Anchorage Municipal Libraries

Circulation Policy

Purpose

This policy provides written guidelines for circulation and borrower registration procedures. This information is available to the public upon request.

REGISTRATION FOR LIBRARY CARDS

Anchorage Resident
Valid photo identification*, showing name and birth date, is required. One library card is issued per borrower. Anchorage Municipal Libraries cards are not transferable to other family members. There is no charge for a resident library card. Replacement cards are issued for a nominal fee.

For minor children under the age of 18, the parent or guardian must sign the registration application accepting responsibility for activity on their child’s account.   The juvenile card will expire on the child's eighteenth birthday at which time the child can register as an adult.

Current address verification is required.

Alaska Resident
An Alaska Resident, for the purposes of this policy, is any person residing outside the boundaries and not directly paying property taxes to the Municipality of Anchorage but who is a resident of the State of Alaska.

Alaska Residents shall pay an annual non-refundable fee when they are issued an Anchorage Municipal Libraries card. The library card will expire one year from the date it is issued. One library card will be issued per borrower. The fee must be paid for each non-resident card issued. Library cards are not transferable to other family members

For children under the age of 18, the parent or guardian must sign the registration application accepting responsibility for activity on their child’s account.  Current address verification is required. Alaska Resident borrowers are subject to the same identification requirements as Resident borrowers.* Current address verification is required.

Applicants who live outside the boundaries of the Municipality of Anchorage but pay property taxes directly to the Municipality of Anchorage for properties owned within Municipal Limits, are considered Alaska-Residents but shall have the annual fee requirement waived upon presentation of a current MOA property tax bill or receipt bearing their name as a property owner.

Alaska Libraries Reciprocal Borrowing Program

Anchorage Municipal Libraries participates in the Alaska Libraries Reciprocal Borrowing Program under the guidelines set by the Task Force on a Statewide Card (1999).    Alaska residents, who hold borrowing privileges with their home library within Alaska, may borrow up to three items from any of the libraries within the library system of the Municipality of Anchorage. Guidelines may be found on the Alaska State Library web-site.  Registration for the reciprocal borrowing program is subject to the same identification requirements as Alaska Resident borrowers.

Visitor Cards
Applicants, including those who are not residents of Alaska, may apply and receive an Anchorage Municipal Libraries Visitor Card. Visitor Cards are subject to the same identification requirements as Alaska Resident borrowers.* The Visitor's out of state address must be included on the application. Visitor Cards shall be valid for three months. Visitors shall pay a non-refundable fee when they are issued an Anchorage Municipal Libraries card. There shall be a three item limit applied to these cards.

*Acceptable photo identification:

Staff Work Cards
Individual staff members may be issued a staff work card at the circulation desk to be used for work purposes only. The check out period will not exceed 60 days. There will be no fines issued on these cards.

Corporate Cards
Corporate Cards will be issued to a business, association, institution, or non-profit group that is within the boundaries of the Municipality of Anchorage. The application for a Corporate Card must be accompanied by a letter of authorization, written on letterhead, from the director requesting a Corporate Card and giving the names of the persons within the organization who will be allowed to use the card. The organization's letterhead will serve to confirm the address of the organization. Corporate Cards will expire one year from issue date and each organization must reapply annually. The organization will be financially responsible for all materials checked out on the card and any overdue charges that may accrue.

Updating Patron Database
Cards, which have not been used within a twelve month period, will be given an inactive status. Before a card may be activated, the patron may be required to provide identification and address verification and pay any outstanding fines and fees that were previously incurred.

The library will periodically delete from the patron database, inactive library cards. Patrons remain responsible for any outstanding fines and fees that were previously incurred. Patrons with deleted cards must provide identification and complete a new registration form prior to borrowing any materials.

CIRCULATION OF LIBRARY MATERIALS

Patrons must be registered and in good standing to checkout and renew materials. Patrons must present their library card or must show one of the following picture identification cards:

Patron borrowing privileges may be blocked for the following reasons:

Minors
Parents are responsible for materials checked out by their minor (under 18 years of age) children.

Item Limits
A patron may have 50 items checked out on their card with the following limits:

One (1) story-packet, three (3) toys, ten (10) compact discs, five (5) digital video discs, five (5) videocassettes.

Loan Periods
Loan periods are established according to type of library materials. Due dates do not fall on days the library is closed.

Renewals
Renewable materials may be renewed twice at any library, in person, online, or over the phone. Materials that have not been previously renewed twice and are overdue for seventeen days or fewer may be renewed. The resulting extended user's fee will be automatically attached to their patron record. Items on hold and items out on a special loan period may not be renewed.

Requests
Patrons may request materials to be held for them at the library location of their choice. There is no limit to the number of requests a patron may place. Requests can be made in person, by calling Telephone Reference or through the online catalog. Requests are filled on a system-wide first come, first served basis. Patrons will be notified by mail or email when their request is available. Materials will be held for ten days from the date of notification.

Fines and Fees
Overdue fines, damage, and replacement charges will be set by Library Administration and approved by the Library Board and are subject to change. Two overdue notices are sent five (5) days and again ten (10) days after the item is due. If the material is not returned, a bill for replacement is sent seventeen (17) days after the item is due. Fees and charges are due and payable when materials are returned. Overdue fines are not levied for days the library is closed. Unpaid bills will be sent to the municipal delinquent collection office. Lost or severely damaged materials are charged at the listed rates.

Delinquent Collections
All borrowers who are processed through the MOA Delinquent Collections Office for the recovery or replacement of library materials must reregister after payment obligations have been met.

Reciprocal Borrowing Privileges with University of Alaska Anchorage Consortium Library
The Anchorage Municipal Library system has an agreement with the University of Alaska Anchorage/Alaska Pacific University Consortium Library (UAA/APU), its South-central satellite campuses and the Alaska Resource Library and Information Services (ARLIS) which allows reciprocal borrowing, or "guest," privileges between cooperating libraries.

In addition, materials from these libraries may be returned to any cooperating library. Library borrowers are responsible for all fines and fees on library materials from cooperating libraries as set by each library's policies.

PRIVACY

PATRON RIGHT TO PRIVACY - AS 09.25.140 A law of the State of Alaska regards the confidentiality of certain public library records.

To conform to this law, all library staff with no exceptions will adhere to the following.

1.       Patron registration information and information concerning items checked out by any patron shall be considered confidential and will not be provided to anyone, including parents, guardians, spouses and law enforcement officers, without court order. Exceptions for parents noted in (3) below.

2.       Patrons requesting information about their own cards may be given the information if they present one of the following pieces of identification:

·         Alaska Driver's License or valid Alaska Learner's Permit

·         Valid Out-of-State Driver's License

·         State of Alaska personal identification card

·         Valid Military Identification Card, subject to the name and birth date requirement

3.       Parents may be given the titles of books their minor children have borrowed only for the purposes of retrieving overdue materials for which the parent has accepted financial responsibility. A minor's address and phone number are considered confidential and are not to be provided to anyone including a parent or guardian. Parents may be told if their child is registered. If for any reason, verification of correct name must be done using the address, the parent must give the address; staff shall not reveal it. The Alaska State Statute defines a minor child as anyone under eighteen (18) years of age.

Recommended for approval by Deirdre D. Ford, Library Advisory Board Chair, Date 9/18/02  Approved by Tim Lynch, Municipal Librarian, Date 9/18/02

Recommended for revision by Library Advisory Board, Date: September 15, 2004; Approved by Art Weeks, Municipal Librarian: September 15, 2004

Recommended for revision by Library Advisory Board, Date: March 16, 2005; Approved by Art Weeks, Municipal Librarian: March 16, 2005.