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Library Card PolicyResidents of Canton who are at least 5 years of age are eligible to receive library cards, free-of-charge, from the Canton Public Library. LIBRARY CARD CATEGORIES Adult library cards: Canton residents 18 years of age and over receive adult library cards. They must complete a borrower application provided by the library and present proof of identity and residency. Teen library cards: Canton residents between the ages 13 and 17 inclusive receive teen library cards. They must complete a borrower application provided by the library and present proof of identity and residency. Children’s library cards: Canton residents between the ages of 5 and 12 inclusive receive children’s library cards. A parent or legal guardian must complete and/or co-sign a borrower application provided by the library and present proof of the child’s identity and residency. The parent or legal guardian accepts responsibility for paying fines, replacement charges, and other financial assessments levied against the library card of his or her child. Senior library cards: Canton residents 65 years of age and over may request a senior library card. They must complete a borrower application provided by library and present proof of identity and residency. Residents holding senior library cards are exempt from paying overdue fines on all materials except Quick Reads. Guest library cards: A guest library card is issued free-of-charge to a person of any age who is not a resident of Canton but who is staying in Canton for less than 6 months. The registration procedure to receive a guest card is the same as that for Canton residents, as set forth above. A guest library card holder is afforded the same privileges and responsibilities as are Canton residents. However, a guest library card is valid for use in the Canton Public Library only and the card itself must be so marked. Institutional library cards: An institutional library card is issued free-of-charge to any school, daycare center, church, business, or other institution with offices in Canton. A request for an institutional card should be made in writing on the form provided by the library and must be signed by the officer who will assume responsibility for paying fines, replacement charges, and other financial assessments levied against the card. The resulting library card is issued in the name of the institution and kept on file in the library. The institution also should furnish a list of persons authorized to use its borrower card, and only those so designated would be permitted the use and privileges of that card upon presentation of suitable identification. An institutional card may be used only for the purposes of the organization itself and is valid for use in the Canton Public Library only. The card itself must be so marked. Other card categories may be established from time to time for internal use by the library staff in conducting library business. SPECIAL BORROWING SITUATIONS Borrower is a Homebound Canton Resident: The library offers a Home Delivery of Library Materials Program to Canton residents who meet the eligibility requirements. Those wishing to use this service should complete an application for home delivery service and a borrower application in order to receive a library card. While homebound Canton residents hold standard library cards, certain special considerations apply to their category. Consult the library’s Homebound Delivery of Library Materials Policy and its related brochure and application for further information. Borrower is an Out-of-Town Resident: A Connecticut resident who lives outside of Canton but who possesses a valid library card issued by his or her hometown library may borrow materials from the Canton Public Library by presenting that card. An out-of-town borrower is afforded the same privileges and responsibilities as are Canton residents. Borrower is a Canton Property Owner with Principal Residence in Another Connecticut Municipality: A person in this category is considered an out-of-town resident -- see preceding paragraph. "Principal residence" is determined by the address printed on the individual’s driver’s license. Borrower is a Canton Property Owner with Principal Residence in Another State: A person in this category may receive a library card free-of-charge by presenting a tax bill or tax receipt from the Town of Canton’s Tax Collector’s Office or Assessor’s Office, and by completing a borrower application provided by the library. Such a borrower is afforded the same privileges and responsibilities as are Canton residents. However, the resulting borrower card is valid for use in the Canton Public Library only and the card itself must be so marked. LIBRARY CARD PRIVILEGES A Canton Public Library borrower card entitles the holder to borrow any and all materials that are available for loan from the Canton Public Library, in compliance with the rules set forth in the library’s Circulation of Library Materials Policy. Also, a card entitles the holder to utilize any of the services, programs, and equipment of the library for which a borrower card is required. In compliance with the Circulation of Library Materials Policy, the library may impose age requirements on the eligibility (1) to borrow particular items and (2) to utilize particular services for which a borrower card is required. Age restrictions will be kept few in number and will be based on a reasonable concern. LIBRARY CARD RESPONSIBILITIES A Canton Public Library cardholder:
LIBRARY CARD EXPIRATION DATES Most Canton Public Library borrower cards are valid for 3 years from the date of issuance or renewal. A guest card will be marked as valid for the duration of the guest’s stay in Canton (less than 6 months) and may not be renewed. All Canton Public Library borrower cards cease to be valid when the cardholder moves out of Canton. RENEWAL/REPLACEMENT OF LIBRARY CARDS Upon expiration, Canton Public Library borrower cards are eligible for free renewals. A charge may be assessed to replace a borrower card if it is lost or damaged beyond use before its date of expiration. PROOF OF IDENTITY AND RESIDENCY Proof of identity and residency are required before a library card will be issued. The following are considered acceptable forms of proof: a valid driver’s license, a valid student identification card, a valid passport, a piece of stamp-cancelled mail, a utility bill, a rent receipt, or a personal check. For applicants between the ages of 5 and 12, verification by a parent or legal guardian will be considered acceptable proof of identity and residency. For an institution, acceptable proof of identity and residency will be a piece of its letterhead stationery. For a Canton property owner with principal residence in another state, a tax bill or tax receipt from the Town of Canton’s Tax Collector’s Office or Assessor’s Office will be considered acceptable proof of identity and residency. SUSPENSION OF LIBRARY CARD The library staff is authorized to suspend the use of any Canton Public Library borrower card when the cardholder is guilty of breaking library rules. This includes, but is not limited to, owing fines in excess of the established maximum limit, owing money for a lost or damaged collection item, damaging library property, behaving in a disorderly manner, or committing other infractions prohibited by library policy. USE OF LIBRARY CARDS BY CHILDREN The library staff and trustees are charged with the responsibility of providing free and equal access to library materials and services to all people. Moreover, it is impossible for them to know or predict the opinions of parents and guardians regarding the specific borrowing selections made by minor children. Therefore, it is the policy of the Canton Public Library that parents and guardians, not the library staff or trustees, are responsible for monitoring and approving the selection of materials made by minor children. It is the parents or guardians – and only these – who may restrict their children – and only their children – from borrowing specific library materials. Parents or guardians who wish their children not to have access to certain materials should inform or accompany their children, or else advise the library staff. The library staff and trustees cannot and do not act in loco parentis. USE OF LIBRARY CARDS BY PERSONS OTHER THAN THE OWNERS Borrowers are encouraged to use their own library cards exclusively and are discouraged from lending them for use by others. Cardholders who allow their library cards to be used by others do so at their own risk. They continue to be responsible for the care and safety of all library materials charged to their cards, as well as for paying fines, replacement charges, and other financial assessments that result from the use of their cards. Adopted by the Library Board of Trustees April 15, 2009
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Canton Public Library * 40 Dyer Avenue * Canton, CT 06019 * 860-693-5800 * Fax 860-693-5804
Email the Webmaster: web@cantonpubliclibrary.org