315.1 Circulation Policy.

The Aaron Cutler Memorial Library loans materials to registered patrons in good standing, and maintains records on all materials loaned. Circulating materials are loaned for a variety of time periods, with varying limits and renewals, based on type of item and current demand. Non-circulating materials are available for in-house use only. Patrons who do not return items on time will be assessed a fine based on the number of days overdue, receiving notification from the library within approximately seven days. Borrowing privileges are suspended until all overdue items are returned, fines and fees are paid, and/or reimbursement is received on final bills. Information regarding unreturned, lost or damaged materials may be turned over to the Litchfield Police Department for prosecution under to New Hampshire RSA 202-A:25 Detaining Books.

315.2 Circulation Guidelines.

315.21 Borrower’s Cards.

315.21.1 Applying for a Borrower’s Card.
The following persons are eligible to apply for a borrower’s card: ·

• Residents of Litchfield
• Teachers employed by the Litchfield Public Schools
• Library staff
• NHAIS member libraries for the purpose of Interlibrary Loan
• Other non-residents who pay an annual fee of $20.00.

Application. Patrons must fill out an application for a borrower’s card. The application must contain wording that states the patron agrees to be responsible for all items borrowed on the library card issued in their name, including items borrowed by others with or without consent, unless the card has been reported lost; to pay fines and fees for material returned to the library after their due date, and reimburse the library for materials that are lost, damaged or stolen; to comply with all library rules and policies, both present and future, and to give prompt notice of change of address or loss of their library card. The application must be signed by the patron in the presence of library staff. Applications will be given to persons for completion at home when a minor’s parent or guardian is unable to come to the library, a person is unable to visit the library due to a disability, or as part of a card registration campaign. Upon receipt of the completed application, a card will be mailed to the individual as a way of verifying current address, or will be given to the person with proper identification.


Identification. Patrons 18 years and older must show identification containing their name and current address. Preferred forms of identification include a photograph, such as driver’s license, student ID, or other official identification. If a preferred form is not available, the following items may be accepted: a current non-personal piece of mail, a copy of a renter’s lease agreement, a rent receipt with current address and date, a bank check with current address.

Treatment of Minors. The parent or guardian of a child under the age of 18 will be made aware of the New Hampshire law concerning the confidentiality of library records, NH RSA 201-D:11, as well as the library’s policy on free access for minors, before a borrower’s card is issued to the minor. Applicants under the age of 18 must have a parent or guardian give their consent on the minor’s application, accepting full responsibility for all items borrowed on the minor’s card, before a borrower’s card can be issued. If the parent or guardian does not hold a current borrower’s card, he/she must provide identification as described above.

315.21.2 Renewing a Borrower’s Card.
Resident library cards expire after two years. Teacher and Non-Resident cards expire after one year. Patrons will be asked to renew their borrower’s card upon their next visit following the expiration. Patrons must provide identification, as described above in 315.21, and clear all outstanding fines, fees, and bills before renewing their card.

315.21.3 Lost or Forgotten Borrower’s Cards.
Lost borrower’s cards should be reported to the library as soon as possible, as patrons are responsible for all materials borrowed on their card. Patrons are expected to bring their library card with them if they intend to borrow items or use other services. Patrons who forget their borrower’s card may be asked to provide alternate identification before borrowing materials or using other services. An individual who repeatedly ignores this expectation may be denied the privilege of borrowing materials until their card is presented.

315.22 Loan of Materials.

315.22.1 Loan Periods.
Materials are loaned for a variety of time periods, with varying limits and renewals, based on type of item and current demand as shown in the table below:

Material Type	Loan Period	Limit	Renewals
Activity Passes	3 days	na	0
Audio Books	3 weeks	50	2
Books, Board Books	3 weeks	50	2
CD-ROMs	3 weeks	50	2
Interlibrary Loans	Determined by lending library.	50	0
Kits in hanging bags	3 weeks	50	2
Music CDs	3 weeks	50	2
Non-current magazines	3 weeks	50	2
Videos and DVDs	1 week	5 total, 2 DVDs	1
“New” videos and DVDs	1 week	1 total	1
Other “New” Items	3 weeks	2	2
Materials temporarily in great demand	Determined by Library Director.	To be determined	0
Materials for school assignments	Determined by Library Director.	2	0

315.22.2 Renewing Materials.
Items may be renewed according to the above renewal schedule, provided another patron has not placed them on reserve. Before the due date, renewals may be made in person or by telephone. After the due date: · Patrons may renew overdue items at the library after paying all fines and fees associated with their account. · Patrons may renew overdue items by telephone, and must pay all fines and fees associated with their account upon their next visit to the library.

