User Policy

CHARLESTOWN-CLARK COUNTY PUBLIC LIBRARY USER POLICY

updated 6/2012, updated 2/2019, updated 8/2023

GENERAL MISSION STATEMENT

The mission of the Charlestown-Clark County Libraries shall be:

1. To assemble, preserve, and administer electronically accessible, educational, and recreational collections in facilities that are convenient to daily life patterns of our constituents and are accessible to all in the most user friendly way.
2. To serve as a community access center for timely and reliable information.
3. To provide a place where inquiring minds may encounter the original, sometimes unorthodox and critical ideas so necessary as stimulants in a society that depends, for its survival, on free competition of ideas.
4. To support the inter-connectivity of educational, business, civic, and cultural activities of the communities.
5. To provide opportunity and encouragement for children, young people, and adults to participate in life long learning with sensitivity to anyone with special needs.
6. To seek to continually identify community needs to provide educational opportunities and programs to meet such needs and to cooperate with other organizations, agencies, and institutions that can provide opportunities, programs, and services to meet community needs.
7. To provide competent, well-trained, courteous, community minded staff to be the gatekeepers to the many information opportunities the library has, to access information within the local system, and throughout the library and information network.
8. To work within the financial resources of the library to achieve the library's mission and goals.

The public library system in northern Clark County, Indiana, is currently composed of three small and two medium sized libraries, and a bookmobile.  There is another urban township library in the county.  The philosophy of the Library Board and therefore the staff is to serve our suburban and rural communities with permanent community-focused library facilities that are situated within the patterns of our constituents' everyday activities.  A small community based library can provide the most popular reading materials to a wide variety of constituents and can also be an entry point into a sophisticated information system through electronic links to union catalogs, databases, indices, and interlibrary loan throughout the world.

ELIGIBLE LIBRARY USERS

The Charlestown-Clark County Libraries welcome any individual into the library facilities.  In order to obtain a library card and borrow materials and use other services, an individual shall:

• Be a resident, business, or property owner in Clark County, Indiana, outside Jeffersonville Township
• Be a resident of any library district that has signed the Indiana Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement and have a valid library card from his/her home district.  Except Jeffersonville Township because of an individual agreement to honor residents of either district.
• Be an Indiana non-county resident with a valid Public Library Access Card (PLAC) 
• Be an Indiana non-county resident who pays an annual fee based on per capita costs
• Be a student enrolled or a teacher employed in any school or school district in the library district with an Indiana residence.  Card is valid for the school year.
• Be residing in the library district on a temporary basis.  The fee is $1.00 and a refundable cash deposit of $25.00 validates a card for two (2) months.

ONLINE BORROWER REGISTRATION (online products only; to checkout material in the library you need a physical library card)

Indiana residents who meet the above "eligible library users" requirements can apply for an online only borrower card by filling out the Online Borrower Registration application. This online borrower card will allow the user access to the online products of the library. For unlimited access to all of the Library's resources, please visit one of our branches to have this card replaced with a physical library card. Existing library card holders should use the information from their physical libary card to access electronic resources.

APPLICATION PROCESS

To obtain a physical library card please present the following:

• A current/accurate Indiana driver’s license or state identification.
• If the new patron does not have an Indiana driver’s license or state identification with current address, proof of current address needs to be provided in addition to the ID.
• Other forms of valid government IDs can be accepted if new patron does not have an Indiana driver's license or state identification along with proof of current address.​

​Acceptable proof of address: bills and bank statements (paper or electronic within 90 days); current car registration; property tax bill; apartment lease agreement

Applicants under 18 years of age must have a parent or responsible party sign the application and present the forms of identification listed above.

The application process includes signing and agreeing to a contract responsibility statement as authorized by I.C. 36-12-3-6 and I.C. 35-43-4-3.5.

PLAC cards are issued to Indiana residents in accordance with I.C 4-23-7.1-5.1 Changes of address and other pertinent information shall be reported in a timely manner to the library.

CARDS

• Library cards are issued as the responsibility of the card holder.
• Lost cards are to be reported immediately. 
• Inactive cards will be deleted from the system after one year of inactivity. 
• Library cards are not transferable. The bearer must be the person whose name appears on the card record unless prior arrangement has been approved.
• Library cards may be used at all units of the Charlestown-Clark County Public Library.
• A $1.00 replacement fee will be charged for lost cards.

