Herrin City Library
Circulation Policies
Borrowing privileges – Registration requirements
The Herrin City Library is a tax supported municipal public library serving the City of Herrin. This means that people residing within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Herrin City Library pay taxes to support the library. The jurisdictional boundaries are the incorporated territory of the City of Herrin. Those people who reside within the City of Herrin do not need to pay any additional fee to be eligible to receive their first library card. Library cards are renewed every year (issued for three years) without additional fees provided the library cardholder continues to reside within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Herrin City Library and is a patron in good standing. There is a fee of $1.00 to replace damaged, destroyed, lost or stolen library cards.
Resident Card Holders
As a resident cardholder, the borrower identified on the valid borrower’s card may physically take his or her library card to another library to borrow materials. Those materials are the responsibility of the individual 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 best to check local rules and procedures before making your selections.
Non-Resident Card Holders
Individuals residing beyond the jurisdictional boundaries of the Herrin City Library, and not within the boundaries of another public library, and owning no property within the City of Herrin, may purchase a family Non-Resident Card for the price of $55.00 per year. This fee entitles the entire family to use Herrin City Library. Veterans with a service-connected disability of at least 70% are exempt from paying the Non-Resident Card Fee. Children age 17 and under may receive a free Non-Resident Card for use only by the child. Must show proof of Herrin City Library Non-Residency.
Under the Illinois Compiled Statutes, an individual without tax-supported library service is eligible to purchase access to library service from the public library serving their school district. This patron card is referred to as a Non-Resident Card. The Non-Resident Card “shall allow for borrowing privileges at all participating public libraries in the regional library system.” (From: 75 ILCS 16/30-55.60 or 75 ILCS 5/4-7(12)) Therefore, when a non-resident purchases a card from a public library within IHLS, that card is valid at any Illinois Heartland Library System (IHLS) public library AND other Illinois public libraries. More information about non-resident cards may be found at IHLS: Reciprocal Borrowing.
Business Card Holders
If you reside outside the City of Herrin, but own property within the City of Herrin, upon presentation of a tax bill bearing your name, you may have one library card for the exclusive use of the individual whose name appears on its face without additional payment, as is the case with people who reside within the jurisdictional boundaries of the Herrin City Library.
Application for Library Card
Adults wishing to register for a borrower’s card must bring with them two forms of identification, at least one of which bears their name and address. These forms of identification must include, but are not limited to, driver’s license, utility bills, mail, or voter’s registration card. Applicants are asked to supply their birth date on the registration card. Applicants are required to supply their Illinois Driver’s License or State ID number for the registration record. Applicants are also asked to supply a reference giving the name, address, and telephone number. The reference can be a friend, neighbor, or relative who does not reside at the same address as the applicant. The reference will not usually be contacted unless it is necessary to locate the applicant after all other means have been exhausted. All information provided to the Herrin City Library for registration will be kept confidential and will not be released outside the Herrin City Library.
Children age 15 and under must have a parent’s signature on any initial application for a library card. The application must be completed with both the child and adult present in the library. Children may have a borrower’s card in their own name upon reaching 2 years of age. Children 15 and under may use the proof of residency provided by their parent or guardian. Children 16 and over may choose to provide their own proof of residency, or use that of their parents or guardians.
Individuals presenting a valid card from another public library in Illinois may borrow materials from the Herrin City Library. The card must have the name of the individual presenting it and an expiration date in the future. The card must be either a resident borrower’s card or a system borrower’s card to be valid for reciprocal borrowing. (Non-Resident Cards may be used at any library, but reciprocal borrowing must be performed at the patron’s home library, per the statutory laws of the state of Illinois.)
Borrowing Library Materials
Individuals presenting valid borrower’s cards issued by the Herrin City Library are eligible to borrow materials from the Herrin City Library when the following conditions are met:
- No materials which are more than one circulation period overdue on their card.
- No outstanding fines in aggregate excess of $5.00 have accrued to their card.
- No materials borrowed for them from another library are overdue in any amount.
- Anyone living at the same address, owes $5.00 or has items overdue from the Herrin City Library for over two weeks.
- The borrowing privileges of a library patron will be suspended for such time as the patron or anyone living at the same address is indebted to the library as a result of damage to Library property or for the failure to return any Herrin City Library materials after the Billing Notice has been sent.
- The Herrin City Library will not issue cards or provide service to patrons who are known to have overdue obligations (in the form of unpaid fines or overdue/lost/damaged material) at another library in the State of Illinois.
The library staff may not waive these regulations without the specific permission of the library director; however, the patron may request and receive a 24-hour hold on the item(s) he or she wishes to check out to allow the patron to correct the situation which has resulted in loss of eligibility to borrow.
Confidentiality of Library Records
We uphold the principles of the American Library Association’s Freedom to Read Statement, concerning privacy and confidentiality of personal information. The Herrin City Library subscribes to the Code of Ethics of the American Library Association and is governed by Illinois Compiled Statutes (75 ILCS 70/) Library Records Confidentiality Act: “The registration and circulation records of a library are confidential information.” Further, Library staff will afford the same right to privacy to children as to adults. Unless the Library staff receives written second-party authorization, only the patron who requested the material be reserved (put on hold) or interlibrary loaned may pick up and check it out on his/her card.
Loan limits
See Fees/Fines/Loan Chart below for fines, loan periods and limits on quantities of specific types of materials that may be checked out. Library staff may set other quantity limits when needed.
Fees/Fines
See Fees/Fines/Loan Chart below for fines and fees. Overdue fines shall not exceed the cost of the item that is overdue. Patrons who damage or lose library materials will be charged the cost to repair or replace such materials, plus a nonrefundable processing fee of $5.00 per item. If a lost item that has been paid for is returned to the Library within 30 days of the payment date and the original receipt for that item is presented, the cost of the item minus the $5 processing charge will be refunded. The item must be returned in the same condition as when borrowed in order to receive a refund.
Fees/Fines/Loan Chart
|
Materials |
Loan Period |
Overdue Fine/Day |
Grace Period (Days) |
|
New Books |
2 weeks |
$0.20 |
1 |
|
Books & Magazines |
2 weeks |
$0.20 |
2 |
|
DVDs, VHS, CDs, Playaways & Kits |
2 weeks |
$0.20 |
2 |
|
Fee for a lost or damaged item will not exceed the cost of the item. |
Fee for processing a lost or damaged item is $5 per item. |
Maximum Fine $25.00 Maximum # of Items = 30 |
These policies regarding library cards and borrowing privileges are modeled upon examples approved and recommended by the Illinois State Library, the Illinois Library Association, and the American Library Association.
APPROVED BY THE BOARD OF TRUSTEES OF THE HERRIN CITY LIBRARY – AUGUST 2004
Amended August 2008
Updated October 2011
Updated & Approved November 8, 2011.
Updated & Approved January 12, 2014
Updated & Approved January 12, 2016.
Updated & Approved January 12, 2021.
Updated & Approved January 11, 2022.