315.22.3 Reserving Materials.
Patrons may place a reserve on any circulating material in the collection, and will be notified by telephone or e-mail when the material is available. This material will be returned to the shelf if not picked up within one week of notification.

315.23 Fines on Overdue Material.

After a one day grace period, there is a fine charged for each day the library is open on each overdue material as described in the table below:

Item	Fine	Maximum Fine per Item
Videos, DVDs, Activity Passes	$1.00 per day	$5.00 or replacement cost, whichever is less
All other materials	.10 per day	$5.00 or replacement cost, whichever is less

Waiving of Fines. The Library Director, or designee, may waive a patron’s fines in extraordinary circumstances.

315.24 Notification and Billing for Overdue Material.

All overdue notification is made to the cardholder, regardless of age, in accordance with RSA 201-D:11 “Library User Records; Confidentiality.”

315.24.1 Courtesy Call or Email.
A courtesy call is made, or an email is sent, regarding overdue material(s) as described below:

Material Type	Overdue
Video/DVD/activity pass	approx. 1 day
All other materials	approx. 1 week

315.24.2 First Notice Letter or Email.
A first notice letter or email is sent regarding overdue material(s) as described below:

Material Type	Overdue
Video/DVD/activity pass	approx. 1 week
All other materials	approx. 2 weeks

315.24.3 Second Notice Letter or Email.
A second notice letter or email is sent regarding overdue material(s), along with a statement pertaining to steps that may be taken under Final Notice, as described below:

Material Type	Overdue
Video/DVD/activity pass	approx. 2 weeks
All other materials	approx. 4 weeks

Exception. In the case of Interlibrary Loaned material(s), the Second Notice is eliminated, and a Final Notice is sent in its place.

315.24.4 Final Notice Letter and Bill.
A final notice cover letter and bill for the replacement cost of the material(s) is sent from the Library Director as described below:

Material Type	Overdue
Video/DVD/activity pass	approx. 4 weeks
Interlibrary loan material	approx. 4 weeks
All other materials	approx. 8 weeks

Note: If the replacement cost of the material(s) is $75 or more, or when the cardholder or responsible adult has multiple bills totaling $75 or more, the final notice cover letter and bill is sent certified mail/return receipt.

315.24.41 Bill for Replacement Cost. The bill includes the replacement cost of the material(s) plus a processing fee for cataloging, processing and postage as described below. A discount may be offered for payment made within two weeks from the billing date. If Amazon.com is offering the material(s) at a discount, the discount price is used to calculate the early payment price. If Amazon.com is not offering a discount, a discount of up to 10% may be offered. The processing fee must be paid whether the material(s) is returned or paid for.

Replacement Cost.

Item	Replacement Cost
Magazines	Publisher’s replacement cost or cover price when a replacement cannot be obtained.
All other materials	Publisher’s current suggested retail price.

Processing Fees. ·

For Bill Totaling under $75.

Item	First Item	Each Additional
All materials	$3.00	$1.00

For Bill Totaling $75 or more.

Item	First Item	Each Additional
All materials	$3.00 + postage for Certified/Return Receipt letter	$1.00

Note: Processing Fee for additional item(s) is waived if the item(s) is returned.

Waiving of Processing Fees. The Library Director, or designee, may waive a patron’s fees in extraordinary circumstances.

315.24.42 Cover Letter When Bill is Under $75.
The cover letter includes a reference to RSA 202-A:25, “Detaining books,” and notification that their unpaid account may be turned over to the Litchfield Police Department (LPD).

315.24.43 Cover Letter When Bill is Over $75.
The cover letter includes RSA 202-A:25 on its face and notification of steps that may be taken if the material(s) is not returned or paid for.

RSA 202-A:25 Detaining books. “Any person who willfully detains any book, newspaper, magazine, manuscript, pamphlet, publication, recording, film, or other property belonging to or in the care of any gallery or museum of any state, public, school, college, or other institutional library, may be given written notice to return it, which shall bear upon its face a copy of this section, mailed by certified mail to such person’s last address or delivered by a person designated by the lawful custodian of such property; and if such person shall thereafter willfully and knowingly fail to return such property within 15 days after such notice, the person shall be guilty of a violation.”

Steps to be Taken. When material(s) is not returned or paid for within 30 days of the delivery of the certified letter:
1. The unpaid account will be turned over to the Litchfield Police Department(LPD).
2. The LPD makes one follow-up phone call to the patron.
3. The LPD issues a warrant for arrest if material(s) is not returned or paid for.

