Library Policies
Arlington Public Library
Policy on Confidentiality of Library Records
Purpose: To protect all library records which identify library users and their personal information.
The Arlington Public Library Board of Trustees agrees with the Council of the American Library Association, which strongly recommends that the responsible officers of each library, cooperative system and consortium in the United States shall adopt a policy on Confidentiality of Library records.
Therefore:
- The Arlington Public Library Board of Trustees specifically recognizes its circulation records and other records identifying the names of library users to be confidential. (See also ALA Code of Ethics, Article III, “We protect each library user’s right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted” and Privacy: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights.)
- All such records shall not be made available to any agency of state, federal, or local government except pursuant to such process, order, or subpoena as may be authorized under the authority of, and pursuant to, federal, state, or local law relating to civil, criminal or administrative discovery procedures or legislative investigative power.
- The Arlington Public Library Board of Trustees shall resist the issuance of enforcement of any such process, order, or subpoena until such time as a proper showing of good cause has been made in a court of competent jurisdiction. Upon receipt of such process, order, or subpoena, the library’s officers will consult with their legal counsel to determine if such process, order, or subpoena is in proper form and if there is a showing of good cause for its issuance. If the process, order, or subpoena is not in proper form or if good cause has not been shown, they will insist that such defects be cured.
Effective Date: 9/24/2020
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Arlington Public Library
Circulation Policy
PURPOSE
The circulation policies of the Arlington Public Library exist to facilitate community access to the materials and information contained in the Library’s collections.
LIBRARY CARDS
In order to borrow materials from the Arlington Public Library, library users must register for a library card. Cards are issued free of charge to Arlington residents and residents of Gilliam County.
When applying for a library card, applicants must show photo identification with a valid Oregon driver’s license or Oregon Identification card issued by the Oregon DMV with photo and current residential address within the City of Arlington or within the Arlington School District (the north end of Gilliam County).
Identification with a motel or hotel address is not considered valid.
For applicants under the age of sixteen (16), a parent or legal guardian must be present and have a current library card from Arlington Public Library. All address verification information then becomes the guardian’s responsibility. Parents or guardians will also be responsible for all items checked out on their children’s cards if the child/children have obtained the card before age 16.
LOAN PERIODS AND LIMITS
The following loan periods and limits have been established to provide library patrons with an adequate amount of time to both use the library materials and return them in a reasonable amount of time for the other library patrons.
LOAN LIMITS:
New patrons have a checkout limit of two items for the first six months then at the discretion of the library staff the limits may be increased to four or more items.
LOAN PERIODS: The majority of items within the library’s collection may be borrowed for 21 days. If the due date falls on a holiday when the library is closed, the loan period will be extended until the next day that the library is open.
RENEWALS: There is no limit of renewals for most items, unless the item is reserved for another library user or the item has been borrowed from another library. Interlibrary loan renewals are at the discretion of the owning library.
NON-CIRCULATION ITEMS: Books or materials that have been designated for reference use; do not circulate and are only to be used within the library.
RETURN OF ITEMS: All items must be return to the Arlington Public Library, either within the library during open hours or via the 24-hour book drop located by the front door of the Arlington Public Library.
FINES AND FEES
OVERDUE MATERIALS: Arlington Public Library does not charge a fine for overdue books. However, the library staff encourages patrons to return items by the designated return date in order to make them available to all library patrons.
DAMAGED ITEMS: Charges will be assessed for lost and damaged materials to encourage library patrons to take proper care of public property. Charges will be determined by the library director upon return of the item.
REPLACEMENT COST: In those instances when an item has been lost or damaged severely enough to require replacement (such as a missing page, markings made with a pen, damaged by liquid or pets, or original accompanying material lost, missing or damaged audio books in a set), the library patron will be charged for the current replacement cost of the item. Charges and replacements will be determined by the library director.
OVERDUE NOTICES: In order to remind library users that they have outstanding overdue items, three notices will be sent out; the first notice after items are 7 days overdue, the second notice after 14 days and the final notice after 21 days overdue. These notices will be sent through the US Postal Service unless an email address is provided by the patrons.
PAYMENT OF FINES: The library will accept the following forms of payment for fines accrued:
- Cash
- Personal check made out to the “Arlington Public Library” on a check drawn on a local bank with proper ID and for the exact amount of the fines.
REFUNDS: If a library patron located an item after he or she has paid for it, a refund will be issued only if the item has not already been replaced. Library patrons who request a refund must provide the receipt that was issued by the Library at the time payment was tendered.
