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Circulation Policy Reserves and Interlibrary Loan Requests New Jersey Confidentiality Act Parental Access to Unemancipated Child's Records Free Access to Libraries for Minors
Part I. REGISTRATION GUIDELINES Every person wishing to borrow materials from the Old Bridge Public Library must complete an application for a library card. Customers from other municipalities are encouraged to use the Old Bridge Public Library and may do so by using the library card provided by their home library or the LMxAC library card. Old Bridge Public Library cards are valid for a period of three years. They will be automatically renewed after address and telephone number have been verified for accuracy and all fines and fees have been paid. All other types of library cards are valid for one year only. Identification is required for all adult customers (aged seventeen and older) before a card can be issued. A form of identification which contains a photograph of the applicant and current address is needed such as driver’s license. Identification must include the permanent street address; a Post Office box is not sufficient. Part II. ELIGIBILITY FOR LIBRARY CARDS 1. Old Bridge Public Library An individual residing, owning property/and or a business, working or going to school in the Old Bridge Township is eligible for an Old Bridge Public Library Card. Proof of identity and current address is required. 2. LMxAC Cards LMxAC cards are provided to customers whose home library is within the MURAL system but whose automation system (i.e. Cranbury and South Amboy) is not compatible with the LMxAC automation system or which are not members of LMxAC. LMxAC card holders are not eligible to attend some Old Bridge Library programs or classes. 3. Out of Town Resident Card Out of Town resident cards may be purchased for a fee in lieu of tax dollars paid by the residents of Old Bridge. Families who wish to make use of Old Bridge Library’s collections or participate in Old Bridge Library programming or classes may do so by purchasing this type of card. There is an annual fee of $50.00 for the family whose members reside in the same household. An application for a library card must be completed for each member of the family. Each family member will receive his own card. 4. Replacement Cards If an individual’s card is lost or damaged, a replacement card can be obtained by filling out another application form and paying a fee of $2.00 per replacement card. An individual can have only one card at a time. A card which has been replaced is no longer valid and should be destroyed if later found. The Library encourages customers to make every attempt to locate lost cards before replacing them as the replacement fee is not refundable even if the card is later found. 5. Confidentiality of Customer Records New Jersey law protects the confidentiality of Library User’s Records. Customers may ask to access their own record; however, other individuals may not inspect another customer’s record except by order of a court of law. (Please see Appendix I.) New Jersey law grants rights for parental access to their unemancipated children’s records. It is, therefore, Library policy that parents may have access to their own children’s library records provided the child has not reached his fifteenth (15th) birthday. Once a child has attained the age of fifteen (15), his Library records are confidential as per the New Jersey Confidentiality law and cannot be accessed by anyone other than himself or Library personnel in the course of performing required library duties. (Please see Appendix I.) 6. Withdrawal of Parental Consent The signature of a parent or guardian on the library card application acknowledges responsibility for library materials checked out to a child. It is the policy of the Library not to act in loco parentis in keeping with the principles of equal access to information and materials for all customers. Therefore the Library will not restrict any customers, including children, from access to any type or class of materials nor from any information in the Library with the exception of Feature Videos and DVD’s. Feature Videos and DVD’s may be checked out to adult library customers. If a parent or guardian does not wish his child to have access to particular materials, the restrictions will need to be discussed with the child in the context of the parent-child relationship. If the parent wishes to withdraw the acknowledgment of responsibility from their child’s card, Library staff will cancel the child’s library card. The child’s record will be retained for reference purposes and may be reinstated at any time. Part III. STANDARD LOAN RULES Customers are responsible for materials checked out on their library card whether the card is used by the owner of the card or anyone else. For this reason, the library restricts the use of a library card to only the person who applied for and signed for the card. A second identification may be required as necessary. Any materials borrowed from the library are subject to a due date and the customer is expected to respect that date; a late fine will be imposed if materials are returned after the due date. The customer must have his library card with him at the time he checks out or renews materials either in the Library or by telephone. The Library card and its number is the means by which customers are identified in our records. Most materials may be renewed and this can be done whether in the Library or by telephone. Customers must have their library card available at the time of renewal. 