Approved by the Board of Trustees May 12, 2008
St. Joseph Public Library
Library Card Policy
St. Joseph Public Library cards are issued to allow the recipient to borrow books, music CDs, DVDs, videos, audiobooks and magazines. Library cards also provide access to online database services at public service computers in the library and from any computer that offers Internet access.
Individual (Personal) Cards
A library card may be obtained and used at any branch of the St. Joseph Public Library. There are no age or residency restrictions for using the St. Joseph Public Library or owning a library card. No out of Residence fees or user fees are charged.
A patron may not be denied a card because of insufficient identification. However, library staff will attempt to obtain proof of current residency at the time of application. All library card applicants will be mailed a postcard to verify their address. If the address proves invalid, library card use will be suspended until a correct address is received.
Institutional Cards
A company or organization may obtain an institutional card by written request on the organization’s letterhead from a responsible person, such as an owner, manager or fiscal officer of the institution. The letter must designate who from the organization may use the card.
Temporary Cards
A patron requesting a library card who is currently residing at an emergency shelter, will be given a temporary card. Temporary cards will offer library services for a period of three months and carry a check-out restriction of five items per checkout. These cards are renewable.
Personal Identification Number
All cardholders are issued a Personal Identification Number, or PIN, to enable the patron to access or update account information, renew materials, or send a message to the library staff. These features are available through the Library’s online catalog. Cardholders may obtain the PIN assigned to them from a library staff member. The assigned PIN may then be changed online to the PIN the cardholder prefers. Access to the catalog is through the “Books and Materials” link at the library’s website, http://sjpl.lib.mo.us.
Library Card Responsibility
In order to check out materials, we ask that a library card be presented. In the absence of a card, staff will make a reasonable attempt to identify a patron’s correct address in order to allow materials to be checked out. If a satisfactory identification cannot be made, materials check out will be denied.
Library users age 17 and older applying for a library card assume responsibility for any fees, damages, or loss of materials that may result from their use of the library.
A parent or guardian assumes responsibility for any fees, damages, or loss of material, which may result from the use of the library by a child who is 16 and under.
The corporate entity shall assume responsibility for any fees, damages, or loss of material, which may result from the use of the institutional card.
Cardholders are responsible for paying for lost or damaged items. If the part(s) missing from a multi-part set cannot be replaced and the purchase of the entire set is necessary, cardholders are responsible for the replacement cost of the entire set. This responsibility includes carrying cases for library materials, such as CD and cassette cases or parts of multi-part sets.
Interlibrary Loan
A patron may make a special request for materials unavailable at the St. Joseph Public Library through interlibrary loan. These materials are subject to the check out period of the lending library and may only be renewed with the permission of the lending library. The lending library may require fees for the interlibrary loan service. The patron using the service assumes responsibilities to the lending library for lost or damaged material.
Lost Cards
Staff will assume that the bearer of a library card issued to someone other than the bearer has permission to use the library card. Therefore, it is in the interest of a cardholder to report lost or stolen cards immediately. Cardholders are responsible for materials checked out on the card until the loss has been reported. Replacement cost of a library card is $2.00.