General Information

The Simsbury Public Library and its collection are available for use by residents of Simsbury and other Connecticut towns. Library materials are the property of the Town of Simsbury. Library cards are issued to identify users of library materials and to provide a means of recovering materials that have not been returned. Loan periods are designed both to allow adequate time for borrowers to use materials and to provide timely loan of materials in high demand. Borrowers assume responsibility for payment of fees for materials that are lost or damaged.

Confidentiality of User Records

Circulation records, overdue records and patron registration records contain information on patrons of the Library and are confidential in nature, as defined in Connecticut General Statutes Sec. 11-15(b). A patron’s library record may be viewed by that patron or by that patron’s parent or legal guardian, if the patron is a minor under the age of 18. Records are also reviewed by library staff during patron transactions and for record maintenance. A patron’s library record may also be accessed by another patron, through a staff intermediary, if express permission is given and the patrons’ accounts are linked.

Library Cards

Eligibility and Registration

Eligibility for a Simsbury Public Library card is based on an individual’s primary residence established in the Town of Simsbury. Any person who shows verification of identity and proof of residence within the Town of Simsbury may receive a Simsbury Public Library card. A Simsbury post office box is not considered valid proof of residency. A form of identification must be presented at the time of library card registration as proof of identity and residence. Only one form of identification is necessary if it is one of these current and unexpired forms of identification:

• Connecticut State driver’s license
• Connecticut State ID (issued by DMV)

If the identification types listed above are not available, you may provide any two of the following forms of identification, one of which must have a photo and the other your current Simsbury address:

• Out-of-State driver’s license
• Valid passport
• Green card
• Connecticut motor vehicle registration or insurance
• Current telephone or utility bill
• Current item of mail with street address that has been delivered
• Lease agreement, rent receipt, property deed, or tax bill or receipt
• Checkbook with name and address imprinted
• Voter registration record
• Student report card or school schedule
• School ID with photo
• Employee ID with photo

Children Under 12

Applicants under the age of 12 must have a parent or legal guardian present to sign the application at the time the library card is issued. The parent or guardian’s identification or current Simsbury Public Library card will be accepted as proof of residence. Exceptions to this may be made if the Library visits schools for Library Card Sign-up Day or similar situations.

Children 12-17

Applicants aged 12 through 17 are not required to have a parent or legal guardian present to sign the application at the time the library card is issued, but if a parent or legal guardian is not present, applicants aged 12 through 17 must provide verification of identity and proof of residence within the Town of Simsbury as indicated above.  Borrowers aged 12 through 17 assume responsibility for payment of fees for materials that are lost or damaged.

Temporary Residents

Short-term residents, such as nannies/au pairs, may be issued a Library card upon proof of local residency and acceptable identification. Temporary resident cards expire after 1 year.

Part-year Residents

Part-year residents, such as those who maintain vacation or summer homes in Simsbury, may be issued a Library card upon proof of local residency and acceptable identification. Part-year residents cards expire after 3 years.

Other users, including Non-residents, Out-of-state Borrowers and Simsbury Businesses

The Simsbury Public Library honors valid library cards from all Connecticut public libraries in accordance with the borrowIT CT statewide reciprocal borrowing policy.

Non-Resident Students
Students who attend Simsbury schools and those who attend private or other schools within Simsbury will be issued a Library card upon proof of attendance, such as school ID, schedule or report card, which will be valid for 1 year. This card is not considered a borrowIT CT card, may not be used at any other public library and remains on file at the Library. Non-resident student borrowers assume responsibility for payment of fees for materials that are lost or damaged.

Teacher Cards: Out-of-Town and Residents
Teachers who teach in public or private schools in Simsbury, and who reside out of Town, will be issued an Out-of-Town Teacher card which will be valid for 1 year. Simsbury residents employed as teachers may apply for a Resident Teacher card, in addition to their personal Simsbury Public Library card, to be used for curriculum and classroom support material, which will be valid for 1 year. Proof of identity and employment must be presented.

Counselors, Daycare Center Providers and Outreach Coordinators who run programs within Simsbury institutions such as Assisted Living facilities, childcare centers, or Resident programs are also eligible for Teacher cards. Proof of identity and employment must be presented.

A teacher card is not considered a borrowIT CT card, may not be used at any other public library, and remains on file at the Library. Teachers will, however, receive their Teacher card barcode number for purposes of accessing Simsbury Public Library’s electronic resources.

Teacher cardholders assume responsibility for payment of fees or fines for materials not returned on time or those that are lost or damaged. Items borrowed with Teacher cards have extended loan periods. Teacher cards may be renewed if proof of identity and employment are presented.

Town Employees
Out-of-Town/State residents employed by the Town of Simsbury are eligible for Simsbury Public Library cards for use at the Simsbury Public Library only. Proof of identity and employment must be presented. This card will be valid for 1 year.

