Borrowing

POLICY:

The Council Bluffs Public Library seeks to enrich, empower and inform the community through the circulation of materials to library cardholders. The Borrowing Policy establishes the loan and access length of library materials, fines and fees related to overdue, lost or damaged materials, and other circulation services.

PROCEDURES:

• To check out library materials, a patron must present a photo ID, a valid Council Bluffs Public Library card or have a LIT: Student Account.
• An account holder is responsible for:
  • All use made on the account
  • All charges incurred through the use of the  account
  • Reporting a loss or theft of the account holder’s card to the library as well as all use of the  account until the loss or theft is reported
• Most library materials are checked out for 21 days and may be renewed twice, if no reserves have been placed on the item by other library patrons. Patrons can renew items via the website, telephone, in person or at library self-checkout machines. A full listing of loan periods per item type are updated and posted on the library’s website.
• An overall limit of 75 items may be checked out on a library card at any given time. A full listing of specific item type limits per library card are updated and posted on the library’s website.
• Checkout limits may vary depending upon patron account type:
  • A checkout limit of 4 items at any given time is assigned to Temporary Housing cardholders during the duration of their stay in transitional, emergency, correctional, temporary or half-way housing
  • A checkout limit of 4 items total is assigned to Unverified juvenile accounts in which a patron under 18 is not accompanied by a guardian and does not have valid identification present
  • A checkout limit of 4 physical items (books, audiobooks, DVDs, and CDs) is assigned to LIT Student Accounts.
• Patrons will be mailed a final notice for the replacement cost of items 2 months overdue in accordance with Iowa Code Section 714.5 and the City of Council Bluffs Municipal Code 8.21.045. An additional $5.00 processing fee will be added per item, which is nonrefundable 6 months past the due date of the materials.
  • Exceptions can be made in regards to certain patron account types.
• To ensure condition and accuracy of the replacement of materials, the library will not accept patron-supplied replacement copies in lieu of payment.
• Borrowing privileges are suspended when library fines or other charges on an account reach $25.00.
• The library may offer alternative payment plans or programs for fines and fees payment with the right to limit or suspend participation of an individual or group at any time without notice. Reasonable accommodation will be made to reinstate library account privileges.
• The library reserves the right to limit or suspend borrowing privileges based upon the state of returned materials, if an item is believed it could lead to infestation or contain other biological hazards.
• For materials not owned by the library, items can be requested and ordered to add to the collection or borrowed through another library in accordance with the Interlibrary Loan policy.
• Nontraditional items obtained in agreement with the Library Collection Management Policy 2.1 that are a part of the library’s collection will adhere to the borrowing procedure as outlined in the Borrowing Policy.

Adopted: November 19, 2003

Amended & Reapproved: July, 20, 2005; June 20, 2007; June 17, 2009; November 16, 2012; April 16, 2014; August 20, 2014; June 21, 2017; March 31, 2018; November 14, 2018; July 21, 2021; December 21, 2022