All residents of Harborfields Central School District are eligible to receive a Harborfields Public Library Card. A patron must be present at the Library to apply for a card, except in cases where the patron will be registering for homebound library service. Two forms of identification listing the address in our school district are necessary to prove residency. These items can include a driver’s license, state issued identification card or passport, a current utility bill, a lease or mortgage statement. Other items may be accepted at the Director’s discretion.
In the case of children, no identification is required if the child accompanies their Harborfields Public Library card holding parent/guardian to the library when the parent/guardian applies for the child’s card. There is no charge or fee to apply for a library card. Cards are valid for three years. Staff will update expired cards after the patron is asked to confirm that all of the information on the card and on the patron’s registration is correct and show identification as stated above.
Adult patrons, in good standing, with a current Harborfields Public Library card may take out any item available for circulation at the Library. Children’s library cards are restricted to books, CD’s’ certain kits and books on CD. When a child enters the sixth grade, a Teen card is issued permitting the child to borrow movies. At age eighteen, a student, upon notifying us will be issued an Adult library card. A patron should have their library card with them when taking out items.
Books, musical CDs, audio books on CD, informational DVDs and magazines circulate for twenty-one days. New entertainment DVD’s circulate for seven days. Reference materials never circulate. Harborfields Public Library will circulate new books (except those that have holds for district residents) to Direct Access cardholders. All other regulations, including fees, apply to Direct Access cardholders in the same manner as district residents. Materials that are checked out to a patron will automatically renew up to six times as long as the patron’s record remains in good standing and the item is not on reserve for another patron.
A patron may reserve any item that circulates. Reserves may be placed in person, online or over the phone. Staff will alert patrons by phone when the item(s) they have on hold is available for pick up. In addition, patrons that have provided us with their email address will receive an email indicating the item(s) are ready. Once the patron has been contacted they will have five days to pick up a new item and seven days for items that circulate for twenty one days. After that time the item will go to the next patron on the reserve list or back on the shelf.
Patrons may have fifty items checked out on their library card at any given time. Of those fifty items there is a limit of twenty five DVDs, which may include five new or five binge boxes.
Harborfields Public Library does not charge late fees, with the exception of items in the Library of Things and Museum Passes. Materials are due back to the library by 9 AM on the morning following the due date printed on the item receipt. Any materials returned after 9 AM will be considered returned the next day. If a patron loses, damages or fails to return items they will be charged a materials fee. That fee will equal the cost of having the item repurchased, reprocessed and returned to the shelves. If the item is one the library cannot or chooses not to replace the fee will be equal to the original cost of the item. Harborfields Public Library will attempt to inter-library loan materials that are not available in our collection. All loan periods, in the case of inter-library loans, are determined by the lending library. Our patrons will be expected to abide by those rules.
