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Plan For Reciprocal Access

ROLLING PRAIRIE LIBRARY SYSTEM

Definitions

Library Card (minimum requirements)

Card should include name, expiration date, and name and address of issuing library.

Non-resident

A person who resides outside the taxing area of a public library, does not pay a library tax to the library in question and is required by law to pay a special fee to obtain a public library card.

Non-resident Property Owner

A non-resident who, as an individual or as a partner, principal stockholder, or other joint owner, owns taxable property or is a senior administrative officer of a firm, business, or other corporation owning taxable property within the public library service area.

Resident Library Card

(minimum requirements) Card should include the name of the resident, expiration date, and name and address of the issuing library.

Non-resident Library Card

(minimum requirements) Card should include the name of the non-resident, expiration date, name and address of the issuing library, and the word “Non-Resident”. The non-resident library card shall be issued for 12 months.

Non-resident Property Owner Card

(minimum requirements) Upon presentation of the most recent tax bill upon taxable property in a public library service area, the Owner is issued a library card. Only one such non-resident card is issued for each parcel of taxable property. The card should include the name of the Non-resident Property Owner, expiration date, and the name and address of the issuing library.

Closest Public Library

A participating pubic library that issues non-resident library cards. The factor for determining the closest public library for the non-resident shall be determined by the location of a participating public library.

Participating Public Library

A public library whose board of trustees authorizes the issuance of non-resident library cards.

Home Library

The library that issues a resident or non-resident card to an Illinois citizen.

School District

A high school district or unit district.

Commonality of Community Interest

Activities involving, but not limited to, education, retail, commercial, cultural, civic, health facilities, financial institutions and recreation.

Reciprocal Access

System reciprocal access programs allows persons with a valid library card on-site/on-shelf access to materials from collections in ILLINET libraries.

Reciprocal Borrowing

Reciprocal borrowing, a special form of reciprocal access, allows persons to borrow materials directly from ILLINET public libraries.

System (Multitype)

An organization of public and other types of libraries that enter into an agreement to provide any or all library services on a cooperative basis under the provisions of The Illinois Library System Act.

 

RECIPROCAL ACCESS

Description

Reciprocal access is the means by which the library resources of all member libraries of our library system are made available to all constituents within the system area.

An important component of reciprocal access is the provision of bibliographic access through electronic means or telephone to the resources of all member libraries.

Reciprocal access may also include some necessary and reasonable restrictions:

1. On-site use of library materials at a special or school library may require advance arrangement or appointment for the date and time of the visit.
2. According to the Administrative Rules for the Illinois Library System, Act, Library Systems may allow reasonable restrictions on reciprocal access depending on type of library and library materials

Procedures

If a patron of a member RPLS library wishes to use materials located at a non-public member library and the library to which the patron wants to go is not normally open to the public, the librarian at the patron's home library should call the non-public library to make arrangements for their patron's visit. The reasonable restrictions cited above should be kept in mind at the time of the phone call.

Even in cases where the patron wishes to access a library which is normally open to the public, a phone call should be made if the patron will require extensive assistance from the staff of the library they are visiting.

RECIPROCAL BORROWING

The Rolling Prairie Library System’s (RPLS) Reciprocal Borrowing Program allows a person holding a valid resident, non-resident, or non-resident property owner card issued by a participation public library member of the system to borrow library material (excluding equipment) directly from any other participating public library. Individual libraries may choose to loan equipment as well as library materials, however, equipment loans are not covered by this reciprocal borrowing policy.

Libraries other than public libraries can participate in this program with the approval of RPLS.

Library Participation in Reciprocal Borrowing

In order for the resident cards of a member public library to be honored at other system libraries, the home library must receive an Illinois State Library per capita grant, or be taxing at least .13% of equalized assessed valuation, or be levying a tax that produces a revenue of $6.00 per capita.