A Town Employee card is not considered a borrowIT CT card, may not be used at any other public library, and remains on file at the Library. Town employees will, however, receive their Town Employee card barcode number for purposes of accessing Simsbury Public Library’s electronic resources.

Town Employee cardholders assume responsibility for payment of fees for materials that are lost or damaged. Town Employee cards may be renewed if proof of identity and employment are presented.

Simsbury Businesses
Businesses located in Simsbury and paying local taxes are eligible for a Simsbury Public Library Business card. A tax bill or receipt must be presented. The business owner/manager must apply for the library card, and will be the contact person for the account and financially responsible for damaged or lost items. With written consent of the owner/manager, other employees of the business may use the library card. This card will be valid for 1 year.

A Business card is not considered a borrowIT CT card, may not be used at any other public library, and remains on file at the Library. Simsbury Businesses will, however, receive their Business card barcode number for purposes of accessing Simsbury Public Library’s electronic resources.

Business cardholders assume responsibility for payment of fees for materials that are lost or damaged. Simsbury Business cards may be renewed if a tax bill or receipt are presented.

Renewal of Library Cards

Simsbury Public Library cards are renewed on a 3 year cycle. Applicants will be asked to present a form of identification for address verification. Library cards for children under 12 may be renewed by a parent or guardian without the child present, using the parent or guardian’s identification. Library cards for children aged 12-17 may be renewed by the child or by the parent or guardian without the child present, using their own or the parent or guardian’s identification. Overdue items must be returned and payment of outstanding fees in excess of $25 is required before a Library card can be renewed.

Responsibility

Library patrons over the age of 12 are responsible for all material checked out on their cards or the cards of children under the age of 12 for whom they have assumed responsibility. If a patron allows others to borrow material using his/her card, those materials are the responsibility of the card owner. Lost cards should be reported immediately. A library patron is responsible for all material checked out on his/her card up to the date the card is reported lost to the Library.

Use of Library Card

Patrons should produce their card when checking out material. Scanned images of the card on personal devices and digital applications, as well as memorized barcodes, are acceptable. If the card is not available, identification must be produced. In the case of students, a current school schedule with their name will suffice. Patrons without valid identification will have their items held for them at the Circulation Desk for up to 5 days.

Loan Periods

Item	Loan Period
Books (Not Pronto) Books on CD Equipment & Games (including Library of Things) Music CDs DVDs (Non-Fiction) Kits Playaway Views Launchpads Samsung Tablets Magazines (Children’s)	3 weeks
DVDs Magazines (Adult) Pronto Books	1 week
Museum Passes	3 days

As the Library adds new formats and materials to its collection they will be included in the Loan Period table. Loan periods, fine rates and other circulation rules for downloadable electronic content provided through a third-party vendor and not physically loaned from the Library are not addressed in this policy. Guidelines for those loans are part of the Library’s agreements with the third-party providers.

Portions of the Library’s collection are for in-Library use only such as Simsbury Collection, newspapers, newsletters and the most current issues of adult magazines.

Other materials may have restricted borrowing given the demand or collection size.

Renewals

Eligible materials are renewed automatically twice on the original borrower’s Library card, provided that no holds are outstanding on the title or item. Pronto Books and Museum passes are not eligible for renewal. Library of Things items are not typically eligible for renewal, though the Library reserves the right to make exceptions to this policy due to special circumstances. Items on reserve for another patron will not be renewed.

Material that is not automatically renewed may be renewed by telephone, in person or online. After the initial two renewals, library staff may provide up to seven further renewals by telephone or in person, as long as the item belongs to Simsbury, is not a new item, and is not on hold for another patron.

If the item is overdue at the point of renewal, any fines incurred are the responsibility of the borrower.

Renewal of Interlibrary Loan material is at the discretion of the lending library’s policy.

Returns

Library material will not be due on days the Library is closed but will be due the next day the Library is open. Overdue fines, for the select materials that accrue fines, will not be charged for days the Library is closed.

Items returned in the book drop before the Library opens are considered returned as of the last day the Library was open.

Public library material may be returned to most public libraries in Connecticut which are on a deliverIT CT route, though we are unable to provide a receipt for returns to libraries outside Library Connection.

Library materials belonging to Simsbury schools should not be returned to the Public Library, nor will the Simsbury schools accept Public Library materials for return in school libraries. Fines will be charged on all overdue items. Books belonging to schools in other Connecticut towns that are returned to Simsbury Public Library are sent to the Public Library of that town via deliverIT CT. The Library will attempt to make arrangements to return school library materials to those libraries without deliverIT CT service, and then it is the responsibility of the owning library to make arrangements to retrieve their materials.

If books belonging to out-of-state libraries are returned to the Library, staff will attempt to contact the patron or the out-of-state Library to arrange for their materials to be returned, at their expense, but the Library is not responsible for the return of out-of-state materials.

