Altamont Free Library

Circulation Policy

Policy Statement: It is the policy of Altamont Free Library to ensure broad access to the library and its collection. To that end we have crafted this Circulation Policy to ensure that as few barriers as possible exist between our members of our community and the library services they need. Altamont Free Library does not place any restrictions on the borrowing of library materials on the basis of age. Responsibility for the monitoring of children’s selections rests solely with parents and guardians.

Library Membership

a)       Any person may become a member of Altamont Free Library and be given a library card upon request.

i)         Potential card holders may be asked to prove their place of residency. Proof of residency shall consist of a current photo ID with a local address OR a current piece of mail.

ii)       Residents of Altamont and Knox will be given Altamont Free Library cards and have an Altamont patron type.

iii)      Residents of the counties that the Upper Hudson Library System is chartered to serve who are not from Altamont or Knox shall receive a UHLS card and patron type associated with their home municipality.

iv)  Persons not residing in the counties that the Upper Hudson Library System is chartered to serve may receive an Altamont Free Library Out-of-System library card for an annual fee of $50 per household. Please note that libraries other than Altamont Free Library are not obligated to honor Out-of-System cards issued at Altamont Free Library. Altamont Free Library places no restrictions on what materials may be borrowed or requested by Out-of-System cardholders.

v)    Altamont Free Library will honor Out-of-System library cards issued at any other UHLS Library.

viii)   Children under 18 and their caregivers may choose to either receive a standard Altamont Youth card or a UHLS MyCard.

(1)     Altamont Youth cards require a legal guardian’s signature on their card application, and allow full borrowing privileges at all UHLS libraries

(2)     UHLS MyCard’s do not require guardian signature. Materials borrowed on a UHLS MyCard do not accrue overdue fines. Borrowers may borrow no more than 3 items at a time, are limited to any books, juvenile and YA audiobooks and movies and may be used at any UHLS library.

Borrowing Times

28 Days: All books besides new adult books: All children’s and YA books, CD’s, non-fiction movies

14 Days: New adult books

7 Days: Fiction DVD’s, fishing poles, ukuleles, board games

3 Days: Museum passes

Renewals

All items besides museum passes will be automatically renewed twice, unless requested by another patron. Staff may use their discretion to allow additional renewals upon request.

Return of Library Materials

All books, DVD’s and audiobooks may be returned to any library in the Upper Hudson Library System. In order to prevent damage to library materials during transit, fishing poles and musical instruments borrowed from Altamont Free Library must be returned to Altamont Free Library during normal operating hours. In order to allow for the fastest possible re-circulation of museum passes, museum passes borrowed from Altamont Free Library must be returned to Altamont Free Library, but may be returned through the overnight return box if the library is closed. All materials borrowed from Altamont Free Library must be returned in the condition in which they were lent except for the normal wear and tear that can occur in the course of regular use.

Damaged Items

Altamont Free Library reserves the right to charge patrons for the cost of repair or replacement of library materials that demonstrate excessive damage, marking, alteration or soiling. In the event that a patrons borrowed materials demonstrate evidence of misuse or damage on a persistent basis, Altamont Free Library reserves the right to suspend borrowing privileges in accordance with the AFL Patron Behavior Policy. Patrons should notify library staff about any excessive damage, marking, alteration or soiling they observe in items that occurred prior to their borrowing. Patrons who notify the library that a library item was damaged or soiled prior to their use of it will not be charged for the repair or replacement of that item. Otherwise, library staff will use their discretion to charge patrons for the cost of repair or replacement of Altamont Free Library-owned items. In the event that an item borrowed from another library is damaged or soiled, responsibility for charging patrons for repair or replacement is held by the owning library and cannot be superseded by Altamont Free Library staff.

Overdue fines 

No items checked out from Altamont Free Library, nor any Altamont Free Library item checked out at any other Upper Hudson Library System library shall accrue overdue fines. Once all permissible renewals are exhausted, patrons with items more than 30 days overdue shall be charged for the replacement cost of those items. If the items are subsequently returned, the replacement charge shall be eliminated from the patron’s record. All overdue fines accrued on Altamont Free Library patron’s accounts prior to March 3, 2022 shall be waived by library staff. Members of other libraries will not have their fines waived except by express permission of those libraries.

Suspension of Library Privileges

Borrowing privileges, digital borrowing privileges, online request and renewal privileges are suspended when a patron owes $10.00 or more in fines, damage or loss of materials. Borrowing privileges will be restored when payment is made to under $10.

Privacy of Library Records

Library records are private. Altamont Free Library does not maintain information regarding library materials that patrons have borrowed in the past, except to the extent that records of fines paid may be necessary for the proper functioning of the UHLS Integrated Library System (ILS). No person, other than the patron themselves, has any right to any personal information saved in the ILS or its associated databases, and Altamont Free Library will not provide such information to any person besides the patron in question for any reason. Altamont Free Library fully endorses the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights.