CIRCULATION POLICIES & PROCEDURES
A. FORM OF I.D. REQUIRED FOR BORROWING PRIVILEGES
Ø Students: Student I.D. updated for current semester
Ø Staff: Current staff I.D. card or library barcode
Ø Alumni: Alumni card with library barcode
Ø Retired faculty: Library barcode
Ø LMxAC library borrowers: Current, valid library card from any LMxAC library. The library card must belong to the person using it. Additional ID may be requested in order to prove that the card belongs to the user. For more information on reciprocal borrowing, see the LMxAC Reciprocal Borrowing Procedures in Appendix below.
B. LENDING POLICIES
Circulation Period
Ø All library material except DVDs and interlibrary loans:
· Students, alumni, LMxAC Library Borrowers: 2 weeks
· Staff, Retired faculty: 110 days
Ø DVDs:
· Students, staff, alumni, retired faculty: 7 days
· LMxAC library borrowers: DVDs cannot be borrowed.
Ø Interlibrary loans:
· All MCC borrowers: Varies depending on policies of owning library; due date will be stamped on ILL slip when item is processed by ILL Dept.
Renewals (All Borrowers)
Ø All library material except DVDs and interlibrary loans: 2 renewals
Ø DVDs: No renewals
Ø Interlibrary loans: Renewals are only granted with the approval of the owning library. Borrowers should request renewal before the due date so their request can be passed on to owning library for approval.
Ø All borrowers are encouraged renew items remotely using the “My Account” feature of iBistro
Maximum Number of Items Borrowed
Ø All library material except DVDs and interlibrary loans:
· Students & alumni: up to 5 items
· Staff & retired faculty: up to 20 items. Staff members are not permitted to leave the library with material that has not been properly charged out.
· LMxAC library borrowers: up to 5 items when borrowed in person
Ø DVDs:
· Students, staff, alumni & retired faculty: 2 items
· LMxAC library borrowers: DVDs cannot be borrowed.
Ø Interlibrary loans: up to 10 items
Overdue Notices
Ø All library material except DVDs and interlibrary loans:
· Notices 30 days and 45 days after due date
Ø DVDs:
· Notices 1 day, 5 days, and 14 days after due date
Ø Interlibrary loans: Notices are sent directly from ILL department.
Late Fees
Ø All library material except DVDs, interlibrary loans, and reserves:
· Students, alumni, LMxAC borrowers: $.20 per day up to $10.00
Ø DVDs and interlibrary loans:
· Students & alumni: $.50 per day up to $10.00
Ø Reserve material:
· Students & alumni: $3.00 immediately ($5.00 immediately for high-demand items), then $.50 per day up to $10.00
Blocks on Borrowing
Patrons who accrue fines of $2.00 or more will not be permitted to borrow library materials until they clear their fines.
Blocks on Student Records in COLLEAGUE
Students who accrue fines of $10.00 or more will have their student records blocked in COLLEAGUE.
Holds in Sirsi
Patrons can place holds on items that are charged out or located at other LMxAC libraries, provided that the owning libraries permit the items to be borrowed. Patrons are encouraged to place holds themselves using the “My Account” feature of the library’s iBistro catalog, but holds can also be placed by Library staff through the Workflows staff interface.
Recall policy
Circulated items are subject to recall from any patron at the discretion of the library.
C. LOST OR DAMAGED MATERIALS
Billing and payment for lost MCC library materials
- Patrons will be billed for the replacement cost of the item plus a $20.00 processing fee. If the replacement cost of an item cannot be determined, a default replacement cost of $45.00 will be applied. For photocopied reserve materials, a default replacement cost of $30.00 will be applied. Two copies of the bill are printed out and provided to the patron at the circulation desk.
- Patrons must take the two copies of their bill to the MCC Cashier’s office in Chambers Hall for payment. Upon payment, the Cashier will keep one copy of the bill and stamp the other as paid. The stamped copy is returned to the patron as proof of payment.
- Patrons must return to the library with their bill stamped “paid” to have their library records cleared. Library staff will enter the payment information into the system.
- Any blocks on patron records that were placed in COLLEAGUE as a result of the library fine should be removed upon payment of that fine. This is typically done in the Cashier’s office. However, it may also be done in the library when the library staff members who are specifically authorized to clear student records in COLLEAGUE are available.
- The title and item number for each lost book should be given to the Technical Services Librarian for deletion from the catalog and possible replacement.
