LoaN Periods AND Fines

Borrowing Guidelines 

A total of fifty circulating items may be on a borrower’s record at any given time. Loan periods depend upon the type of material being loaned; borrowers should note the due dates on the receipt provided at checkout. The Library upholds the circulation policy and loan periods for items owned by CLEVNET member libraries although they may differ from the loan periods of Lorain Public Library. Most Lorain Public Library materials are renewable, and, depending on the item, may be renewed up to five times, provided there are no reservation requests pending and the patron has not accumulated more than $9.99 in fines and/or fees on the account. The library lending system will attempt to automatically renew items one day before an item is due.

Items will not be renewed if:

  • Another patron has placed a hold on the item.
  • The item has reached its renewal limit.
  • Patrons have a blocked or barred status.

If an item cannot be renewed, patrons will receive a courtesy “due soon” notice (via phone, email or text) according to their account settings. Patrons may renew items by telephone, Internet and in person without bringing the items into the library, provided that the borrower’s account is not blocked and providing the circulation System is not down.

Fines and Fees

Most library materials will not result in overdue fines. Fines will still accumulate but will be removed from the account when the items are returned. Fines will still be charged for non-traditional library materials. The library will charge fees for lost or damaged materials. The Library will accept payment for lost or damaged materials, overdue fines and fees associated with materials owned by other CLEVNET member libraries at any Lorain Public Library location. The Library will not waive any fees associated with materials owned by other CLEVNET member libraries. If an item owned by another CLEVNET member library is found at a later date, the patron must return the item to the owning library to request a refund. Lorain Public Library will not issue refunds for materials owned by another library system. Once an item is twenty-one (21) or more days overdue, the Library will mail the borrower a bill for the cost of the item. Items not returned at that point are then considered LOST in circulation and the borrower will be billed for the cost of the item. This may result in the borrower’s account becoming delinquent. The Lorain Public Library does not issue refunds in the event an item that was paid for is found by a patron at a later date. In the event that a borrower believes that an item was returned on time, the borrower should contact the owning library to ask staff to check the shelf for the item. If the item is owned by Lorain Public Library and not found after a shelf check, it is the sole discretion of the library manager to grant or deny CLAIMS RETURNED status for the item.

Renewing and Returning Library Material

Renew your library materials at any Lorain Public Library System location or CLEVNET library, by phone and online. Some items may not be renewed, such as new entertainment DVDs and items with holds on them. Items that are already overdue and have an existing hold cannot be renewed online. 

All Lorain Public Library System locations have material return chutes available 24/7. Sundays are not considered in computing fines for overdue materials.

Loan Periods

Seven days
New DVDs and Launchpads

21 days
Books, Magazines, DVDs, audiobooks (any format), Multi-media Kits, CDs

Overdue Fines

$5.00 per day per item for most non-traditional items.

Renewal Limits

Five renewals
Books, Magazines, audiobooks (any format), Multi-Media Kits, CDs, DVDs

No Renewals
New DVDs, Launchpads and other non-traditional items

Exceptions to Loan Periods and Fines

  • Books by Mail items have a 35-day loan period.
  • eLibrary materials have varying loan periods, are returned automatically and do not incur overdue fines.
  • Materials that you receive after reserving items may be owned by other CLEVNET libraries that have different loan periods than listed above. Please verify due  dates on your receipt or by monitoring your account online.

Fees

Patrons will be charged for lost and damaged materials.

Borrowing Privileges May be Suspended for Cardholders

  • Whose fines reach $10.
  • Who have more than 10 items overdue.
  • Who have more than 50 items checked out at one time.

A material recovery service may be contracted to assist in recovery of library items.

Materials Recovery

Accounts of borrowers with fines and/or fees in excess of $49.99 on their account are referred to material recovery services for processing. A collection fee will be assessed to the patron when the account is referred for material recovery services. A patron’s borrowing privileges will be restored once the balance on the user’s  account is zero.