To obtain a Grant Area District Library card, you must:
Children under 18 years of age must have a parent/guardian with current ID and in good standing with the library to obtain a library card. This allows children to choose and check out materials but parents are responsible for any loss or damage to materials.
Patrons are responsible for any and all materials checked out on their card unless they have reported the card lost. Replacement costs are $5.00 plus any existing fines on old cards for adults (18 and older) and $3.00 plus existing fines for children.
Anyone
residing outside the Lakeland Cooperative area may be eligible for a
library card by paying an annual non-resident fee.
This fee will entitle each member of the family to a separate card
that may be issued to each individual in the family. This card is
considered a “LOCAL USE” only card to be used at Grant Area District
Library.
Non-resident cards will
expire on December 31st each year.
Non-resident cards issued by
GADL may place holds within the shared online system catalog.
Fees for non-resident cards
will be prorated quarterly as to the time of year purchased.
Library cards must be present for checking out materials. Materials will not be checked out under anyone’s name without their card being present.
All books, audio books, CD-ROMS, and music CDs are checked out for a three week period. Items can be renewed one time for an additional three weeks if no other patrons have placed it on hold and it is not an Express item. They can be renewed by phone, in person or online.
Reference materials and some special collections may not be checked out.
In the event an item is returned late, the fee is $.15 per day.
Lakeland Library Cooperative allows a maximum of 100 items checked out per library card. EXCEPTION: Holiday books are limited to 5 per patron for a 1 week loan.
The library also has many videos and DVDs available for our patrons for a one week loan.
Entertainment DVDs are $1.00 for a one week rental with $1.00 per day late fee.
All videos and informational DVDs are loaned free of charge with a $.15 per day late fee. Entertainment videos have a $1.00 per day late fee.
The library subscribes to a wide variety of magazines. Current issues are available to read in our Periodical Room. Back issues are loaned for one week with a $.15 per day late fee.
The Grand Rapids Press, Muskegon Chronicle and Times Indicator are also available for patrons to read.
Grant Area District Library is a member of the Lakeland Library Cooperative. Our patrons are able to access the materials from 78 other libraries through borrowing privileges, interlibrary loan, and a shared catalog system Top of page
Checked out materials may be returned at the circulation desk in the library, the book drop outside of the library, or at any other participating Lakeland Cooperative library.
Notice: Materials checked out on a patron’s card are their responsibility until they are checked in by the library staff.
All materials may be renewed one time if no holds have been placed on them. Renewals can be done by phone, in person or online. Top of page
Our catalog lists materials from 79 Lakeland Cooperative member libraries; books may be borrowed from these libraries at no charge. Library staff or the patron can place holds at the library or via the library website. Arrangements may also be made to have materials shipped to the Grant Library. This process typically takes a few days to a week, and the books may be returned to the Grant library or to any other Lakeland Cooperative member library. If you request popular materials, there may already be holds on materials which may cause a delay. You will be notified by phone, mail, or email when your materials are available. To request materials from another library, patrons must provide the following information:
The library will not be held responsible for any damage to any patron’s computer system while using the library’s circulating CD-ROMs. The full replacement cost of the CD-ROM will be charged if the disc, or any of the accompanying contents, is lost or damaged. Users must be aware that some products automatically load software or alter existing software. Patrons should consider backing up systems and other files before using these products. Also copyright laws require that library software be deleted from users’ hard drives before being returned to the library. Top of page
Patrons who have overdue materials or have not paid their fine of $5.00 will have borrowing privileges suspended and computer access blocked, until fines are paid, the items returned or restitution made if the item(s) are lost. If materials are lost or destroyed, the maximum fine is the cost of the item. The librarian may use discretion in waiving fines in unusual circumstances.
Circulation staff will notify the patron by mail (email, if requested) when the item is two weeks overdue. The patron will be billed for the cost of the item when it is six weeks overdue.
Circulation staff will notify the patron by phone or email in 5-7 days when a video or DVD is not returned, due to the higher cost of fines.