315.24.5 Unresolved Bills of $75 or More.
Finally, any unresolved account of $75 or more is turned over to the Litchfield Police Department (LPD) for collection or prosecution 30 days after the certified letter was received by the patron. The library will notify the LPD should payment be made to the library after the account has been turned over. Certified letters returned to the library as undeliverable will be referred to the LPD as soon as possible.

315.24.6 Minor Cardholders.
In the case of a minor cardholder, a second cover/notification letter is addressed to the responsible adult to inform him or her of the child’s final notice. Due to patron confidentiality, this letter does not contain title information. The minor patron’s cover letter and bill are placed in a separate envelope addressed to the minor, and is inserted in the notification letter to the adult responsible for the account.

315.24.7 Claims Returned.
A patron is allowed a maximum of two “claims returned” events, and a “Message” is placed on the patron’s account in the circulation system describing the situation. If a patron attempts a third “claims returned” event, the patron is billed.

315.24.8 Refunds.
Patrons are refunded for the replacement cost of any lost material(s) that was paid for and is later found only if the library has not already replaced the material(s), and the material is in useable condition. Refunds are issued by the Treasurer of the Library Board of Trustees. Service charges are not refundable.

315.25 Notification and Billing for Damaged and Lost Materials.Materials.

Patrons returning damaged items or reporting lost items receive a First Notice Bill and cover letter. The bill includes the replacement cost of the material(s), in part or in whole, plus a processing fee for cataloging, processing, and postage as described above in 315.24.41.

315.25.1 First Notice Letter and Bill.
A First Notice cover letter and bill for the replacement cost of the material(s) is sent as soon as the item(s) are reported damaged or lost.

315.25.11 Bill for Replacement Cost.
The bill includes the replacement or repair cost of the material(s) plus a service charge for processing, cataloging and postage as shown below. A discount may be offered for payment made within two weeks from the billing date. If Amazon.com is offering the material(s) at a discount, the discount price is used to calculate the early payment price. The service charge must be paid whether the material(s) is returned or paid for.

Replacement Cost.

Item	Replacement Cost
Magazines	Publisher’s replacement cost or cover price when a replacement cannot be obtained.
All other materials	Publisher’s current suggested retail price.
Single audio cassette or compact disc	Publisher’s replacement cost or $5.00 when a replacement cannot be obtained.
Cassette audio case	$0.50 per cassette
CD audio case	$0.75 per cd
Video, DVD, or CD-ROM case	$2.00
Hanging bags	$2.00
Book Jacket	$5.00
DVD, CD-ROM, compact disc or audio cover art	$5.00
DVD, CD-ROM, compact disc or audio cassette guide when integral to the material	$5.00

Note: This list is not exhaustive.

Repair Cost.

Item	Repair Cost
All materials	Actual cost of repairs plus shipping when applicable.

Processing Fees.

For Bill Totaling under $75.

Item	First Item	Each Additional
All materials	$3.00	$1.00

For Bill Totaling $75 or more.

Item	First Item	Each Additional
All materials	$3.00 + postage for Certified/Return Receipt letter	$1.00

315.25.12 Cover Letter.
The cover letter includes a reference to RSA 202-A:25, “Detaining books,” and notification that their unpaid account may be turned over to the Litchfield Police Department (LPD).

315.25.2 Final Notice Letter and Bill.
A Final Notice letter and bill are sent 30 days after the First Notice if the account has not been settled. The Final Notice letter and bill are handled the same way as 315.24.4 Final Notice above.

315.25.3 Claims Undamaged.
A patron is allowed a maximum of two “claims undamaged” events, and a “Message” is placed on the patron’s account in the circulation system describing the situation. If a patron attempts a third “claims undamaged” event, the patron is billed.

315.25.4 Refunds.
Patrons are refunded for the replacement cost of any lost material(s) that was paid for and is later found only if the library has not already replaced the material(s), and the material is in useable condition. Refunds are issued by the Treasurer of the Library Board of Trustees. Service charges are not refundable.

315.26 Unresolved Patron Accounts.

Patron accounts with unpaid fines and fees or unreturned material(s) remain open in perpetuity.

Suspension of Borrowing Privileges. Adult cardholders, age 18 or older, with outstanding fines and/or fees are denied borrowing privileges until their account is cleared. Minor cardholders, under the age of 18, with outstanding fees, along with the adult responsible for his/her card, are denied borrowing privileges until the minor’s account is cleared.

Unreturned Materials. Unreturned material(s) associated with these accounts is withdrawn from the collection after one year.

Fees Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees Effective 1-1-05, Revised 2-11-08 Guidelines Effective 1-1-05, Revised 2-11-08