Circulation Policy

Town of Acton Libraries

The Town of Acton Libraries – the Memorial Library and Citizens’ Library – provide resources in a wide variety of formats to meet the cultural, informational, educational, and recreational needs of the diverse community they serve. The Acton Libraries (the Library) strives to make available a collection which meets residents’ needs and to support the use of that collection by cardholders. These rules are intended to assist in maintaining the collection and making it accessible to the community. Access to borrowing may be denied if a cardholder fails to comply with these rules.

Acton Memorial Library and Citizens’ Library are members of the Minuteman Library Network (MLN).

LIBRARY CARDS

1. Library cards are available to anyone 4 years and older who lives in Massachusetts or works in Acton. Valid name and address identification are required. In the event a new user’s address cannot be verified, the individual will be able to borrow 2 items at the time they apply for a card. The card will be held at the library until the address is verified.
2. Users may only have a card at one Minuteman Library Network (MLN) library, except for users affiliated with an MLN college or university, who may have 2 library cards.
3. People staying in Acton less than 2 months may receive a card with which to borrow only Acton materials.
4. Cardholders are responsible for keeping the library updated re: changes of name, address, phone numbers, email, etc.
5. Borrowers are responsible for all items checked out on their cards. Report lost or stolen library cards to the library immediately.
6. A parent or legal guardian must co-sign applications for children under 13 years of age. The adult is responsible for items checked out on the child’s card and any fines incurred on the card.
7. Prospective users may apply online for an electronic library card. The card is good for 6 months and can be used to:
   • Log in to My Account and establish a PIN.
   • Place up to 5 requests in the catalog, and up to 7 requests in OverDrive and 10 checkouts in OverDrive.
   • Download e-books and e-audiobooks.
   • Use state-provided online research databases (within Massachusetts only). To complete the registration and receive a full-service card, people must come to the library.

BORROWING AND RENEWING MATERIALS

1. To check out library materials, users should present a valid library card. In lieu of their card, users may provide an official photo ID.
2. An individual carrying a library card other than their own is deemed by the library to have been given permission to use it by the cardholder.
3. Loans:
   • Speed Reads (available in the Acton Memorial Library lobby) circulate for 1 week and are automatically renewed for one more week.
   • New adult books circulate for 2 weeks and may be renewed once (if there are no holds waiting)
   • All other items (books, DVDs, Library of Things, and so on) can be checked out for 3 weeks and can be renewed twice unless there is a hold on that item.
   • Items may not be renewed if there is a hold on them.
   • The maximum loans on a card at any given time is 150.
   • Library staff have the right to limit the number of items borrowed by a cardholder on a topic.
   • Reference materials circulate at the discretion of the Reference staff.
   • Loan rules for downloadable products are set by their vendors and/or the Minuteman Library Network (MLN). Current loan rules for specific services (such as OverDrive) are available in the Help for that service or by calling the library’s reference desk at 978-929-6657.

RESERVES

1. Reserves may be placed in the library, online, or by calling the library.
2. A maximum of 50 holds per card is allowed, except for downloadable titles, where the maximum is set by the service.
3. Speed Read books may not be reserved.
4. Users are notified by email or telephone when their reserves are available.
5. Items are held at the circulation desk for 5 days. This may be extended on request if there are no other reserves on the item.
6. Items from the Library of Things may only be reserved by Acton residents. Patrons from other libraries may check items out in person if they are available on a first-come, first-served basis.

MUSEUM PASSES

• Museum passes may be reserved in the library, online, or by telephone. Reservations are taken up to 3 months in advance. The number of passes which can be reserved by an individual is limited and may vary with the dates sought.
• Museum passes come in several different forms: print-on-demand, coupon, and physical passes. Print-on-demand and coupon passes do not need to be returned. Physical passes are due back on the day of use.

