Anderson County Library Board Circulation Policy

Registration requirements

A library card is required of each patron checking out library materials from any of the four Anderson County libraries. Each library has separate cards for each patron.

Identification (photo ID), phone number and proof of residency showing a current mailing address is required.

The original library card is free and available to all Tennessee residents who meet the requirements; however, there will be a $1.00 fee for each replacement card that has been lost, damaged, or stolen. A photo ID must be presented to obtain a replacement card.

There is no minimum age requirement, however juveniles under the age of 18 need a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission and signature to obtain a library card. Parents/legal guardians are responsible for materials checked out on their juvenile’s card.

Patron accounts will be renewed every 3 years.

Borrowing Policy

Library cards (or photo ID) must be presented to check out any library material.

Anyone under the age of 18 may check out only G-rated movies, in compliance with Tennessee Code Annotated 39-17-911. To check out movies with ratings above G anyone under the age of 18 needs a parent’s or legal guardian’s permission and signature with each checkout.

Borrowing privileges will be suspended when material is listed as 30 days overdue or fines have reached a total of $5.00 for any and all cards held under a patron’s signature. Borrowing privileges will be restored once material is accounted for and the fine balance is below $5.00.

The cardholder is responsible for any material checked out on their card, including lost, damaged, and/or stolen material.

Loan Period

Books, magazines, audiobooks – 14 days

DVDs and videos– 7 days

First time borrowers are limited to two items.

Borrowing Maximums

Books –individual library determines

DVDs and videos– 3

Reserves

Reserves may be placed on material that is currently checked out.

Reserves will be held for three days. When the customer is notified that their reserve is available, they will also be told the date which the book will be returned to the shelf or given to the next person on the reserve list.

To maintain confidentiality and protect the privacy of our customers, only the customer who has reserved an item will be told the title of the item. The title may not be left on an answering machine.

Interlibrary Loans

Material not available in the library may be requested through Inter-library loan.

Renewals are at the discretion of the lending library.

Renewals

Items may be renewed twice.

 Items on reserve for someone else may not be renewed.

 Extended renewals will be at the discretion of the Library Director.

Fines and Fees

 A daily fine will be charged for each item that is overdue.

 Books, magazines, audiobooks – .10 per item, per day

 DVDs and videos – $1.00 per item, per day

Maximum overdue fines are $10.00 per item.

Fines will not exceed the cost of the item if cost of the item is under $10.00.

Lost and damaged material

 The charge for lost material or material that is too damaged to be repaired will be the cost of the item.

 The library is not responsible for personal equipment damaged by library materials.

(Patrons under the age of 18 may only check out DVDs that have been designated by the library as “Juvenile” DVDs.  Parental consent is required for juveniles to check out all other DVDs.)

Juvenile Video Permission Form

I, _________________________________________________, the parent

or legal guardian of_____________________________________________

do hereby give my permission for the following movies to be checked out.

                             Movie Title                                         Rating

1. ____________________________________    _________

2. ____________________________________ _________

3. ____________________________________ _________

__________________________________________

parent or guardian signature

_________________________

date

Adopted by Anderson County Library Board June 16, 2011

Anderson County Library Board Internet Access Policy

Introduction

In response to advances in technology and the changing needs of the community, the Anderson County Libraries inform, educate, culturally enrich and entertain the citizens of Anderson County, Tennessee. It is within this context that the Anderson County Libraries offer free access to the Internet.

Internet access is available during the Library’s regular hours of operation.  Periodic maintenance or technical difficulties may arise that may cause computer access to be temporarily unavailable.

The accuracy or availability of the information from the web cannot be guaranteed and the Anderson County Libraries cannot be held responsible for the validity of the information gained or the suitability of material that may be encountered.

In compliance with the Children’s Internet Protection Act and Tennessee Code Annotated 39-17-911, the Anderson County Libraries have installed and enforced the operation of filtering software that attempts to limit the incidence of chance encounters with inappropriate websites.  No filtering software is 100% effective.

Library staff will provide help on basic computer use as time permits, but will not provide extensive personal, in-depth training or instruction. Library staff may not be available for computer help at all times.

Confidentiality

Library staff will respect the patron’s confidentiality.  However, since computer screens are visible to others, the library cannot guarantee privacy or confidentiality.  Some material is inappropriate for display in a public setting.  Library staff reserves the right to monitor the use of computer workstations to ensure compliance with this policy.

Internet Use Agreement

It is the responsibility of the patron to read, understand, and accept the guidelines for using the Internet as stated in the Library’s Internet Use Agreement.

• Adults may need to show a valid driver’s license or valid library card and sign the Internet Use Agreement to access Library computers and/or the Internet.  Patrons must use their own identification for computer access
• Children and students under eighteen (18) years of age must have a parent or legal guardian present to read and sign the Internet Use Agreement at all Anderson County Libraries. Parents of minors must assume responsibility for their children’s use of or exposure to content accessed on the Library’s computers.
• The computers are available for patron use on a first come, first serve basis.
• The patron agrees to limit his or her session to thirty (30) minutes if other patrons are waiting.  There is a one (1) hour maximum use per day. Use of equipment must be completed within 15 minutes of closing time and Library staff reserve the right to shut down any computers after this time. Reservations for computer use are not permitted.
• The patron may not view sites that are inappropriate for display in a public setting.
• While using the Library’s computers, the patron is not permitted to:
  • Install software or hardware; alter the computer’s configuration; install or download information onto the hard drive
  • Attempt access to the Library’s network system
  • Apply unnecessary force to the computer or its parts
  • Alter software configuration on the desktop
  • Use the Library computer for illegal or criminal purposes
  • Use computer equipment to violate copyright or software licensing agreements; attempt to gain unauthorized access to other computers or computer systems; or in any other way which violates other applicable law
  • Attempt to change, circumvent, disable or otherwise defeat the correct operation of the filtering software
  • Display any material that is harmful to minors pursuant to Tennessee Code Annotated 39-17-911.
• Failure to comply with the Library’s Internet Use Policy and other Library restrictions and rules may result in loss of computer use privileges. Illegal acts involving Library computing resources may also be subject to prosecution by local, state, or federal authorities

Material may be printed at price per page rate.  Material may also be downloaded onto floppy disk(s) and/or USB flash drive(s) if provided by the patron.

The Library reserves the right to update and change this policy at any time without notice.

The above stated policy and procedures have been approved by the Anderson County Library Board.

Child Safety Policy

Anderson County Public Libraries welcome all children to its libraries.  We care for the safety and well-being of all children and strive to provide a safe environment for them; however, library staff cannot be responsible for or supervise unattended children.  To ensure the safety of your child and maintain a positive environment for all library users, please observe the following rules:

• Children 10 and under may not be left unattended in the library.  They must be accompanied by an adult.
• If a child under the age of 11 comes to the library without proper adult  supervision, attempts will be made to contact the parents.  If the parents or caregivers cannot be contacted within 30 minutes, staff will contact the police.
• Librarians, staff, and volunteers are not responsible for children who are unattended.
• Children over the age of 10 may be left unattended if they work quietly and follow library rules.  If the child’s behavior becomes disruptive, you may be asked to limit their time left alone in the library, or you may be asked to pick up your child.
• We suggest that your child has some form of identification including his/her telephone number.
• Children attending programs are supervised by library staff only during the scheduled time of the program.  They must be supervised before and after programs by an adult