Chatham Area Public Library District
4 - 10
Page 1 of 7
Library Operations
CIRCULATION POLICY
The Chatham Area Public Library District is a tax-supported public library. This
means that people residing within the boundaries of the Chatham Area Public
Library District pay taxes to support the Library. People who live within the
boundaries pay no additional fee to be eligible to receive their library card.
Library cards are renewed every 3 years without additional fees, provided the
library card holder continues to reside within the boundaries of the Chatham Area
Public Library District and is a patron in good standing.
CONFIDENTIALITY
The Chatham Area Public Library District, in accordance with the Illinois Public
Library District Act, will keep all records about patron transactions and the
identity of registered Library patrons confidential. No such records or identities
will be disclosed except as provided by law, and the Library District legal counsel
has been consulted.
In accordance with the Library Records Confidentiality Act, a library patron’s
registration and circulation records information may not disclosed to anyone other
than the patron regardless of age or relationship except as provided by law.
TYPES OF CARDS
Personal Card
1. A person age 16 and over may obtain a library card by completing
an application and providing proof of residency by showing a valid
driver's license or state issued ID, current utility bills, mail, voter's
registration card, property tax bill, or other documentation
acceptable to the Library Director or designated staff as evidence of
library district residency.
2. A library card is valid for 3 years from the date of issue and may be
renewed by presenting the card at the circulation desk with one
current proof of identification.
3. Use of a personal library card is limited to the patron whose name
appears in the library card account.
4. As a resident card holder, the borrower may physically take his or
her library card to any public library in Illinois and ask to borrow
materials. Those materials are the responsibility of the individual
Chatham Area Public Library District
4 - 10
Page 2 of 7
who borrows them, and are subject to all of the fines, rules and
regulations of the lending library. Often libraries limit the
borrowing privileges of reciprocal borrowers, and it is important to
be aware of local rules and procedures before making selections.
Children's Card
1. A child under age 16 may be given a personal library card if the
parent or legal guardian signs the card application and accepts
financial responsibility for any fees or charges that the child incurs
with that card. The parent or legal guardian who can verify with
approved identification that they reside at the same address is
accepted as proof of residency for the child.
2. A child who has a library card may access all available library
materials, including books, movies and other materials.
3. A child aged 12 through 15 may be given permission to use the
Library's Internet-accessible computers by the parent or legal
guardian during the card application process.
4. A child has the same rights to privacy and confidentiality as any
other patron.
5. The parent or guardian who has signed the application has the right
to restrict use of the library by withdrawing the child's personal
library card at any time.
Family Card
1. One account with one library card number is issued per family. A
family is defined as all members of a household who can verify with
approved identification that they reside at the same address.
2. A family card is valid for 3 years from the date of issue.
3. A library family card may be renewed by presenting the card at the
circulation desk with one current proof of identification.
4. A child aged 12 through 15 may be given permission to use the
Library's Internet-accessible computers by the parent or legal
guardian during the card application process.
5. The parent or legal guardian who signs the application for a family
card is the primary cardholder and is responsible for any fees or
charges to the account.
RESIDENTIAL STATUS
Chatham Area Public Library District
4 - 10
Page 3 of 7
Resident
A resident is any person who resides within the boundaries of the Chatham Area
Public Library District.
Non-Resident
Non-residents are those living outside the boundaries of a library service area. To
obtain a library card, a non-resident must apply to the closest library and pay a
non-resident fee. Non-residents of the Chatham Area Public Library District are
eligible to receive a Chatham Area Public Library card if they meet the above
criteria. The annual non-resident fee is established by the Chatham Area Public
Library Board of Trustees based on the Illinois State Library’s property tax
formula.
Property Owners Living Outside the CAPLD Boundaries
Those who live outside of the boundaries of the Chatham Area Public Library
District, but who own property within the boundaries of the Chatham Area Public
Library District, may have one personal library card for use by the individual
whose name appears on the tax bill without additional payment.
Reciprocal Borrower
1. Any person holding a valid library card from a library participating
in the Illinois Reciprocal Borrowing Program may borrow library
materials.
2. If patron’s library is not a part of the SHARE regional automation
consortium which includes the Chatham Area Public Library, an
application must be completed, the patron’s home library must be
contacted to verify that the patron is in good standing, and the
information from the library card application must be entered into
the SHARE patron data base.
3. Reciprocal borrowing privileges are valid until the user’s home
library card expires.
4. All Chatham Area Public Library policies apply to reciprocal
borrowers.
5. The Chatham Area Public Library follows the ILLNET code which
requires that a reciprocal borrower, whose home library is not a
fully participating member of the SHARE automation system place
requests for items via interlibrary loan through the home library.
6. Use of the reciprocal card is limited to the patron whose name
appears in the library card account.
7. The Ball-Chatham School District is served by two libraries:
Chatham Area Public Library District and Lincoln Library in
Chatham Area Public Library District
4 - 10
Page 4 of 7
Springfield. Those living within the boundaries of the BallChatham School District, but not in the Chatham Area Public
Library District, must apply for a library card at the Lincoln Library
in Springfield.
