Borrowing

1. Loan period: The standard loan period is three weeks. DVDs circulate for one week. Interlibrary loans from outside the Four County Library System may circulate for longer or shorter periods of time as indicated by the owning library. Extended vacation, teacher and home-schooler loans are available up to six weeks.
2. Renewal: Most items may be renewed once. Vacation/teacher/home schooler extended loans are not eligible for renewal. Items with active reserve requests may not be renewed. Items on interlibrary loan from outside the Four County Library System may be renewed only upon consent of the owning library.
3. Limits: Patrons may borrow as many items as they choose, with the following exceptions: adult magazines: 15; children’s magazines: 15; audio-visual items: 5 of each type except 10 music CDs. Daily newspapers do not circulate. Reference books do not circulate.
4. Reserves & interlibrary loans: A charge of 25 cents for each request, payable when the item is borrowed. Items not picked-up on time (held three days for most items; the return date if an out-of-system interlibrary loan) will still incur the 25-cent fee which will be assessed to the patron’s account. All circulating items are eligible for reserve except magazines.
5. Fines: The George F. Johnson Memorial Library supports access and equity. Eliminating overdue fines for certain materials means more people in our community have greater access to the Library’s vital materials, resources, and services. Late fines, no matter how small, are a very real and significant burden for low-income individuals, disabled persons, seniors, children, and families. Fines act as an inequitable barrier to service and will not be imposed on library patrons unless specified below.
   • Books … Fine-Free
   • Magazines … Fine-Free
   • Audiobooks … Fine-Free
   • Music CDs … Fine-Free
   • DVDs/DVD series … Fine-Free
   • Playaways … Fine-Free
   • Wi-Fi Hotspots … $5/day, maximum $15
   • Museum Passes … $1/day, maximum $5

   Lost items, and items damaged beyond repair, are charged the list price. A schedule of fines for partial damage is attached. The professional staff may assess smaller fines for damage when the item is deemed repairable. Items belonging to other libraries may be charged a cost higher than list price, as determined by the owning library. Fees are only charged the days that the library is open.

6. Other charges:
   • Copier: 20 cents per page(b&w) and 25 cents per page(color)
   • Computer prints: 15 cents per page(b&w) and 25 cents per page(color)
   • Microfilm prints: 25 cents per page
   • Fax (sending or receiving) $1.00 per page for first five pages, 25 cents per page after. No charge for cover sheet.
   • Referral to collections: $10.00
   • Returned check: As stipulated by Village Clerk-Treasurer
7. Confidentiality: Refer to the library’s Confidentiality Policy
8. Registration: Patrons must present valid identification in order to obtain a library card. Acceptable ID includes:
   • Picture ID with current address, or
     Picture ID with a document listing current address (if address is not current on the ID), or
   • Postmarked postcard from our library delivered to the patron and a document listing the patron’s name and current address, or
   • Children under 13 years of age must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian who has one of the above AND THE CHILD MUST BE ABLE TO SIGN OR WRITE THEIR FIRST AND LAST NAME.
   • Only ID containing a street residence is acceptable. PO boxes will not be accepted. A verified street address must be supplied for a library card to be issued
   • *Patrons who don’t reside in Broome County can obtain a library card as a non-resident. The non-resident fee is $50 and is paid annually, which covers the entire household.
9. Mobile devices: Patron cards scanned into mobile devices are acceptable for circulation purposes. If you do not have your card on your person or library card on a mobile device, other acceptable forms of ID to checkout are: Driver’s License/non-drivers ID; Utility bill; Rent receipt; Auto registration; Paycheck receipt

Approved by Library Board October 8, 2009. Revised 7/21/2016.
Amended: 3/17/22

View the Circulation Policy as a pdf.

General Statement 

It is the policy of the Library to select materials that assist its patrons to cope with the day-to-day problems and challenges of living in a society that is socially, politically, and economically complex; as well as materials for recreational reading and viewing. Materials will be selected with the intent of helping people enhance and enrich their lives in their own way and on their own terms. Such materials will include a variety of formats appropriate to the community. 

It is understood that patrons are of all ages, interests, abilities, educational levels, and priorities. The Library therefore seeks to establish priorities in line with those demonstrated by the community so that needs may be met to a reasonable degree while staying within budgetary limitations. 

Objectives of Materials Selection 

1. To cover the world of knowledge. 
2. To reflect the interests of the community. 
3. To satisfy reasonably the individual requirements of patrons. 
4. To serve as the informational hub of the community, providing for recreational, educational, cultural, and spiritual endeavors. 
5. To assist patrons, individually, and the community, collectively, to achieve their/its potential. 

