Circulation

Registration

All borrowers must be registered and must have a valid local or system patron card to borrow library materials.

Identification is required. A driver’s license or student ID is preferred; however, any other official ID or recent non-personal piece of mail may be acceptable.

Applicants under 16 years of age must have a parent or guardian give their consent on the application form before a new card can be issued. This parental signature is not required for children who are renewing cards.

Materials cannot be checked out until a library card is issued.

All library cards expire after one year. In order to renew a library card, patrons must verify contact information with library staff.

Lost or forgotten cards

If a patron loses his/her library card, he should notify the library as soon as possible and request a replacement. A fee of $1 will be assessed to patrons for the replacement of lost cards.

All patrons, adult and juvenile, are expected to bring their library cards with them if they intend to check out items. An individual who repeatedly ignores this expectation may be denied the privilege of checking out materials until they present their card at the library. Patrons will be allowed to check out on a family member’s card if they present the card at the time of checkout.

Loan periods and checkout limits

7 days  DVD/Video	Limit 7 per card
7 days New DVD/Video	Limit 1 per card
14 days New Books	Limit 2 per card
14 days Magazines	No limit
14 days Music CD	Limit 7 per card
28 days CD ROM	Limit 2 per card
28 days Books, Audio Books	No Limit

• Patrons are limited to 75 checkouts per card at any given time.
• Interlibrary loans are due the date indicated by the lending library.
• Books may be renewed once if there is not a waiting list for the title.
• Current issues of periodicals do not circulate.

The director may establish the loan period for special collections, materials which are temporarily in great demand, such as for student projects, or materials added to the collection which are in a new format, e.g., computer software.

Reference

Reference books are for Library Use Only; however, overnight checkouts may be allowed upon request. Online reference databases may be accessed via the Internet 24 hours a day, seven days a week.

Rose M. Coughlin Room

• The historical materials that make up the Coughlin collection do not circulate.
• Patrons have open access to the materials during established library hours.
• To view items behind locked cases, patrons may ask a librarian to unlock the cabinets.
• The materials may not leave the Coughlin Room.
• Patrons must handle materials with care and clean hands, as many of the items are irreplaceable.
• Patrons may ask a librarian for assistance in making photocopies, and will pay 15 cents per page of copies.
• The library reserves the right to refuse a copy if doing so will endanger the integrity of the document. That decision is up to the discretion of the librarian on duty.
• Wireless Internet access is available for use in the Coughlin Room.
• Patrons may ask a librarian to borrow the Coughlin Room laptop to search the information contained on its databases. The laptop should be used inside the Coughlin Room.
• No food or drink will be allowed in the Coughlin Room.

Electronic Materials

Electronic Materials are available in a variety of formats for patrons to use at no charge. They include reference databases, e-books, and downloadable digital audio materials. E-books and downloadable audio materials may be checked out on a patron’s library card for a period of one week. At the end of the loan period, the materials are automatically returned. If content is downloaded to a portable device from the Overdrive media site, patrons are required to delete the content from their portable device immediately after the one-week loan period has ended. Downloads of electronic materials may not be conducted on the library’s computers.

Reserves

Reserves may be placed by patrons either in person, over the phone, or via Internet. Patrons will be notified by email or telephone when the materials are available. There is no charge to the patron for placing a reserve or for interlibrary loan services.

Overdue fines

• Effective immediately, the Winneconne Public Library is no longer charging “overdue” fines for library materials that are returned late.

   

  What are Fines?

  Fines, or “overdue” fines, are charged for library items that are returned late. Circulation periods and overdue fines vary between material formats. Previously, the library charged overdue fines for items returned late in the amounts of 10 cents per day for books, magazines, and cds, and 50 cents per day for dvds. Now, there will be no fines assessed for items that are returned late.

   

  Why Fine Free?

  1. Fines represent less than 1% of our budget.
  2. We incur expenses to collect overdue fines, including staff time and postage.
  3. Fines disproportionately affect low-income families and create a barrier to using the library.
  4. What little we lose monetarily will be made up for in good will.
  5. Fear of fines stops people from checking out books or limits the number they check out.
  6. Studies have shown that punishing people with fines doesn’t actually teach them to return things on time.
  7. Libraries across the country which have eliminated fines reported increased customer registration and circulation.
  8. Research shows that between libraries which charge fines and libraries that don’t charge fines, the percentage of items returned late is the same.