CIRCULATION AND USE OF LIBRARY MATERIALS AND EQUIPMENT 

• Cardholders may borrow any reasonable number of books for which they wish to be responsible. However, the library staff has the right to limit the number of items borrowed by a cardholder on any one particular subject, particularly if it will deplete a subject in high demand.
• New cardholders may have only eight (8) items checked out on their accounts during the three month new card status. At the end of three months, their status will change to resident provided there are no charges on the account.
• Materials that circulate for three weeks may be renewed up to three times if they are not in high demand or on hold.
• One week videos may not be renewed.
• Equipment requires a $1.00 bulb fee for each day’s use. Cardholders must be at least 18. A $20.00 cash deposit is required on all equipment leaving the buildings for personal use. If equipment is not returned by agreed upon due date, deposit is forfeited. Organizations may have the deposit waived; however, they must pay the bulb fee. An extra bulb will be circulated with most equipment.

HOLDS
All three week circulating items and one week circulating DVDs may be placed on hold. Items will be held for three days and then re-shelved or the next person on the hold list notified.

CHARGES and OVERDUES (Amended August 20, 2020)

• Failure to return library materials by the date due and in the condition, in which they were received, constitutes a Class “C” infraction (I.C. 35-43-4-3.5). A library cardholder forfeits borrowing privileges until satisfactory amends have been made such as the following procedures:
  • If a patron owes money, they can check out ONLY if they make a payment. The payment will be on a sliding scale. If patron owes $50 or less, payment should be a minimum of $5. If a patron owes over $51 to $100, payments should be a minimum of $10. If a patron owes over $100 no check-outs until balance is under $100. These payments should be made EVERY TIME patron checks out material.
  • If the patron owes less than $50, in addition to making a payment every time they check out, they are limited to 2 items on their account at any time. If the patron owes more than $50, they are limited to one item on their account at a time. A payment is required with every check-out.
  • If a juvenile owes money, the responsible party must make a payment on the juvenile account every check out.
  • If a responsible party owes money but the child’s account is clear, the child is limited to juvenile material only, but a limit 5 juvenile materials on the juvenile account at any time.
  • If a responsible party owes money and the child does not have a card, the child can still sign up for a card. They will be a new borrower with a restriction of 8 juvenile items at a time for the first 90 days, as usual.
• Cardholders must pay list price for damaged or lost materials. Damage is defined as the material(s) being in an unacceptable state for public use. A library staff person must issue a receipt at time of payment.
• A one dollar (1) fee will be assessed per mailed overdue notice.
• If materials are overdue by 30 days then a block will be placed against further checkout if the material(s) value $10.00 or more.
• If materials are overdue more than six months the charges will not be automatically waived.
• If materials are overdue more than 12 months, charges will not be waived.
• Incoming faxes are 10 cents per page. Outgoing local or toll free faxes are free. Outgoing long distance faxes are 50 cents per page.
• Transparencies are 50 cents per copy.
• Computer printouts are 10 cents per page.
• Copy machine copies are 10 cents per page.
• Microfilm reader printouts are 10 cents per page.
• Color copies are 25 cents per page.

LOST MATERIAL
Materials lost and paid for become the property of the cardholder. No refunds are issued unless the error is on the part of the library employees.  A claim is presented at the next Library Board meeting at which time a check is issued. 

GIFTS
The Board of Trustees of the Charlestown-Clark County Libraries welcomes and encourages individuals and groups to make gifts to the libraries.

• Materials in General – Gifts of library materials will be accepted by the Collection Development Librarian and reference staff and added to the collection only if they are needed and meet the criteria of the collection development policy. Items not added to the collection will be disposed of at the discretion of the library.
• Gift Collections – Gift collections will be accepted only by the Director, with the counsel of the Board of Trustees as appropriate, and with the understanding that the collection may not be kept intact.
• Return of Items – Once a gift is accepted by the library it will not be returned.
• Recognition Gifts – Memorial or tribute gifts are gratefully received. The library will help in making selections for these occasions and bookplates will be used in such materials designating the donor and the name of the person in whose memory the gift is given. A letter will be sent to the donor expressing our gratitude. In addition, a letter will be sent to the family of the person being memorialized. Fill out Gift Book Form number 1 for this and give it to the Director or Branch Manager as applicable.
• Other Gifts – The library welcomes cash donations and will accept gifts of real and personal property that support the mission of the library.
• Evaluation – The library will, if requested, provide a written acknowledgment of receipt of gifts as a 170 C tax exempt organization. In accordance with income tax regulations, the determination of value of said donation will be left up to the donor. Fill out Donation of Materials Form number 2, which will act as a receipt for the donor. Keep a copy and give it to the director or Branch Manager as applicable.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN POLICY