A Notice of Unresolved Charges will be sent to the patron when an item becomes 42 days overdue.
After item(s) becomes 72 days overdue, patron account will be sent to Collection Agency and the collection fee of $8.95 will be added to the patron record.
Patrons returning overdue item(s) after receiving collection agency correspondence will be responsible for paying collection agency fees plus all fines and charges. Top of page
If materials are lost or damaged so as to be judged by the library as being unsuitable for the collection, the patron must pay the replacement cost.
It is the policy of the Grant Area District Library to preserve the confidentiality and privacy of the circulation records of its patrons to the fullest extent permitted by law. To that end, the circulation records of the Library shall be released or disclosed only as provided for in this policy or otherwise required by law. The Michigan Privacy Act states that unless ordered by a court after giving the affected library notice of the request and the opportunity to be heard on the request, a library or an employee or agent of a library shall not release or disclose a library record or portion of a library record to a person without the written consent of the person liable for payment for or return of the materials identified in that library record. Top of page
E-mail notification of holds and overdue materials is available to patrons. E-mails are sent to patrons when requested materials arrive at the library, when materials are overdue, or for notification of special events at the library. Because of the library’s privacy policy as well as the Michigan Privacy Act, the library will not use email to notify patrons without their consent. Therefore, to receive notification by email, patrons are required to sign a waiver to allow the use of their email address for notification. This is done because email is not completely “secure” (in the sense that others may have access to it) and there is a potential that others may see names of materials borrowed or requested. Addresses given to the library will not be divulged, sold, or used for any other purpose. Top of page
Patron Rules and Responsibilities
The Grant Area District Library supports the right of all persons to use the Library appropriately with the safety and peace of all in mind. To this end and in order to maintain a clean and comfortable environment for our patrons and employees, the Board of Library Trustees has adopted the following rules for Library use. It is the duty of the Grant Area District Library staff to ensure that these rules and responsibilities are properly enforced so that the Library can be appropriately used by all. Patrons who violate these rules and responsibilities will be subject to penalties.
Any person violating any of these rules may be ordered to leave Library property, be denied library services or privileges or be banned from use of any Library property. If conduct which violates these rules is also a violation of the law, prosecution may result.
The Grant Area District Library is dedicated to providing a welcoming and safe environment for patrons of all ages. Sharing this environment with other people requires that everyone follow the Patron Rights and Responsibilities policy established by the Board of Trustees.
The Grant Area District Library wants children to use the facilities and services offered for its patrons. Children up to the age of eight (8) must always be accompanied by a parent, legal guardian or assigned caregiver. Children aged eight (8) or under must have the parent/caregiver in the immediate vicinity of and in visual contact with the child. The exception to this rule would be children attending a library program with a parent/caregiver in the room. However, the parent is expected to remain in the library building and immediately join the child at the end of the program.
If a child up to the age of eight (8) is found unattended, the library staff will attempt to locate the parent/caregiver in the library and inform them of the policy. If the parent/caregiver cannot be found, or if the child is found unattended again, the police will be called by the library staff. If a child in this age group violates the Patron Rights and Responsibilities, the parent/caregiver will be informed of the rules. If any inappropriate behavior continues, the family may be asked to leave the library.
The parent/caregiver, not the library staff, is responsible for the behavior and supervision of their children while using the library. Library employees cannot be responsible for children who are unattended or demonstrating inappropriate behavior while in the library.
If a child under the age of eighteen (18) is unaccompanied at closing time, the library staff may notify police to pick up the child. To ensure the safety of the child, library staff members will wait with him/her until the police assume custody.
Violation of this policy is grounds for suspension of library privileges for the family.
Adopted 11/2006 Top of page
Freedom of Information Act Requests
The Freedom of Information Act (5 U.S.C.A. Sec. 552) makes information held by governmental bodies available to the public unless it falls under a category of matters exempt from public disclosure. Anyone requesting such information from the library must do so in writing and may pick up the documents or have them mailed to them. Fees for copying of documents (.20/page) and postage will be charged to the FOIA requestor.
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