Billing and payment for lost materials owned by other LMxAC libraries:
Lost items owned by other LMxAC libraries that were checked out at MCC through reciprocal borrowing can be paid for at either MCC or the owning library. If the patron chooses to pay at MCC, only a check made out to the owning library will be accepted. Patrons will be charged the replacement cost of the item plus any processing fee charged by the owning library. Once the check for the full amount is received, the fine can be cleared in Sirsi and the check should be sent to the owning library along with a printout of the transaction.
Refunds for returned material
Refunds will be given for the cost of items that have been returned after having been declared lost and paid for. The college will not refund the $20.00 processing fee. All refunds will be made through the College Cashier using the College refund procedure, which requires a memo from the library director. MCC will not provide refunds for items owned by other LMxAC libraries.
D. RESERVE MATERIALS
1. In order to use reserve materials, students must present a current, valid college ID. No other form of identification or collateral will be accepted.
2. Each reserve item will be accompanied by a slip that includes the title of the item and the name of the instructor responsible for placing it on reserve. Students who wish to use the item must record on this slip the date and time the item was taken from the Circulation Desk. The student’s ID or library barcode will be clipped to this slip and kept behind the Circulation Desk while the item is in use.
3. Reserve items may be used only within the building for one hour. They may be renewed two times, an hour each time, for a total of three hours.
4. When a reserve item is returned, the user must indicate the time of its return on the slip. His or her student ID or library barcode will then be returned.
5. Any instance in which non-circulating reserves are removed from the building will be considered theft. See the above sections of this document on late fees (Section B) and lost materials (Section C) for how to treat overdue or lost reserve items.
Patron Privacy Note:
The Library’s policy on patron privacy (described below in Section F) fully applies to reserve material, even if the material is the property of a faculty member and not the library. The identity of a patron who uses a faculty member’s personal material on reserve may not be revealed even to that faculty member.
E. STAFF COPYING PRIVILEGES
Faculty and staff may use the fax machine and copier near the departmental assistant’s office for copies of library material. Faculty and staff members who wish to photocopy a large amount of non library material will be directed to the Copy Center.
F. PATRON PRIVACY
The confidentiality of library borrowing records and other information relating to personal use of library services will be maintained at all times. Items currently or previously on loan to a patron (including reserve materials, whether they are owned by the library or a faculty member) may only be discussed with that patron, and may not, under any circumstances, be revealed to others.
G. VANDALISM OF LIBRARY MATERIAL
Any act of vandalism is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will be treated by the library staff as equivalent to theft. The Library and Media Center Patron Theft Procedures will apply in all cases. Fees equivalent to those for lost books (replacement cost of item plus a $20.00 processing fee) will be charged in all cases of vandalism, regardless whether damage inflicted on the material is sufficient to force its removal from the collection.
Last modified: 4/6/10
APPENDIX: LMXAC RECIPROCAL BORROWING PROCEDURES
· Each LMxAC library will lend materials to library cardholders of other Consortia member libraries. Cardholders must be in good standing in all LMxAC libraries. Determining the status of a patron is the responsibility of the lending library. Access to patron status is available online and the lending library may call the home library to confirm the current status as the library’s practice and policy dictates.
· Each library may make its own decisions concerning what materials it will reserve and/or lend. Each library defines its loan periods and overdue fines, but circulation rules, such as loan periods and fines, at the charging library will prevail.
· Each library, lending and home, may reserve the right to refuse loaning privileges to a patron.
· Borrowers may return materials to any LMxAC member library. That library will retain overdue fines received.
· Borrowers may pay for lost or damaged items at the lending library at any time. Checks should be made out to the owning library and damaged or lost items are charged the replacement cost of the owning library, plus any processing fee that may be assessed by the owning library. There will be a “no refund” policy for items belonging to another library.
· Damaged items may be sent to the owning library for damage assessment by the owning library. Lending library staff may contact the owning library to determine how the library wants to handle the replacement or payment. The lending library should use the Mark Item Lost wizard to mark the item lost before returning the item to the owning library. This will add fines and lost charges to the item and will prevent the item from being eligible to fill holds during this period.
· In the case of materials which the customer says he has returned but are still on his borrowing record and cannot be found on the library's shelves, the decision to mark the item as 'Claims Returned' will be made by the owning library. The lending library may contact the owning library and work with them on a case-by-case basis.
· The individual borrower is responsible for payment of bills for unreturned or damaged materials. Unpaid bills will not be sent to the borrower’s home library and lending libraries will follow their regular procedures to receive payment for these materials.
Submitted by Circulation Protocols Committee