DENIAL OF BORROWING PRIVILEGES:
The ensure that no library patron accrues excessively high fines, library patrons may have their borrowing privileges denied when they have one item that is overdue by 28 days or when their fines exceed $5.00. A library patron may also have borrowing privileges denied when the library has reason to believe that the patron has changed addresses; in this case, the library patron must present current acceptable identification before being permitted to check out any more materials.
RESPONSIBILITY
Library patrons are responsible for all materials checked out on their card or on the cards of children for whom they have assumed responsibility. If library patrons allow others to checkout materials on their card, those materials are still the responsibility of the card owner. Lost cards should be reported immediately; library users are responsible for all materials checked out on their card up to the time that they reported the card as lost.
Adopted 08/18/2020
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Arlington Public Library
Materials Selection / Collection Development Policy
Objectives
The purpose of the Arlington Public Library is to provide all individuals in the community with carefully selected books and other materials to aid the individual in the pursuit of education, information, research, pleasure and the creative use of leisure time.
Because of the volume of publishing, as well as the limitations of budget and space, the library must have a selection policy with which to meet community interests and needs.
The materials selection / collection development policy is used by the library staff in the selection of materials and also serves to acquaint the general public with the principles of selection.
The Library Bill of Rights and The Freedom to Read Statement have been endorsed by the Arlington Public Library Board of Trustees and are integral parts of the policy.
Responsibility for Selection
The ultimate responsibility for selection of library materials rests with the library director who operates within the framework of the policies determined by the Arlington Public Library Board of Trustees. This responsibility may be shared with other members of the library staff; however, because the director must be available to answer to the library board and the general public for actual selections made, the director has the authority to reject or select any item contrary to the recommendations of the staff.
Criteria for Selection
The main points considered in the selection of materials are:
- individual merit of each item
- popular appeal / demand
- suitability of material for the clientele
- existing library holdings
- budget
Reviews are a major source of information about new materials. However, the lack of a review or an unfavorable review shall not be the sole reason for rejecting a title which is in demand. Consideration is,
therefore, given to requests from library patrons and books discussed on public media. Materials are judged on the basis of the work as a whole, not on a part taken out of context.
Interlibrary Loan
Due to limited budget and space, the library cannot provide all materials that are requested. Therefore, interlibrary loan is used to obtain from other libraries those materials that are beyond the scope of this library’s collection.
In return for utilizing interlibrary loan to satisfy the needs of our patrons, the Arlington Public Library agrees to lend its materials to other libraries through the same interlibrary loan network, and to make an effort to have its current holdings listed in a tool that is accessible by other libraries throughout the state.
Gifts and Donations
The library accepts gifts of books and other materials with the understanding that they will be added to the collection only if appropriate and needed. If they are not needed because of duplication, condition or dated information, the director can dispose of them as he/she sees fit. The same criteria of selection which are applied to purchased materials are applied to gifts. Memorial gifts of books or money are also accepted with suitable bookplates placed in the book. Specific memorial books can be ordered for the library on request of a patron if the request meets the criteria established by the Board. It is desirable for gifts of or for specific titles to be offered after consultation with the library director. Book selection will be made by the director if no specific book is requested. Arlington Public Library encourages and appreciates gifts and donations.
By law, the library is not allowed to appraise the value of donated materials, though it can provide an acknowledgment of receipt of the item if requested by the donor.
Weeding
An up-to-date, attractive and useful collection is maintained through a continual withdrawal and replacement process. Replacement of worn volumes is dependent upon current demand, usefulness, more recent acquisitions and availability of newer editions. This ongoing process of weeding is the responsibility of the library director and is authorized by the Board of Trustees. Withdrawn materials will be handled in s similar manner and under the same authority as donated materials.
Potential Problems or Challenges
The Arlington Public Library recognizes that some materials are controversial and that any given item may offend some patrons. Selection of materials will not be made on the basis of anticipated approval or disapproval, but solely on the basis of the principles stated in the policy.
Responsibility for the reading of children rests with their parents or legal guardians. Selection of library materials will not be inhibited by the possibility that materials may come into the possession of children.
Library materials will not be marked or identified to show approval or disapproval of their contents and no library material will be sequestered except to protect it from damage or theft.
Challenged Materials
Although materials are carefully selected, there can arise differences of opinion regarding suitable materials. Patrons requesting that material be withdrawn from or restricted within the collections may complete a “Statement of Concern About Library Resources” form which is available in the library. The inquiry will be placed on the agenda of the next regular meeting of the Arlington Public Library Board of Trustees.
Adopted 9-24-2020
Please inquire within the library for additional policies.