1. Reference Materials Reference materials are materials which are in such high demand or of such high value that they may not be borrowed from the Library. Both the Adult and the Juvenile Departments of the Library have Reference Collections. If necessary, a customer may make a copy of the pages of Reference materials at a cost of $.10 per page. The Copyright Law allows a single copy of each page to be made. These copies may not be sold or used for monetary gain. 2. Books 1. Books: Adult and Juvenile Books in the Adult, Young Adult and Juvenile collections are available to be checked out for a period of three (3) weeks. Reserves may be placed on books that are not currently on the Library shelves. Books may be renewed once if there is no Reserve waiting for it. There is no limit to the number of books a customer may borrow with these exceptions: each customer may borrow a maximum of three (3) nonfiction books of the same Dewey Decimal number at a time in the adult and juvenile collections. The exception to this limitation are the Folk and Fairy Tales in the Juvenile collection. These may be borrowed without limitation. Easy Books located in the Children’s Department are limited to a maximum of five (5) at a time. These limitations are necessary due to the size of the Library’s collections and the demands placed on them. At the discretion of the Library’s Director, additional limitations may be imposed depending on need or circumstance. 2. New Books New Books are available to be checked out for a period of two (2) weeks. A New Book is one which has been placed in the Library’s collection within the past six (6) months. New Books can be renewed once if there is no Reserve waiting for the book. 3. InterLibrary Loan Books InterLibrary Loan materials may be checked out for a period of two weeks. They may not be renewed. Some materials may not be available through the InterLibrary Loan system depending on the date of publication, format or availability. 4. Audiovisual Materials All books on tape, books on CD and music CD’s may be checked out for a period of two (2) weeks. One renewal is permitted unless a Reserve is waiting for the item. 5. Videos, DVD’s and CD-Rom’s Instructional videos and CD-Rom’s may be checked out by any Library customer for a period of two (2) weeks. There is no fee to borrow Instructional videos or CD-Rom’s; they may be renewed once. Juvenile videos and DVD’s may be borrowed by any Library customer for a period of three (3) days. There is a $1.00 per item charge for the check out. Feature videos and DVD’s may be borrowed by adult card holders only. They check out for three (3) days with a $1.00 per item charge. Feature videos, juvenile videos, DVD’s and CD-Rom’s may not be renewed. 6. Periodicals Current issues of Periodicals are considered Reference Materials and may not be checked out. Once a magazine is no longer current, it may be checked out for a period of two (2) weeks. Periodicals may not be renewed. The Library keeps most magazines for a period of two years. Magazine articles may be obtained from the electronic databases in the Reference Department. Magazine articles may be copied or printed at a cost of $.10 per page. 7. Computer and Microfilm Print-Outs There is a $.10 per page fee for any print-outs made from Library computers, microfilm readers or copy machines. Part IV. RESERVES AND INTERLIBRARY LOAN REQUESTS Any material which the Library owns in its collection and which is not considered Reference may be reserved by a customer if it is not currently available in the Library (with the exception of feature videos, DVD’s and CD-Rom’s which may not be reserved). Each reservation may be placed on the Library’s Public Access Computers, from home using the Library’s Home Page on the Internet or by calling the Library and requesting the Reserve be placed. There is a $.25 per item reserve fee for this service. The fee will be collected at the time the materials are borrowed from the Library. Material which is not available in the Old Bridge Library may be requested through the Interlibrary Loan process. Requests for materials not owned by Old Bridge Library may be made at the Reference or the Children’s service desks. There is a $.25 per item reserve fee for this service; the fee will be collected at the time the item is checked out from the Library. Part V. FINES AND BILLS Materials are loaned by the Library with the understanding that the borrower will return them in the same condition and by the due date established by the Library. If materials are returned later than the due date, overdue fines will be charged to the customer. Fines and other outstanding charges will be brought to the customer’s attention at the Circulation Desk. Customers will be notified of overdue items and outstanding bills by mail. After a customer has received an overdue notice and if the item is not then returned, a bill will be sent for the cost of the lost item plus a $1.00 additional processing fee. Overdue fines accrue daily. Fines charged are: Books, magazines and audiovisual materials (excluding videos, DVD’s and CD-Rom’s): $.10 per day up to a maximum of $5.00. The daily fine for New Books is $.20 per day to a maximum of $5.00. Videos, DVD’s and CD-Rom’s: $1.00 per day to a maximum of $10.00. Book Drop: Some of the Library’s materials may be fragile enough that use of the Library’s Book Return would damage them. These items may not be returned in the Book Return; examples of this are magazines and oversized books. These items are labeled: “Please do not return in Book Drop.” A $1.00 fine will be charged for items so labeled and returned in the Book Drop. Lost or damaged InterLibrary Loan Items: Items which have been obtained through the InterLibrary Loan system and which are returned to the Old Bridge Library in a damaged condition or which have been lost, will have a fine of $5.00 assessed in addition to the overdue fines and lost amount charged by the lending library. Senior Citizen and Disabled Residents Fine Discounts: The Old Bridge Library offers a discount Fine Program for residents who are Senior Citizens and for those who are disabled. The Library defines Senior Citizens as persons who are 65 years of age or older. Disabled residents must provide official proof of their disabled status. Residents who qualify for these discounts may indicate on the Library card application form that they are eligible for this program. The Library’s regular fines for audiovisual material and New Books are not subject to the Senior Citizen or the Disabled Resident discount. Fines for all other library materials will be waived for residents who have requested inclusion in this program. Items that are overdue for longer than three (3) months are not eligible for this discount. Part VI. SUSPENSION OF PRIVILEGES The Library will find it necessary to suspend a customer’s borrowing privileges after the customer has accrued a total of $ 5.00 worth of fines on his