Policies Regarding Community Borrowers:

Adopted September, 1997

Updated October, 2014

Eligibility

Community residents who are not members of the University’s primary community of faculty, staff and students, nor are members of an organization which has a special agreement with the A. C. Clark Library, may nonetheless borrow materials from certain collections of the A. C. Clark Library. Such borrowers are referred to as “Community Borrowers” and are considered to be a type of Non-University Borrower. The Community Borrower may be anyone from BSU’s service region who has no financial obligations to BSU, has not in the past abused borrowing privileges, and is above the age of 18. The intent of this borrowing program is to provide a supplement to the information resources found at their public library for those community members whose particular needs may require such a supplement.

Application Procedure

  • Applicant requests a “Community Borrower/Graduate of BSU Application for Borrowing Privileges” at the BSU Library Circulation Desk, or completes the online application form.
  • In-person applicants complete “Community Borrower/Graduate of BSU Application for Borrowing Privileges” form and submits it along with a picture ID card (or alternate documentation such as current utility bill) to a Circulation Department employee. A photocopy of the applicant’s ID card will be made at this time.
  • If applicant is applying online, email completed application to libcirc@joe-yan.net.
  • A Circulation Department employee performs a review of the application and, upon verification of applicant’s information, processes the Community Borrower Application within one (1) business day

Granting of Community Borrower Status

Upon being granted Community Borrower status, the applicant will receive a confirmation email (if an email address is provided) and/or letter by mail; the Non-University Borrower card will be sent via U.S. mail. In the case of an online application, applicant will be notified that card is ready to be picked up and that they should come in to finish the process (have photocopy of ID taken and sign application). The Community Borrower must present his or her card in order to check out materials from the Library. The card will be valid for one year from the date of issuance. The privileges accompanying a card may be rescinded at an earlier date (see “Grounds for Termination of Borrowing Privileges” below).

  • Acceptance of a Community Borrower card implies certain responsibilities on the part of the applicant. These responsibilities include:
  • Abiding by the “A. C. Clark Library Code of Behavior for Library Users”
  • Responding to notices and bills in a timely manner
  • Returning borrowed materials on time and in good condition and making restitution for materials damaged while in the borrower’s possession.
  • Knowing what items are checked out on his or her card and being aware when these items are due. Failure to receive an overdue or billing notice does not absolve the borrower from any penalties incurred.
  • Reporting changes of his or her mailing address and/or email address to the Circulation Department of the A. C. Clark Library. Failure to do so may result in borrowing privileges being blocked until a new address is provided.
  • The card entitles the applicant to have up to four items checked out at a time from the A. C. Clark Library.
  • The person to whom the card is issued is the only person who is allowed to check out items with the card. The card is not to be used by spouses, children or friends of the applicant. The library holds no responsibility for guaranteeing that the user of a card is the person to whom the card was first issued. The person to whom a card is issued is responsible for any fines or other charges incurred by the use of that card. Should a person believe his or her card to be lost or stolen, he or she should report this to the Library Circulation Department as soon as possible.
  • It may be possible for the holder of a Community Borrower card to also hold a valid BSU ID card. If this should happen, the cardholder may use whichever card he or she sees fit. Upon checking out library materials, the cardholder will be held to whatever privileges and responsibilities are associated with the card used.

Applicants may be denied a card for any of the following reasons:

  • Applicant has previously incurred library charges which are still outstanding;
  • Applicant has outstanding debts with Bemidji State University;
  • Applicant has a history of abusing library privileges at the Bemidji State University Library;
  • Applicant refuses to provide information requested on the application. A current mailing address and picture ID are required.

Privileges Granted

The Community Borrower may at any one time have up to four circulating items checked out from the General, Government Publications, K-12, Popular Reading, Compact Disc and other circulating collections. Non-circulating items in these collections may not be checked out of the Library. A circulating item from any of these collections will normally circulate for 28 days (only seven days for Compact Discs). An item may be recalled at an earlier date should it be requested by another borrower. Community Borrowers may also check out for in library use only items in the closed stack collections behind the Circulation Desk. Community Borrowers are not entitled to check out periodicals or newspapers overnight nor are they entitled to place a hold on an item.

The Community Borrower card is not accompanied by any privileges to use the library’s interlibrary loan services or remote access to licensed online resources; nor does the card imply any privileges at any other library within the system of Minnesota State Colleges and Universities (Minnesota State) or member library of the MnPALS Consortium. Community Borrowers may, however, access the MnPALS Library Catalog online remotely through the Library’s web site.

Overdue and Lost Materials

Overdue notices are sent out as a courtesy to borrowers with overdue items. Failure to receive a notice, however, does not absolve the borrower from returning materials on time or from any charges incurred for overdue materials.

Should any Non-University Borrower (includes Community Borrowers) fail to return a borrowed item by its due date/time, he or she may be billed for the replacement of the item. Should a Community Borrower incur a charge, his or her library privileges will be suspended until such time as the charge has been paid. Repeated failure to return library materials on time or to pay charges in a timely manner may result in the suspension or revocation of a Community Borrower’s borrowing privileges.

The A. C. Clark Library reserves the right to levy disciplinary fines against any borrower whom it believes has used library materials in a malicious or grossly irresponsible manner.

Grounds for Termination of Borrowing Privileges

The holder of any type of Non-University Borrower status may have the status altered or rescinded or may not have the status renewed, for any one of the following reasons:

  • Applicant has outstanding debts with Bemidji State University;
  • Applicant has a history of abusing library privileges at the Bemidji State University Library;
  • Applicant refuses to provide information requested on the application for borrowing privileges. A current mailing address and photocopy of picture ID are required.

Bemidji State University and its library reserve the right to deny library privileges and/or library access to any person whom it deems may pose a threat to the safety, security and well-being of the library’s users, staff, collections, equipment and facilities. Neither Bemidji State University nor its library will deny access, during normal hours of operation of the library, to any person based upon reasons of race, sex, color, creed, religion, age, disability, sexual orientation or national origin.

Implementation of Policies

This updated version of the A. C. Clark Library’s circulation policies goes into effect February 21, 2014.