Circulation of Library Materials Policy
ELIGIBLE BORROWERS
Every resident of Canton who has a valid Canton Public Library borrower card in good standing may borrow items from this library’s collection.
In addition, under the borrowIT CT reciprocal borrowing system, any resident of Connecticut who presents a valid borrower card in good standing from his or her hometown public library may borrow items from this library’s collection.
ACCESS TO COLLECTIONS
The library staff and trustees are charged with the responsibility of providing free and equal access to library materials and services to all people. Moreover, it is impossible for them to know or predict the opinions of parents and guardians regarding the specific borrowing selections made by minor children. Therefore, it is the policy of the Canton Public Library that parents and guardians, not the library staff or trustees, are responsible for monitoring and approving the selection of materials made by minor children. It is the parents or guardians – and only these – who may restrict their children – and only their children – from borrowing specific library materials. Parents or guardians who wish their children not to have access to certain materials should inform or accompany their children. The library staff and trustees cannot and do not act in loco parentis.
The library may impose age requirements on the eligibility to borrow particular items, but these restrictions will be based on a reasonable concern. For example, only those persons whose library cards are listed in the borrower records as Adult or Senior may borrow cultural site passes or video games due to the high cost of replacing a lost or damaged item.
LOAN PERIODS
Items in the library collection may be borrowed for the following loan periods:
In-house use: Newspapers, latest issues of magazines, reference materials
3 day loan: Admission passes to museums and cultural sites
7 day loan: Quick Read books, videos, video games
14 day loan: New adult fiction books
21 day loan: All other items
In order to satisfy the occasional, non-recurring needs of borrowers, the Library Director or his/her designee may make exceptions to the above-cited loan periods for reasonable purposes.
Borrowers are responsible for returning borrowed items on or before the due dates noted on their printed check-out receipts and on the online patron record, accessible via the library catalog. Returns may be made in person, through the book drops, or at any Connecticut public library participating in the deliverIT CT program.
QUANTITY LIMITATIONS
Borrowing privileges are unlimited except for Quick Read books (one per card) and admission passes to museums and cultural sites (one per site per family to a maximum of two passes borrowed at the same time). The Library Director may institute additional quantity limitations at his/her discretion during periods of high demand in order to maintain fair access to the collection for all patrons.
RENEWALS
Most materials may be renewed twice. Renewals can be made in person, by telephone, or online through the library catalog. Items on hold for other patrons, admission passes to museums and cultural sites, and Quick Read books cannot be renewed. Items obtained through the interlibrary loan system may or may not be renewable, depending on the owning library’s policies.
RESERVES/HOLDS
With the exception of Quick Read books, any circulating item in the collection may be reserved/placed on hold. Admission passes to museums and cultural sites may be reserved up to three (3) months in advance of the date of borrowing.
Reserves/holds can be placed in person, by telephone, or online through the library catalog. The library staff will notify the requesting borrower when the item becomes available. Most reserved items will be held for four (4) business days following the day of notification. Admission passes to museums and cultural sites will be held for twenty-four (24) hours. Reserved items not picked up by the end of their hold periods will be given to the next requesting borrower or, if no more reserves exist, reshelved.
Items cannot be reserved for specific dates, except for admission passes to museums and cultural sites.
To ensure fairness of access to all borrowers, the library reserves the right to limit the number of times the same family may reserve the same admission pass during periods of high demand.
Connecticut General Statutes Section 11-25 protects the confidentiality of library borrowing records. Messages that connect a specific borrower with a specific title and that must be delivered through another person, an answering machine, an email message, or any other form of communication are forbidden. Specific titles reserved or borrowed by a minor may be identified to the minor’s parent or legal guardian.
OVERDUE FINES
As of April 1, 2021, overdue fines will not be charged for most library materials. The exception to this is Museum Passes, which will accrue a late fee of $5/day.
As a courtesy, a “Nearly Due” notice is emailed to patrons two days in advance of an item’s due date. Overdue notices are sent via email on the following schedule:
1st notice: 7 days past due date
2nd notice: 14 days past due date
Bill: Replacement charges levied at 21 days past due date
If an overdue item is billed to a patron’s record, that patron’s borrowing privileges will be suspended until that item is returned or replacement charges paid.
A failure to receive a “Nearly Due” or “Overdue” notice does not exempt a patron from applicable bills or fines. If a patron does not have an email address listed on their account, they will not receive “Nearly Due,” “1st notice” or “2nd notice” notifications, but will receive a bill for replacement charges via US mail if applicable. Per consortium policy, a borrower will have his/her borrowing privileges suspended whenever he/she owes ten dollars ($10.00) or more in overdue fines and/or replacement charges to the Canton Public Library or any other library in the Library Connection network.
REPLACEMENT CHARGES
If a collection item is lost or damaged beyond repair, the borrower will be charged to replace the item. The replacement charge for a lost or damaged item will be either the retail cost of the item or the minimum replacement charge established by the library for that format of item, whichever is higher.
Extra time will be given to a borrower to locate and return a lost collection item. However, once payment for the lost item has been made, no refund will be issued.
In lieu of paying replacement charges for a lost or damaged item, with prior approval of the Library Director or his/her designee the borrower may provide a replacement copy of a lost item. All replacement items will also be charged a $7 processing fee.
Overdue fines will not be added to the replacement charge when a lost or damaged item is paid for.
AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT
The library owns a collection of audiovisual equipment. Additional pieces are acquired from time to time. This equipment is intended for use in library programs.
Subject to library needs, pieces may be loaned to other Town of Canton departments for use in their programs or for their occasional needs. Library equipment may be loaned for the day, or for overnight when needed for evening events, and may only be used within the Library/Community Center building. In extenuating circumstances, longer loan periods or off-site use will be considered by the Library Director. The borrowing department assumes financial responsibility for any damage or loss while the equipment is in its care, and the department head or designee who borrows a piece of library equipment will be required to sign a form accepting such responsibility.
Except with the prior approval of the Library Director, the library’s audiovisual equipment may not be loaned to outside groups or to the public.
Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees October 14, 2009
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees April 14, 2010
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, March 16, 2011
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, February 8, 2012
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, March 14, 2012
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, June 13, 2012
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, February 10, 2016
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, September 12, 2018
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, January 8, 2020
Revised by the Library Board of Trustees, March 10, 2021