OVERDUE MATERIALS

1. It is the borrower’s responsibility to return materials on time.
   • Courtesy notices are emailed to borrowers 2 days before an item is due.
   • First overdue notices are sent out when an item is 14 days overdue.
   • A bill showing the replacement cost is mailed when an item is 30 days overdue.
   • If items are not returned after 30 days, the patron will be charged the cost of the item. The charge will be cleared if the item is returned.
   • If a borrower maintains that an item has been returned but the item is still on the borrower’s record and library staff cannot locate the item on library shelves, it will be designated ‘Claims Returned.’ A cardholder may have no more than 5 active ‘Claims Returned.’
2. Fines
   • There are no overdue fines for items that are checked out from the Acton Library, unless otherwise specified in this policy.
   • Overdue fines for returnable museum passes are $10 a day.
   • The fine on non-MLN interlibrary loans is up to $2 a day and is determined on a case-by-case basis.
   • Fines may be paid in person by cash or check, and by credit card through the online My Account
   • Borrowers may be prohibited from checking out materials when their card has more than $100 in fines or fees.

LOST AND DAMAGED ITEMS

1. Borrowers are charged the price shown in the item record for a lost or damaged item. The Library is unable to accept replacement items in lieu of payment for damaged items.
2. For items that contain multiple parts, borrowers may be charged for missing pieces of sets or entire sets if the library is unable to replace the missing piece by itself.
3. If an item has been lost and paid for and is then found and returned to the library within one month of payment, the library will refund the charge via Town check minus a $10 processing fee. Patrons may be refunded with cash at the Circulation Desk if less than a week as passed. In order to receive a refund, the patron must present a receipt showing payment for the item.

PRIVACY: GENERAL

1. The library recognizes the importance of protecting the privacy and confidentiality of its users’ registration, circulation, and electronic access information and makes every reasonable effort to do so.
2. Any person with positive identification is entitled to view their own library account information or the account of a second person who has given the first person their library card.
3. Only users with proper identification may correct their library account information through the library.
4. Personal information of library users may be accessed by and used by a staff member of the Library or other members of MLN when the staff member is acting within the scope of their library duties.
5. The library may be required to provide a user’s personal information to a local, state, or federal governmental entity pursuant to compulsory legal process. While the Library will make every effort to respect the privacy of its users, if under a legal requirement to turn over data, such as a court order, subpoena, or search warrant, it will comply with the law.
6. The Library and the MLN make every reasonable effort to maintain the accuracy of all information it collects and retains. It is also committed to maintaining the security of all personal information. Appropriate physical, electronic, and managerial procedures are in place in an effort to safeguard and secure the information it collects to prevent unauthorized access, alteration, or disclosure of data.
7. Despite precautions, no system is immune from unlawful intrusion through hacking, which violates both federal and state laws; therefore, the Library and the MLN cannot guarantee that information it collects will never be accessed by unauthorized users.
8. MLN provides essential information to trusted partners who work on behalf of or with Minuteman; however, these companies do not have any independent right to share this information. These companies must demonstrate that they agree that end user data will not be retained or sold or otherwise distributed or disclosed.
9. There is no guarantee of privacy for email that travels over the Internet between a user and the MLN. To remove or change your email address, log into the Minuteman Library Network website, and browse to Account settings > Contact information, or you can request that it be removed from your record by a library staff member.

PRIVACY: ELECTRONIC CONTENT (ECONTENT)

Minuteman Library Network works with a variety of partners to provide Electronic Content (eContent) to our users. Before checking out any of Minuteman’s eContent, users should read the privacy policy of the company that is providing the service in question. For example, users who check out eBooks from Minuteman’s website for use on their Kindle (or via a Kindle app) will receive those eBooks via Amazon. Amazon’s privacy policy describes the kind of information that is collected and stored in connection with such transactions, and we encourage our users to familiarize themselves with that policy before engaging in such transactions. In reading Amazon’s privacy policy, users will learn, for example, that Amazon retains (on a long-term basis) information about the eBook a user borrows as well as any notes or highlights added to the text by the user.

Approved by the Board of Trustees of Acton Memorial Library this 26th day of September 2024.