary contact information. Once you have been contacted, the item will be held for you for one (1) week. If you know you will not be able to pick up the item within one week (out of town, illness, etc.), please let the librarians know as soon as possible. If the librarians don’t hear from you and the deadline passes, it will be assumed that you no longer want the item, and it will either go to the next person in line or back on the shelf.
Book Return: All materials may be returned through the book drop in the window of the library; however, we encourage you to return materials inside when the library is open to help reduce the wear and tear on these items and to ensure that items are checked in properly. You may be charged for any damage the items receive while they are checked out to you. If an item is returned through the drop box after the library closes, it will be checked in the next business day and any late fees will be charged to your account. Please make sure all materials are accounted for. DVDs and Audio CDs that are returned with missing discs will not be checked in until the missing disc is turned in. (The librarians will contact you if a disc is missing).
Book Circulation Policy
Limit: 50
Loan Period: 2 weeks
Fines: $0.02 per item per day
Video Circulation Policy
Limit: 10
Loan Period: 2 weeks
Fines: $0.50 per item per day
Story Kits and Backpacks
Limit: 2
Loan Period: 1 week
Fines: $0.02 per kit/backpack per day
Lost/Damaged Materials: If a video, DVD, or audio CD/cassette does not work when you get it home, or if you discover a book is damaged or has missing pages, promptly notify the library so that you will not be charged for repair or replacement when you return the item(s). If materials checked out to you are damaged but can be repaired and returned to circulation, the library will charge you $0.50 and repair them. For materials that are lost or damaged beyond repair and need to be replaced, the library will charge you the replacement price plus a $1.00 processing fee. For items missing from backpacks and story kits, a grace period of two (2) weeks will be given to locate the missing item(s). (However, if the item is in high demand, the librarians may use their discretion on this time frame.) After that time, the patron will be charged for each missing item. If a patron plans to purchase a replacement item, the library must be contacted so that the librarians don’t also purchase a replacement, thus causing duplicates. Also, the replacement must be equal to the lost item (i.e., a paperback does not equal a hardback).
Replacement Charges: The fees for lost, damaged or missing library materials are as follows: Bag or cassette case: $2.00 CD/DVD case: $2.00 Barcode labels: $1.00 Book, CD, Cassette, DVD, or Video: Replacement cost plus $1.00 processing fee Kit/Backpack items: Varies (depending on what is damaged/missing)
Over-due Accounts: No materials will be checked out to patrons having seriously overdue materials or accumulated fines of $10.00 or greater. Parents/Guardians are responsible for any fines or unreturned materials that their children incur on the family account (high school students have their own accounts during the school year). Once fines reach $10.00, no other library materials can be checked out until all materials are returned, and the fine is paid in full.
Interlibrary Loans: We are happy to Interlibrary Loan materials if our library does not have an item that fills your needs. In our nonfiction collection, we may not have the exact book you may want for your research, but we may have something similar. We encourage you to explore our resources before using Interlibrary Loans.
Patrons of Sugar-Salem Community Library will be allowed up to 3 Inter-Library Loans per account per quarter and must fill out an Inter-Library Loan form (which can be obtained from the librarian). Patrons will be charged $0.25 per book per day for books returned after the assigned due date. Patrons will also be charged for any damage done to the ILL book while it is in their possession, or the cost of replacement should they lose it.
Thank you for choosing our library!