Interlibrary loan is an important service that supports the mission of the library by providing enhanced access to library materials and information. The purpose of interlibrary loan is to obtain materials not available in the library system and to provide material from the collections of other libraries. The library will borrow and loan material through the existing interlibrary loan services according to standard interlibrary loan policies and procedures and applicable copyright laws.

Borrowing

• Interlibrary loans will be made for all library cardholders in good standing-meaning no outstanding accounts with any library in our system. Anyone owing service charges or having materials past due are not eligible for this service.
• Interlibrary loan requests must be as specific as possible. Subject requests should be well defined.
• The due date is set by the lending library and the borrower must honor that date.  Not all libraries will renew materials.
• Cardholders will pay a two dollar per item return postage expense at checkout for out-of- state loans.
• The borrower is responsible for any fees that the lending library may specify for non-book material. The library will make every effort to inform the borrower prior to placement of interlibrary loan order. Borrower agrees to pay damages, overdue fees or for loss of materials.
• A parent or guardian must authorize any charge for materials requested by a cardholder less than 18 years of age.

Lending

• Lending service is offered to other libraries that abide by the conditions set forth by standard interlibrary loan policies and procedures and applicable copyright laws.
• The library circulates materials on our regular checkout cycle and allows at least one renewal as long as there are no holds on these items.
• The library does not lend visual materials.
• The library works with the Indiana State Library and SRCS system.
• The library will charge the borrowing library for materials that are damaged or lost.

TRAVEL/VACATION CIRCULATION REQUESTS

• Extended due dates may be issued upon request from individuals for travel or vacation at the discretion of the director or other manager.
• Only three week circulating materials are eligible for extended due dates.
• High demand or materials with holds are ineligible for extended due dates.

TALKING BOOKS
The Indiana State Library Division for the Blind and Physically Handicapped handles Talking Books and accepts applications from individuals. The phone number is 1-800-622-4970 or 317-232-3684. The address is 140 North Senate Avenue, Indianapolis, IN 46204. Each branch has applications available for submission. See attached Indiana State Library Individual Application for the Talking-Book Service. Or web address lbph@library.IN.us

All libraries within our system have audio and large print collections available for standard checkout.

CONFIDENTIALITY
All circulation and patron records as well as other records identifying names of library users are considered confidential. No such records shall be made readily available to any agency of state, federal or local government, or to any individual not specifically authorized by the Director with appropriate legal documents.

Behavior
The library is a place that belongs to everyone, of every age, in the county. There are guidelines for how to act in the library in order to make it a pleasant place for everyone to visit. These guidelines are based on the principle that your actions must not interfere with someone else using the library.

Here are the guidelines:

• Be considerate of other people
• Take care of shared materials and shared space
• Act in a safe way

Customer Code of Conduct
Mutual respect makes it possible for everyone to enjoy library materials, facilities, and services.  You can help by refraining from behavior that interferes with the rights of others and the duties of the library staff.

Bulletin Boards and Display Cases
Some of the branches of the Charlestown-Clark County Library system have available to the public bulletin boards and/or display cases. Charlestown’s display case does have a locking mechanism on it.

Bulletin Boards
Acceptable notices for posting on the bulletin boards consist of but are not limited to lost and found bulletins, public notices, and community meeting or event notices. Items that are prohibited consist of but are not limited to yard sale postings, for sale postings, etc.  The library asks that the item you wish to post be given to a staff member who will review it for acceptability and then initial, date and post the item upon approval.

Display Cases
While Charlestown Library has the only locking display case in our system, Sellersburg does have areas designated for display. The public can request the use of the display case. However, the library reserves the right to limit the length of time that the display will be kept up. Library promotions are given first priority, followed by not-for-profit organizations and community groups.

Disclaimer
The library is not responsible for the loss or damage of items on display, nor do we promote services or products on display. Items posted on the bulletin board are kept until the meeting or public notice date has expired. Lost and found postings are kept for one month.