Member public library boards of trustees shall annually take action to decide whether to issue non-resident library cards during the ensuing 12 months. At that time, the non-resident card fee formula and fee, if applicable, to be use will be determined and adopted. The term of participation in the non-resident library card program shall be from July 1 of each year through June 30 of the following year.

The public library board of trustees shall notify the regional library system within 30 days of the above action. This notification shall state either their participation in the non-resident library card program and the fee formula adopted or their non-participation in the non-resident library card program. Such notification is due to the system by June 30 each year.

Non-resident Card Program Report Form

Applying for Library Cards

Public library board of trustees’ shall adopt policies for issuing resident and non-resident cards. The non-resident card policy should include a description of the public library’s service area and the method of calculating fees. The non-resident card policy shall be made available for public inspection at the library.

A resident shall apply for a card at the library whose service area includes their principal residence.

A non-resident shall apply for a non-resident library card at the closest public library determined by their residence. Non-residents shall apply at the participating public library in the school district in which the non-resident’s principal residence is unless due to the commonality of community interest library services at the library which is physically closer may best serve the need of the non-resident.

Where two or more pubic libraries are in a school district, those participating public libraries in cooperation with RPLS, shall determine the appropriate library service area where a non-resident can apply for a library card.

If there is no participating public library in the school district, RPLS, in cooperation with participating libraries in the area of the school district, shall determine the appropriate library service area where a non-resident can apply for a library card.

Non-Resident Fee Formulas

1. General Mathematical Formula
1. To determine the minimum non-resident fee, local libraries should divide the library income from local tax sources or its equivalent by the local population to determine the cost of service per capita. The library should multiply the per capita figure by the average number of persons per household in the community to obtain the average cost per household on which to base a fee for a family card. The most recent federal census information available shall be used in determining population and household size.
2. Library income from local property tax sources excludes State and federal funds.
2. Tax Bill Methods
1. Non-Resident Taxpayer: The library tax rate or equivalent, including all special levies, is applied to the non-resident property owner’s principal residence assessed valuation on an individual, case by case basis. The most recent property tax bill will be used. The property owner will pay the same amount as would be paid if the property were in the library service area.
2. Non-Resident Renter: The library shall either charge a minimum of 15 percent of the monthly rent as the annual non-resident fee, or devise its own formula. The local formula shall take into account the average local rent of the general community of the public library, property tax rate, and the non-resident fee f or residential homeowners. The library board shall annually determine the percent to be applied to non-resident renters. The renter shall provide to the public library a current rent receipt or a cancelled rent check for verification purposes.
3. Adoption of the Average Non-Resident Fee in the System Area
1. In public library service areas with a disproportionately large share of the property valuation in agricultural, industrial, mining, commercial or other non-residential property, the library board of trustees may ask the Director of the Illinois State Library for authorization to adopt as its non-resident fee the average non-resident fee in the system in which the library is located. Such average will be taken from “Illinois Public Library Statistics: Analyses” for the latest year available.
2. This exception is not a general alternative to the formula, and will apply only under the conditions stated above, with the approval of the Illinois State Library.

Responsibilities of Reciprocal Borrowing Patrons

Reciprocal borrowing patrons (resident or non-resident) shall:

1. Use the home library for their primary library services and use reciprocal borrowing for supplemental services.
2. Abide by the regulations established by the lending library to govern the use of its collection.
3. Return borrowed material, and pay any accumulated overdue fines.
4. Assume the cost of lost or damaged material in accordance with the policies of the lending library.
5. Materials, which are borrowed on reciprocal loan, can be returned to any member library.

Responsibilities of the Home Library

The home library shall:

1. Provide the best, most comprehensive service possible to its primary service populations. Reciprocal borrowing is not a replacement for, but a supplement to, services provided to the patron by their home library.
2. Provide accurate information to patrons on the reciprocal borrowing rules and procedures in the system.
3. Annually determine if the library will participate in the non-resident reciprocal borrowing program, the fee formula, and notify the system each year of this decision by June 30.
4. Maintain accurate registration and reciprocal borrowing information for its patrons. An expiration date shall be clearly visible on the patron's library card and if a non-resident card the word “Non-Resident” shall also appear on the card.
5. Assist with the retrieval of delinquent material borrowed by one of its registered patrons.
6. Assume responsibility for any lost material fees (excluding equipment) charged to one of their patrons because of a reciprocal loan and pay fees due to lending library when billed. Fees shall be paid directly to the lending library.