library record. A customer’s record will be cleared and privileges reinstated upon payment of owed fines. A customer’s borrowing privileges will be suspended after he has received a bill for the non-return of one item borrowed from the Library. A customer’s record will be cleared and his privileges reinstated upon return of the item and payment of overdue fines or upon payment of the cost of the item plus the service charge. Customers are encouraged to return items rather than pay for them. Refunds can only be given with a receipt and within six (6) months of the date the item was declared lost. Part VII. LOST AND DAMAGED ITEMS Materials which are grossly overdue and for which the customer has received a bill are considered by the Library to be lost and the customer will be responsible for paying for the cost of the item plus a $1.00 service charge. Materials which have been damaged to the extent they must be withdrawn from the collection will be charged to the customer’s record. The Library will consider exact replacement of the item rather than payment; this request must be made to the Library’s Director or a Department Head. The $1.00 service charge will be collected at the time of replacement. APPENDIX I NEW JERSEY CONFIDENTIALITY ACT: The New Jersey Confidentiality of Library Records Law provides that: “Library records which contain the names or other personally identifying details regarding the users of libraries are confidential and shall not be disclosed except in the following circumstances: 1. The records are necessary for the proper operation of the
library. N.J.S.A. 18A:73-43.1 PARENTAL ACCESS TO UNEMANCIPATED CHILD’S RECORDS “A. Every parent to the extent permitted by federal and State laws concerning privacy, except as prohibited by federal and State law, shall have access to records and information pertaining to his or her unemancipated child, including, but not limited to, medical, dental, insurance, child care, educational records, whether or not the child resides with the parent, unless that access is found by the court to be not in the best interest of the child or the access is found by the court to be sought for the purpose of causing detriment to the other parent. 2. The place of residence of either parent shall not appear on any records or information released pursuant to the provisions of this article.” N.J.S.A. 9:2-4.2
APPENDIX II LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas, and that the following basic policies should guide their services. 1. Books and other library resources should be provided for the
interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community
the Library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of
the origin, background or views of those contributing to their
creation. Adopted June 18, 1948 Amended February 2, 1961; June 27, 1967 and January 23, 1980 By the ALA Council
APPENDIX III FREE ACCESS TO LIBRARIES FOR MINORS Library polices and procedures which effectively deny minors equal access to all library resources available to other users violates the Library Bill of Rights. The American Library Association opposes all attempts to restrict access to library services, materials and facilities based on the age of library users. Article 5 of the Library Bill of Rights states, “A person’s right to use the library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background or views.” The “right to use a library” includes free access to and use of all services, materials and faculties the library has to offer. Every restriction on access to and use of library resources, based solely on the chronological age, education level or legal emancipation of users violates Article 5. Libraries are charged with the mission of developing resources to meet the diverse information needs and interests of the communities they serve. Services, materials and facilities which fulfill the needs and interests of library users at different stages in their personal development are a necessary part of library resources. The need and interests of each library user and resources appropriate to meet those needs and interests must be determined on an individual basis. Librarians cannot predict what resources will best fulfill the needs and interests of any individual based on a single criterion such as chronological age, level of education or legal emancipation. The selection and development of library resources should not be diluted because of minors having the same access to library resources as adult users. Institutional self-censorship diminishes the credibility of the library in the community and restricts access for all library users. Librarians and governing bodies should not resort to age restrictions on access to library resources in an effort to avoid actual or anticipate objections from parents or anyone else. The mission, goals and objectives of libraries do not authorize librarians or governing bodies to assume, abrogate or overrule the rights and responsibilities of parents or legal guardians. Librarians and governing bodies should maintain that parents – and only parents – have the right and responsibility to restrict the access of their children – and only their children – to library resources. Parents or legal guardians who do not want their children to have access to certain library services, materials or facilities should so advise their children. Librarians and governing bodies cannot assume the role of parents or the functions of parental authority in the private relationship between the parent and the child. Librarians and governing bodies have a public and professional obligation to provide equal access to all library resources for all library users. Librarians have a professional commitment to ensure all members of the community they serve have free and equal access to the entire range of library resources regardless of content, approach, format or amount of detail. This principle of library service applies equally to all users, minors as well as adults. Librarians and governing bodies must uphold this principle in order to provide adequate and effective service to minors. Adopted by the ALA June 30, 1972 Amended July 1, 1981; July 3, 1991 by the ALA Council
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Revised: 03/22/08