Circulation Policy

Library Cards

Anyone who lives, works, or owns property in Anderson County, may sign up for a free library card at any Library location. Picture ID is required, along with proof of current address. Children of all ages may have a card of their own; children 16 or older register as adults. A parent must sign for a child’s card, presenting proper identification. Students in local colleges who are not county residents may receive free cards for the college term. Residents of Abbeville, Greenville, Oconee, and Pickens Counties enjoy borrowing reciprocity with no annual fee (see Reciprocal Borrowing Policy). Other out of-county residents must pay an annual fee determined by the Board of Trustees based on local support.  By accepting a library card, the cardholder agrees to be responsible for the materials borrowed. Occasionally items are lost and if this happens, Anderson County Library will charge the cardholder for the original cost of the material.

Temporary Cards

Temporary residents may obtain a free Library card with personal computing privileges or a borrower card with limited borrowing privileges. The period the account is valid is shortened and the number of items that may be checked out on the borrower card is reduced. Identification and proof of residential address in Anderson County are required; photo identification is required for borrowing privileges.

Cardholder’s Responsibilities

The following are the cardholder’s responsibility:

1. ACLS cardholders accept responsibility for abiding by the policies of the ACLS. A cardholder is responsible for all use of the card, including materials selected and borrowed with his/her card and any charges accrued on his/her account. A cardholder is also responsible for reporting changes to the information provided at registration, including updates to residence and email addresses and phone numbers. Parents or legal guardians registering minors assume these responsibilities for the minors they register.
2. A cardholder should report loss or theft of a Library card promptly to avoid unauthorized use. A cardholder is responsible for any use of the card until the loss is reported to a Library staff member.
3. Although reminders may be sent to borrowers whose items are overdue, borrowers are responsible for tracking due dates and returning items on time.
4. Borrowers assume the responsibility for any damage to electronic equipment that may occur while playing library materials.
5. Access to a patron’s record is permitted only to that patron. Access by other individuals is allowed only with the written permission of that patron.
6. Transactions cannot be transferred from one patron record to another, including delinquencies. A patron’s record is not to be used to determine residency for anyone else.
7. Books cannot be checked out to a patron without that patron’s permission. Possession of another patron’s library card or valid picture ID implies permission to use the card. Patrons may designate another person to pick up material ‘on hold’ provided the material is checked out to the requesting patron.

Circulation of Material

Materials are circulated to patrons of the ACLS who have been issued library cards. The patron’s card must be current and have no delinquencies that would stop checkout. Fees over $10 and/or lost items constitute delinquencies. Patrons who forget their cards may provide a picture ID and check out materials.
 

Loan limits

eBooks and eAudiobooks from Libby by Overdrive

• Limit 8 items at a time
• Loan period: 14 days
• Titles are returned automatically.

Digital Media from Hoopla

• Limit 5 items per month.
• Loan periods:
  • eBooks and audiobooks: 21 days
  • Music: 7 days
  • Movies and TV episodes: 72 hours
• Titles are returned automatically.

Circulation of SC Lends Consortium Materials

The ACLS is a member of the SC Lends Consortium. Anderson County residents may request materials from other libraries within the consortium through the library’s ILS system (Evergreen). Residents of counties outside the consortium, even if they hold an Anderson County Library card, may not borrow materials from other consortium libraries through our ILS. They must request any such materials from their local library through Interlibrary Loan. The exceptions to this are those Reciprocal Borrowers who pay the current per capita Anderson County tax rate

Circulation of eBooks

Anderson County residents and taxpayers have access to eBooks from our library system. Reciprocal Borrowers may not borrow eBooks from our library system unless the out-of-county fee, the current per capita Anderson County tax rate, is paid each year.  Approved 7-11-11 Anderson County Library Board of Trustees

Reference Materials

Reference materials DO NOT CIRCULATE to staff members or patrons, unless the user has permission from a supervisor.

Renewal of Materials

Library materials checked out at the Main Library or at a Branch Libraries may be renewed at any circulation desk, by phone or online. Books with requests or holds may not be renewed.

