Physical Item Circulation Policy
Highland City Library: Physical Item Circulation Policy
I. Basic Rules
A. Borrowers must present a valid Library card to check out Library materials. Patrons may present their card in electronic format from a smart phone once identity is verified and noted in their account.
B. Repair or replacement costs for damages to materials beyond normal wear and tear will be determined by a librarian.
C. Account holders will be held responsible for all materials checked out to their Library accounts and for all charges accrued on their account. Patrons are responsible to protect their cards from unauthorized use by others.
D. Parents or guardians are responsible to monitor the accounts of their minor children, whether their child’s card is attached to the parent’s or not. Parents are responsible for all materials checked out on their children’s cards and to pay or replacement costs that accrue.
E. Patrons may reserve circulating materials. Hold notices will be sent by email or text to patrons who provide valid electronic addresses
II. Loan Period
A. All circulating materials will be loaned for an initial period of three weeks. If not returned and if no holds are placed on them by other patrons, they will renew automatically three times A notice will be sent to patrons each time an item is auto-renewed
B. After the end of the final renewal period, patrons will be given 14 days to return items before they are considered lost and the cost of the items and processing fees will be charged to their account.
C. Due dates will not be set for days the Library is closed.
D. Specialized library materials cannot be renewed. All other materials that are not on hold for another patron will be renewed up to three times.
E. Borrowers may not have more than 100 items checked out on their account at any given time. The Library Director may authorize additional items to be checked out on each account.
III. Fines and Fees
A. Borrowers will be assessed a replacement fee for individual items lost or damaged equal to the current retail price of the material plus a $5.00 fee to cover the cost of ordering and processing.
B. Borrowers will be assessed a replacement fee for items that are parts of specialized library materials that are lost or damaged equal to the current retail price of the material plus a $5.00 fee. If the individual part cannot be replaced, the borrower will be assessed the cost of the specialized library material.
C. Replacement cost of rare or valuable material will be assessed on an individual basis as determined by the Library Director.
D. Patrons may return lost items up to 30 days after they are considered lost. If items are returned within this period, the charges for the returned items will be removed from the patron’s account. After 30 days, patrons may not return lost items, and charges for those items will remain on the patron’s account until paid.
E. A minimum fee of $20.00 will be assessed for each returned check.
F. Patrons with delinquent accounts will not be allowed to check out any materials until materials are returned, or all replacement fees are paid in full. Patron accounts are delinquent if the following conditions exist:
a. They owe charges of more than $10.00.
b. They have any items more than 14 days overdue.
G. The Library reserves the right to seek appropriate and reasonable action to recover materials, replacement costs or fees through the use of courts, law enforcement, or collection agencies
H. Patrons who wish to appeal fine or replacement cost assessments may appeal to the Library Director. Patrons not satisfied with this disposition may then appeal to the Library Board through the Library Director, who will forward the request to the Board along with staff recommendations. The Library Board shall make final determination of the matter. The patron shall be notified of this action in a timely manner.
I. The Library may charge a fee for credit or debit card use.
IV. Timpanogos Library Consortium
A. Patrons from libraries that are part of the Timpanogos Library Consortium (TLC) may request items from other TLC libraries and have them delivered to their TLC library of choice. If items are available, they will be delivered within four business days.
B. Items delivered from TLC libraries will be available to check out on the hold shelf for seven days. If they are not checked out after seven days, they will be returned to their home library or to the library of choice of the next person on the hold list.
C. Items checked out from TLC libraries by TLC library card holders may be returned to any TLC library.
D. Charges accrued for lost or damaged items must be paid to the library which owns the item.
E. When there are holds placed on items held by TLC libraries, holds placed by patrons of the library that owns the item will have priority over holds placed by patrons of other TLC libraries.
V. Borrower Categories
A. Residents of Highland shall be provided accounts free of charge. Highland residents must show a government or school-issued photo ID and proof of residence to obtain a card. Proof of residence may be one of the following issued within the last 90 days: a bank statement, utility bill, rental agreement, or mail with a canceled postmark with the applicant’s name and address. Resident accounts are renewed every three years.
1. Cards for children 12 and under will be attached to a parent’s/legal guardian’s account. All checked-out items, fines, costs, holds, and charges accrued with the child’s card will appear on the adult’s account and will be the responsibility of the adult account holder.
2. Minors ages 13-18 may have their own Library account with their parent’s/guardian’s permission, or they may have a card attached to their parent/guardian’s account.
3. When minors turn 18, their account will become an adult account. Fees and fines from their previous account will still be the responsibility of the parent/guardian. Any fines or fees incurred under the new account will be the responsibility of the account holder, not the parent/guardian.
B. Employees of Highland City shall be provided accounts free of charge and shall be held to the same rules as indicated in Library policies.
C. Non-residents of Highland may purchase a Library account for $90 per year and shall be held to the same rules as indicated in Library policies. Non-residents may receive multiple cards for use by immediate family that reside in the same household (no matter what age), but they will all be attached to one non-resident account. The holder of the account will be responsible for all charges and items checked out by all cards attached to their account.
D. Alpine School District certified teachers and media specialists in schools within Highland, Alpine, and Cedar Hills city limits who do not reside in Highland City qualify for free non-resident cards. Educators are personally responsible for the account, not their school nor their school district. Those with educator accounts are not eligible for additional attached cards.
E. Registered users of any North Utah County Library Cooperative (NUCLC) library shall be provided non-resident accounts free of charge, provided their account at their “home” library is in good standing. If the registration of a NUCLC member’s “home” library card expires in less than a year, their Highland card will have the same expiration date as their home library card. NUCLC patrons may not request interlibrary loans or participate in programs. NUCLC patrons who are under 18, will require a parent signature in order to open an account with the Highland Library.
Approved by Highland City Library Board July 9, 2008
Revised by the Highland City Library Board, March 25, 2009, September 23, 2009, November 18, 2009, July 28, 2010, September 22, 2010, September 28, 2011, September 25, 2013, May 28, 2014, February 28, 2019, May 23, 2019, October 24, 2019, February 27, 2020, February 25, 2021, May 27, 2021, August 26, 2021, October 28, 2021, September 22, 2022, July 28, 2023. February 27, 2025