Overdue Material

As of July 1, 2019, fines will not be charged for most overdue Library material.

Overdue notices are sent via email, when available. This courtesy is extended on the following schedule:

• 1st notice at 3 days past initial due date
• 2nd notice at 7 days past initial due date
• Bill for item replacement at 14 days past initial due date

As a courtesy a “Nearly Due” notice is sent to patrons via email 2 days before items are due. Failure to receive a “Nearly Due” or “Overdue” notice does not indicate an exemption from overdue bills or fines.

While the Simsbury Public Library charges no overdue fines on most materials, it must follow the fine policy of the lending library for any materials borrowed through the interlibrary system. Simsbury library materials checked out at other libraries will accrue fines based on the transaction library’s fine policy.

Overdue material from other Library Connection libraries returned at Simsbury Library will be charged the fine based on the fine rate of the material’s owning library.

Fines for overdue material from libraries not in Library Connection returned to Simsbury Library must be paid at the material’s owning library. The material will be returned via deliverIT CT.

If a patron claims to have returned an item, a search will be made by both the Library staff and patron. Once the item has been billed, a determination will be made as to whether or not the item should be set to “claims returned” status.

Overdue Fees

Item	Fine
Books Books on CD Equipment & Games (including Library of Things) Music CDs Kits Magazines Playaway Views Pronto Books Launchpads Samsung Tablets DVDs DVDS (Non-fiction)	No fine
Museum Passes	$5.00/day

Exceptions

While patrons will not be charged fines for most overdue Simsbury Public Library material, all patrons, regardless of age or residency, are charged for overdue fines generated from Museum Passes, as well as for fees related to the replacement cost of lost, damaged and items not returned.

The Simsbury Library does not charge overdue fines for any materials when such charges result from the death, hospitalization or serious illness of a cardholder or a member of the cardholder’s close family.

Maximum Fine Charges

Museum Passes accrue fines of $5 per day with no limit.

Theft of Materials

No Library materials may be taken from the Library building unless these materials have been properly checked out or other authorization for removal has been given. Removing Library materials without authorization will be considered and treated as theft, as defined by the Connecticut State Statutes 53A-119, No.12.

The Library Director or his/her designee may restrict borrowing privileges and Library use of any individual who commits or attempts to commit Library theft or damages Library resources. Serious cases may be reported to the Simsbury Police Department.

Lost, Altered or Damaged Material

Patrons are responsible for the replacement cost of an item owned by Simsbury Public Library that has not been returned and for items that have been altered or damaged beyond repair and rendered unusable. Replacement of items will only be accepted if the copy is identical to the item being replaced and brand new.

The replacement cost minus the maximum fine will be refunded for items lost if the following are met:

• Item was paid for in the past 30 days
• Patron presents the receipt issued by the Library for payment of the item
• Library has a receipt for the item

There will be no refund on items valued at less than $10. The Library’s purpose in issuing refunds is to encourage the return of valuable Library material, not strictly to reimburse the user for “found” items.

Patrons are also responsible for any fees or fines that are charged by another library. Patrons should refer to the owning library to determine whether they accept a replacement item and what policies they may have regarding replacement copies.

Patrons should not attempt to repair Library material.

If part of an item has been lost, the patron will be charged for the cost of the replacement if it can be replaced. If the part cannot be replaced, the patron will be charged the replacement cost of the entire item.

The Library may restrict borrowing privileges and Library use of any individual who damages Library resources. Serious cases may be referred to the Simsbury Police Department.

Suspension or Termination of Borrowing Privileges

Borrowing privileges are suspended if a patron

• has unpaid fines or fees totaling $25 or more
• has neither returned nor paid for an item for which he/she has been billed
• has damaged Library resources beyond repair and not paid for nor replaced them

In addition to the preceding grounds for suspension of borrowing privileges, Library patrons who abuse the system may suffer loss of all Library privileges or may be referred for prosecution of criminal offenses at the discretion of the Library Director.

The Library Director or his/her designee may suspend a patron’s Library privileges for up to one week without opportunity for a hearing, provided that the Director verbally informs the patron of the reasons for the suspension. If a patron’s Library privileges are terminated or suspended for more than one week, the patron shall be notified in writing of the basis for the suspension or termination and shall be offered a due process hearing before the Library Board of Directors. Except where there is a risk of damage to the Library or its resources or to other persons, the notification and opportunity for a hearing will be provided prior to the suspension or termination of privileges.

If a suspension or termination entitling a patron to a hearing is imposed prior to a hearing, the patron shall be informed verbally of the basis for the action prior to the suspension or termination, and shall be provided with an opportunity for a hearing within 30 days of the effective date of the suspension or termination. Notice of the proposed date and time of the hearing and the reasons for the suspension or termination will be provided to the patron either by personal delivery or by certified mail.

~Approved by the Library Board of Trustees June 17, 2019