Library Privileges Policy

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PURPOSE

The Fort Vancouver Regional Library District (FVRL) Board of Trustees is responsible for ensuring the prudent use of the taxpayers’ investment and has a great deal of trust in our borrowers. Our fine-free system is an expression of that faith. Therefore, the Board has established rules for the borrowing of materials intended to provide equitable and convenient access to the resources of the Library District.

POLICY

FVRL supports and encourages access to library resources by all members of the community, regardless of age, education, ethnicity, language, income, or physical limitations.

Library accounts are free to resident and reciprocal borrowers of any age, with the provision of current physical address and proof of identity.

Library accounts with limited privileges are available to resident and reciprocal borrowers who have not provided proof of current physical address, or who are without proof of physical address or identification, or for minors under the age of 18 without the signature of a parent/guardian.

Library accounts are available to nonresident borrowers for a fee paid annually. The fee will be the equivalent to the number of residents in the FVRL service district divided by the total income generated by property tax. This fee will be set annually by the Executive Director.

Educator accounts are available to those who can provide proof of employment as a classroom educator at a daycare, public or private K-12 school within FVRL’s service area OR are a homeschool provider of a child under 18 (valid Declaration of Intent required over age 8). Educator accounts are not intended for personal use. Patrons holding both a personal account and an educator account must keep both accounts in good standing or risk loss of privileges for both.

See Definitions for more information on borrower types.

Lost, stolen and replacement library cards

Patrons are responsible for reporting lost or stolen cards to the library to avoid being held accountable for materials checked out on their cards after the loss or theft. If a patron reports a card lost or stolen, they must present identification in accordance with policy to be issued a new card.

Rules for borrowing

Library materials are loaned to individual library users with valid library cards for a specified period of time. The borrower is expected to return or renew the materials no later than the due date.

When a patron changes their residential or mailing address, phone number, or email address, it is their responsibility to inform the library of the change to their account.

There are no daily or recurring fines for overdue materials; however, individuals will be charged for lost and damaged materials.

Borrowers are responsible for everything checked out on their cards, even if those items are lost or stolen. Borrowing privileges of an individual cardholder will be suspended when limits established for the following activities are exceeded:

  • Overdue materials
  • Dollar amount owed for unreturned, missing or damaged materials
  • Interlibrary loan items unreturned, missing or damaged

The Executive Director is authorized to establish and enforce reasonable limits for these privileges and will regularly keep the board informed of changes to the limits.

Restoration of borrowing privileges

Borrowing privileges will generally be restored when the patron has returned or paid for sufficient materials to be within the established limits. Exceptions for suspending, limiting, or restoring privileges may be made at the discretion of the Executive Director or designee.

Intentionally damaging or retaining materials

It is a violation of state law to intentionally injure, deface, destroy or retain library property. Any person violating this subsection will have their library borrowing privileges suspended and may be prosecuted to the full extent of the law. Library borrowing shall remain suspended or limited at the discretion of the Executive Director, or designee, in consultation with the Library Board policy committee, regardless of whether the library is fully compensated for damaged materials.

Implementation and appeal rights

Library staff, as delegated by the Executive Director, will implement this policy. Library staff members are expected to make every effort to apply these rules in a fair, reasonable, humane, and positive manner. Any person whose borrowing privileges have been suspended may appeal to the Executive Director to have their privileges restored or limited to a lesser extent. Library users who question the way that this policy has been applied to them may use the appeal process established by the Appeal Rights of Patrons Policy.

DEFINITIONS

Resident
Includes individuals living in Clark, Skamania and Klickitat County with the exception of the City of Camas; living within the city limits of Woodland, WA, and within any contracting district service area; and property owners in the Library District’s service area, even if they live elsewhere.
Reciprocal
Oregon residents of Clackamas, Hood River, Multnomah, and Washington Counties, and Washington residents of Camas and other tax-supported public library jurisdictions with which FVRL has a reciprocal agreement. A full list of Washington and Oregon reciprocal partners is available on our website.
Nonresident
Individuals from counties geographically adjacent to the FVRL service area where there is no tax-supported public library, jurisdictions without reciprocal agreements, or temporary residents (except as listed above).

ADMINISTRATION

The Executive Director is responsible for the administration of this policy, for establishing administrative procedures for its implementation and for making the policy available for the public at each branch and via the Library’s web site.

SEVERABILITY

The Board of Trustees hereby declares its intention that the provisions of this policy are declared to be separate and severable. The invalidity of any clause, sentence, paragraph, subdivision, section, chapter, title or other portion of this policy, or the invalidity of the application thereof to any person or circumstance shall not affect the validity of the remainder of the policy, or the validity of its application to other persons or circumstances.

CONTINUANCE

The Board of Trustees hereby declares its intention that the provisions of this policy shall be construed and applied as a continuation of the provisions of the policy, as amended, insofar as applicable, and the repeal of any part of this policy shall not be construed as affecting such continuous application.

RESOURCES

Relevant policies

  • Appeal Rights of Patrons
  • Confidentiality of Patron and Circulation Records
  • Library Internet Use
  • Rules of Conduct

References

Authority for this policy is in:

  • 27.12.270 RCW Rules and regulations –Free Use of Libraries
  • 27.12.280 RCW Use by Nonresidents-Exchange of Books
  • 27.12.290 RCW Violators May Be Excluded
  • 27.12.330 RCW Penalty for Injury to Property
  • 27.12.340 RCW Willfully Retaining Books-Infraction
  • 9.91.010 RCW Denial of civil rights – Terms defined

Policy History

Board Approvals:

  • Original Policy 10/14/1991
  • Revised 10/1119/93
  • Revised 5/2/1994
  • Revised 9/12/1994
  • Revised and combined with the Policy on Loaning of Materials 7/08/2002
  • Revised 12/13/2004
  • Revised 05/09/2005 – Implemented 8/01/2005 (formerly titled Borrowing Privileges
  • Revised 4/11/2006
  • Revised 8/10/2009
  • Revised 4/12/2010
  • Revised 5/15/2015
  • Revised 7/16/2018
  • Revised 6/21/2021