A loan period is the amount of time the Library allows an item to be checked out by a borrower. Loan periods give borrowers a reasonable amount of time to use library materials while also providing for their timely return and use by other customers.

A loan limit is the maximum number of library items, or items in a specific category, a borrower may have checked out. Loan limits are designed to maximize customer access to finite materials on popular topics or in high-demand areas.

Loan Periods

Library materials from the following collections may be borrowed for 14 days:

• adult fiction and nonfiction
• magazines
• all children’s materials
• nonfiction videos
• music CDs
• audiobooks

 Library materials from the following collections, which are in high demand, may be borrowed for a shorter loan period:

• DVDs
• videocassette recordings

 If a customer needs additional time using an item, materials from most of the categories listed above are eligible for a renewal.

Teacher Book Bags: Teachers or individuals who work with children may borrow children’s books in a book bag quantity for classroom use.  These “teacher book bags” are loaned for a period of 6 weeks.

In the case of materials that are lent via the online requesting system, the Library follows, with a few exceptions, the Minerva consortium’s guidelines for online requesting.

Loan Limits

The library encourages customers not to borrow materials in numbers beyond those they can reasonably expect to use during the established loan period.

To maximize access to materials available on a given topic, borrowers are asked to limit their selection of nonfiction materials to a maximum of 3 items on any one subject. 

In addition, based upon current demand (i.e., for school assignment topics, science fair projects, or holiday materials), the library reserves the right to set additional, temporary limits on the number of materials that may be borrowed on a given subject or theme.

To maximize availability for customers, the Library also limits the number of items that may be checked out at one time in some high-demand material types (such as audio books or DVDs). Additional loan limits for these materials beyond those on the schedule may be imposed for first time library users until their residency information can be validated.

Borrowers may check out multiple copies of the same title at the same time. 

Exceptions to the established loan limits may be made in some cases if circumstances warrant.

“Library Use Only” Materials

The following materials are for use within the Library building only and may not be checked out:

• reference and ready reference materials
• genealogy and local history materials
• newspapers
• the latest issue of a magazine title