LENDING POLICIES
A. Lending Periods
All circulating library materials are checked out for a period of two weeks with
the following exceptions:
1. Puzzles may be checked out for two months.
2. Certain materials in the library’s Reference Collection and Local
History/Genealogy Collection do not circulate or have a limited
checkout period.
3. Current issues of magazines do not circulate.
4. Items borrowed from other libraries will circulate according to the
lending library’s circulation policy.
Children are not limited to materials in the juvenile collections. Parents must
supervise their own child’s selection of library materials.
Limits on the number of items that may be borrowed are determined by the
Library Director and designated Staff. Temporary restrictions may be necessary
if there is a shortage of materials in certain areas or in order to ensure that an
entire collection is not checked out at one time.
Lending policies may be waived for an individual in special circumstances with
the specific permission of the Library Director or designated staff. Vacation
checkouts for extended periods of time are available only on Chatham Area
Public Library materials at the discretion of the staff.
B. Renewals
1. All circulating items owned by the Chatham Area Public Library
may be renewed in person, by telephone, or by computer via the
Library's website for an additional two week period unless there are
requests on the title.
2. Items owned by other libraries within the SHARE automated catalog
database may be renewed if there are no outstanding requests for the
item. One renewal is possible if no requests are outstanding. The
Chatham Area Public Library District
4 - 10
Page 5 of 7
length of the loan period per checkout and renewal is set by the
lending library.
C. Interlibrary Loans
1. When resident patrons would like materials that are not available
within SHARE, Chatham Area Public Library Staff may request
those materials outside of SHARE. This process is called
interlibrary loan, or ILL.
2. When materials are borrowed via interlibrary loan, the policies
governing that loan, including the circulation period, are determined
by the lending library. Patrons borrowing through interlibrary loan
must respect the due dates established by the lending library so that
the Chatham Area Public Library will not lose the privilege of
borrowing materials for any of its patrons. It is crucial, therefore,
that materials borrowed through interlibrary loan be returned in a
timely manner. Habitual failure to do so will result in individual
loss of this privilege for the patron so that we may preserve the
service for others.
D. Holds
1. Patrons may place a request for any circulating item that is available
in the SHARE database either directly through their online account
in the public access catalog on the Library’s website or with the
help of the Library Staff.
2. The Library Staff will attempt to notify the patron when the
requested item becomes available. The information is also available
through a patron’s account in the public access catalog site. The
requested item will be held for seven days for the patron. After that
time the item is made available for circulation or returned to the
lending library.
FEES
Overdue Materials
1. An overdue fine of $.10 per day will be charged for each adult item,
up to a maximum of $3.00 per item. An overdue fine of $.05 per
day will be charged for each juvenile item, young adult item, or
magazine, up to a maximum of $1.00 per item. A patron is
Chatham Area Public Library District
4 - 10
Page 6 of 7
considered delinquent when the fine total reaches $5.00 and may no
longer check out materials until the fine is reduced.
2. Fines on an overdue item shall not exceed the replacement cost of
the item.
3. Items due on a given date must be returned to the library before
closing time on that date in order to avoid a fine.
4. The Library Staff will attempt to contact the patron with overdue
materials during the first five weeks that the item is overdue.
Charges will appear on the patron account if the materials are not
returned.
Lost and Damaged Materials
1. If an item is lost, the borrower is liable for the replacement cost of
the item.
2. If an item is damaged, a charge will be assessed based on the cost of
repair. If the item is damaged beyond reasonable repair, full
replacement price will be charged. The fees will remain on the
account until they are paid.
3. Fines are waived when a borrower pays the replacement cost of a
lost or badly damaged item. Borrowers who pay for a damaged item
within 14 days may have that item. After 14 days, the damaged item
charges will remain, but the item will be discarded.
4. The Library Director may place borrowing restrictions on a patron
who habitually damages materials.
5. A full refund, minus the amount of fines for materials lost and paid
will be made if the materials are returned in good condition with the
original receipt within ninety (90) days of the date of payment for
the loss.
6. Items borrowed from another library will be subject to the charges
and fees set by that library for lost or damaged items.
Replacement Costs
1. The replacement charge include the price of an item plus shipping
and processing charges that are necessary in order to obtain and
circulate a replacement copy of the lost or badly damaged item.
2. If the item is no longer available, replacement costs cover the
expense of obtaining materials of a similar nature.
Chatham Area Public Library District
4 - 10
Page 7 of 7
Theft or Deliberate Damage of Library Materials
1. The Chatham Area Public Library District Board of Library
Trustees will enforce rules and regulations pertaining to the removal
or retention of library materials from the Library or to the mutilation
of same. The definition of “library material” as stated in Illinois
Criminal Code of 1961 shall apply.
2. Any person attempting to remove books or other materials from the
Library without checking them out will be charged up to the
replacement cost of each item stolen or damaged, may have
suspended library privileges according to established procedures,
and/or may be prosecuted by the Sangamon County State’s
Attorney’s Office.
LEGAL REF.:
0.1B
75ILCS 16/30-55.60, 75 ILCS 16/30-55.60, 720 ILCS5/16-
CROSS REF.:
4-90, 4-100, 4-110, 5-10
ADOPTED:
MARCH 20, 2000
AMENDED:
JUNE 21, 2004
AMENDED:
JUNE 15, 2009
AMENDED:
AUGUST 18, 2014