Responsibility for Materials Selection 

The Library Director has overall responsibility for collection development, balancing the universe of available items with the Collection Development Policy and cost constraints. The Adult Services, Young Adult Services, and Youth Services Librarians will make suggested purchases for their respective departments. Other staff may also be assigned responsibilities in this area. Patron requests will be considered on an individual basis. 

Selection Criteria 

1. Timeliness 
2. Timelessness 
3. Clarity of expression 
4. Clarity of organization 
5. Visual appeal 
6. Physical format suited to purpose 
7. Accuracy 
8. Enhancement of the existing collection 
9. Established author reputation 
10. Established publisher reputation 
11. Public interest 
12. Preferably peer-reviewed 

To qualify for purchase it is not necessary for an item to have all of these qualities. Professional judgment will be exercised, and every effort will be made to present a balance of multiple viewpoints on controversial topics. 

De-Selection (Weeding) 

Materials already present in the collection that appear to no longer meet the Selection Criteria will be removed from the collection. Special attention will be paid to materials which by their nature become obsolete quickly. Physical condition, frequency of use, and space constraints may also affect the decision to retain or discard; as may inclusion of titles in collection development tools such as current editions of Public Library Catalog and Fiction Catalog. 

Controversial Materials 

It is inevitable that a public institution serving a diverse people will be unable to please all of those people all of the time. Selection of materials will be made on the principle that most of the people will be well-served most of the time if the library is able to provide diverse ideas and viewpoints, in both fiction and non-fiction. The library will not knowingly violate this principle by taking the side of one group or another and permitting this to affect its selection and weeding decisions. The Library also encourages parents to take an active role in helping their children make their reading, viewing, and listening choices. Citizens complaining about an item in the Library’s collection should be invited to complete and submit a Sample Request for Reconsideration of Library Resources form (attached). 

The Library Board of Trustees has endorsed both the American Library Association’s Bill of Rights and Freedom to Read Statement. The Library’s Collection Development Policy should be viewed through the prism of these prevailing professional documents. 

View the Collection Development Policy and attachments as a pdf.

The George F. Johnson Memorial Library is now lending out mobile hotspots to eligible patrons for use in their own homes. Please read the following rules and guidelines before checking out one of our mobile hotspots.

Purpose:

• The Mobile Hotspot Loaning Program allows patrons to take home a mobile hotspot to access the internet through a free wireless connection. Patrons can use hotspots to do work, to learn, and for entertainment. All on the go.

Eligibility Rules:

• A patron must have an unbarred and updated George F. Johnson Memorial Library card.
• Patron’s age on card must show borrower is 18 or older.
• Only one mobile hotspot device is to be checked out on a card.
• Only one mobile hotspot device can be checked out per household.

Lending Policy

• Before loaning a mobile hotspot a patron must sign that they agree with the George F. Johnson Library Mobile Hotspot Lending Agreement. Patron only needs to sign agreement once.
• The mobile hotspot devices have a loan period of one (1) week. Patrons can renew the hotspot for an additional week as long as there are no holds on device by another patron.
• Patrons will be charged a $3.00/per day late fee for every day the mobile hotspot is late.
• Patrons will be charged a $200 replacement fee for a lost or stolen mobile hotspot, plus any additional collection fees. Patrons will be charged $5 to $15 for lost chargers and USB cords. A patron may face suspension/termination from borrowing mobile hotspots in the future. The length of the suspension/termination will be at the discretion of the library director.
• Mobile hotspots will be checked for damage before and after a lending period. Any previous damage to a device will be noted by library staff. A patron may be held responsible for any new damage noticed to a device after their lending period. Damage fees can range from $15 up to the full replacement cost of $200. Damage cost is the discretion of the library director.
• Mobile hotspots must be borrowed and returned to George F. Johnson Memorial Library. They must be returned to the circulation desk and not in the book drops to limit the chance of damage. Damage fees could occur to patron’s account if mobile hotspots are returned to another library or in the book drops at the discretion of the library director.
• It is the library’s right to shut off wireless connection to any hotspot if it is late, lost, or presumed stolen.
• The George F. Johnson Memorial Library will not be held responsible for damages of any kind, including, but not limited to lost or stolen data, damage to personal devices or software, and/or misuse of the internet by any connected user to a patron’s leased mobile hotspot device.

View the Mobile Hotspot Lending Policy as a pdf.