   

  All my fines will be gone?

  Only the overdue (late) charges from the Winneconne Public Library will disappear. Lost and damaged charges won’t. Items checked out at other Winnefox member libraries might still accrue overdue fines.

   

  What if my Interlibrary Loan Item from outside of the Winnefox Library System is overdue?

  The only materials for which we still charge fines ($1/day) is for things that come from libraries outside of Winnefox (also called “interlibrary loan” or “ILL”). It is extremely important that those items are returned on time because they are loaned–as a courtesy–to the Winnefox Library System (who sends them to us, and we loan them to you). As a member library of the Winnefox Library System, the Winneconne Public Library will adhere to this system policy and continue to charge overdue fines for ILL items at a rate of $1 per item, per day.

   

  Will there still be charges for damaged items?

  Yes, we will still charge for damaged items. Just like before, if you accidentally tore, broke, scribbled on, or soaked an item, we may charge a fee. Just like before, it may be a small fee to repair an item, or we may charge the full replacement price for an item that is too damaged to use. Past damage charges on your account will not go away.

   

  Does this mean anyone can keep a library item forever?

  No. Just like before, books and audiobooks can be checked out for a month at a time, while magazines and cds are two weeks, and dvds and video games are one week. Just like before, if you keep library materials for too long, they are automatically set to “lost” at 30 days past due, and the replacement cost is assessed. Patrons will still be charged for lost items. Past lost charges on your account will not go away.  

   

Overdue notices

10 days after due date                  First Notice is sent by mail or email.

30 days after due date                  Bill for replacement costs of material(s) is issued.

60 days after due date                  Patron’s account is automatically sent to Unique Management Service for collections.

Collection of overdue materials

The library contracts with Unique Management Services to assist with the recovery of overdue library materials or the costs to replace unreturned items. Accounts are automatically sent to the collection agency at 60 days past the original due date. In the case of minors, all communications are directed to the parent(s) of the minor. Failure of a patron to cooperate with the collection agency will result in a poor credit rating.

Lost or damaged materials

If materials are lost or damaged so as to be judged by the library as being unsuitable for the collection, the patron will be responsible for the replacement of the item. A notice of these charges will be sent to the borrower. If the borrower chooses, he/ she may replace the item with the same title bought at a store or on the Internet. In this case, a $3.00 processing fee will be charged. If the borrower does not make timely arrangements with the library director regarding the replacement of lost or damaged materials, the default cost set by Winnefox Automated Library System will be charged to the patron in addition to a $3.00 processing fee and any overdue fines that have accumulated.

Library use by children

The library affirms that parents or legal guardians are best suited to judge which materials are checked out by their children under age 16. WisconsinStateStatutes 43.30(4) dictate that parents may not legally request to see their child’s library records or be told what their child has checked out. The privacy laws are in place for the protection of the privacy of teenage patrons. Therefore, children age 16 and older may obtain a library card without having a parent’s signature. Parents must sign the registration form of children who are under the age of 16.

Children and teenagers who are under the age of 18 must have signed parental permission to check out movies from the library. Parents are advised that the library may contain library materials, including unrated films, in the adult collection that may be unsuitable for their children. By signing the permission form, parents acknowledge that the library will not sensor the materials their children borrow except to check that they have signed parental permission to borrow movies, and with the exception that children under 17 will not be allowed to check out R-rated movies. Patron records of children who have signed permission to check out movies or use the Internet will be clearly marked to make it easy for staff to check for permissions.

If specifically asked to do so by a parent or legal guardian, and if the child is under age 16, the library will restrict a child’s ability to check out library materials or to use the public Internet workstations. This request will be indicated by a note on the child’s library card record.

Confidentiality

As specified in Wisconsin Statutes 43.30, “records of any library which is in whole or in part supported by public funds, including the records of a public library system, indicating the identity of any individual who borrows or uses the library’s documents or other materials, resources or services may not be disclosed except by court order or to persons acting within the scope of their duties in the administration of the library or library system, to persons authorized by the individual to inspect such records, or to libraries authorized under subs. (2) and (3).”

The Winneconne Public Library adheres strictly to all sections of this Statute regarding the protection of the confidentiality of its users.

Consequences for misuse

The library director reserves the right to revoke or suspend the library cards of patrons who  abuse their privileges.