Requests

Patrons may reserve materials which are not immediately available for use, but are in the collection of the ACLS. Reserves may be placed at a Service Desk, by telephone, or through the library’s online catalog. When the reserved materials are available, the library will notify the patron by text message, e-mail or phone. The specific title of the material will not be stated to anyone other than the library patron who placed the reserve. If the patron is not available to the phone, a message will be left. The date of the message will be noted and the material will be held for the patron for a period of seven (7) days. In the event there is more than one patron reserve for an item, hold requests are placed on a first-come, first-serve basis. If an item has a hold on it, the item can not be renewed. Patrons may place holds for any circulating items in SCLends and have them sent to the branch they specify

Return of Materials

Library materials may be returned to any branch of the ACLS.

Payment Policy

Borrowing privileges and Internet privileges will be suspended once charges of $10 or more have accrued on that card. Partial payments will be accepted.

Fines

The Anderson County Library System is fine free effective July 1, 2021 with the exception of limited, highly specialized items, including SC State Park passes and Children’s Museum of the Upstate passes.

Replacements For Lost Or Damaged Materials

Occasionally items are lost and if this happens, Anderson County Library will charge the cardholder for the original cost of the material. Replacement costs for lost items or items too damaged to remain in the Library collection will be charged to the borrower’s account according to the price listed in the copy record in the Library’s materials database. No charges are assessed for damages by normal use, i.e. normal wear and tear.

Replacements for Lost or Damaged Parts

Replacements charges may be assessed for lost or damaged parts in the following manner:

• Audiobook case/box $5.00
• Single cassette case/box $1.00
• Single CD case $1.00
• Audiocassettes –replaceable single cassette $5.00
• Audio CDs – replaceable single disc $7.00
• DVD case (plain) $2.00
• Playaway battery cover $1.00
• Playaway case $2.50
• VHS case $1.00

Stolen Items or Items Lost in a Fire

Library materials stolen from a patron or lost in a fire remain the responsibility of the patron. A receipt may be offered to the patron for insurance purposes. If the items have been damaged or lost through circumstances such as fire, theft, flooding, etc., and the borrower can provide official documentation of the event, e.g. a police report, insurance statement, etc., the Library will forgive half (½) of the total replacement fees.

Refunds for Lost and Paid Materials

A patron may receive a refund if an item that has been lost and paid for is found and returned within 1 year of the item taking on “lost” status. The item being returned must be in library condition, as determined by the Circulation Supervisor. The amount of the refund will be the amount paid for the item minus the maximum overdue fine. Items are marked ‘assumed lost’ when they have not been returned sixty (60) days after the date due. When an item becomes ‘assumed lost,’ the price listed in the copy record in the Library’s materials database is charged to the borrower’s account. When an ‘assumed lost’ item is returned in good condition, the item replacement fee is deleted from the borrower’s account. If the returned item is damaged and cannot be returned to the collection, the item replacement fee remains on the borrower’s record.

Circulation and Registration Records – Confidentiality Policy

The Anderson County Library collects personal information pertaining to individuals solely for the purpose of registering those individuals as borrowers of library materials. Library registration and circulation records are confidential under Title 60, Chapter 4 of the Code of Laws of South Carolina, 1976: 

SECTION 60-4-10. Records identifying library patrons as confidential information; disclosure. Records related to registration and circulation of library materials which contain names or other personally identifying details regarding the users of public, private, school, college, technical college, university, and state institutional libraries and library systems, supported in whole or in part by public funds or expending public funds, are confidential information. Records which by themselves or when examined with other public records would reveal the identity of the library patron checking out or requesting an item from the library or using other library services are confidential information.

The confidential records do not include non-identifying administrative and statistical reports of registration and circulation.
The confidential records may not be disclosed except to persons acting within the scope of their duties in the administration of the library or library system or persons authorized by the library patron to inspect his records, or in accordance with proper judicial order upon a finding that the disclosure of the records is necessary to protect public safety, to prosecute a crime, or upon showing of good cause before the presiding Judge in a civil matter.

SECTION 60-4-20. Definitions. As used in this chapter, the term “registration records” includes any information which a library requires a patron to provide in order to become eligible to borrow books and other materials, and the term “circulation records” includes all information which identifies the patrons borrowing particular books and other materials.

SECTION 60-4-30. Penalties. Any person violating the provisions of Section 60-4-10 must upon conviction be fined not more than five hundred dollars or imprisoned for not more than thirty days for the first offense, must be fined not more than one thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than sixty days for the second offense, and must be fined not more than two thousand dollars or imprisoned for not more than ninety days for the third or subsequent offense.