Responsibilities of the Lending Library

The lending library shall:

1. Circulate materials to eligible reciprocal borrowers under the same conditions that they circulate those materials to their own patrons.
2. Maintain adequate statistics concerning reciprocal borrowing (both intra- and intersystem).
3. Notify reciprocal borrowing patrons of fines due on reciprocally borrowed items.
4. Collect fines on reciprocally borrowed items from the reciprocal patrons. The home library may not be charged the fines for items returned late and in good condition.
5. Collect fees for lost reciprocally borrowed items. The fees shall be determined according to the policies of the lending library.
6. Notify the patron's home library of fees due, if they have not been paid within 6 weeks of the billing date of the item.
7. Bill patron’s home library for fees due if not paid by patron within 4 months of billing date.
8. Notify RPLS if the fees due on a reciprocally borrowed item have not been paid within five months of the date the home library is billed for fees due.
9. Refer back to the home library any patron declared delinquent.

Responsibilities of the System

Rolling Prairie Library System shall:

1. Provide accurate information to participating libraries on resident and non-resident reciprocal borrowing rules and procedures.
2. Shall maintain an up-to-date list on its Internet site of public libraries that are participating and non-participating in the non-resident reciprocal borrowing program. This list upon request will be available in print form for public inspection at the regional library system headquarters. The list of participating and non-participating public libraries shall be submitted each year in the annual report to the Illinois State Library.
3. The library system, in cooperation with public libraries and other regional library systems, will determine non-resident service area when necessary.
4. Coordinate the collection of intra- and intersystem reciprocal borrowing statistics from member libraries, monitor reciprocal borrowing use patterns by way of those statistics and study any burdens placed on individual libraries.
5. Contact home libraries not meeting their obligation to pay fees due in those cases where such fees have not been paid within five months of being billed for the fees by the lending library.
6. Subscribe to and support the Intersystem Reciprocal Borrowing Covenant.
7. Rolling Prairie Library System takes no responsibility for loss of material on the RPLS delivery nor does it guarantee a certain return date.

Handling of Cards

Reciprocal borrowing patrons will be using their home library card at both computerized and non-computerized libraries in RPLS. The following outline summarizes the procedures that should be used when a patron comes into an RPLS library for reciprocal borrowing.

If the Library Uses the RPLS Data Base for Circulation, a Reciprocal Borrowing Patron May Use:

1. A library card (with a zebra label) from another RPLS database library.
1. Use the normal checkout procedure. The information is already in the computer.
2. A library card from a non-computerized RPLS library.
1. Register the patron in the RPLS database.
2. Issue a zebra label for the patron's home library card.
3. Follow normal checkout procedure.
3. A library card from a different database, with a zebra label.
1. Enter the home library zebra number if compatible with the RPLS database and registration information into the RPLS database.
2. Follow normal checkout procedure.
3. If the zebra number is not compatible, register the patron in the RPLS database.
4. Issue a zebra label for the patron’s home library card.
5. Follow normal checkout procedure.

If the Library Does Not Use Any Data Base for Circulation, a Reciprocal Borrowing Patron May Use:

1. A library card from an RPLS library with or without a zebra label.
1. Register the patron or record desired transaction information.
2. Do not issue a card.
3. Use normal checkout procedures.

Intersystem Reciprocal Borrowing

The Intersystem Reciprocal Borrowing Program provides reciprocal borrowing privileges to public library patrons with resident cards from another system. Most of the libraries in the state are participating in this program. For a current listing of Intersystem Reciprocal Borrowing libraries go to http://www.chipublib.org/aboutcpl/cplpolicies/policies/reciprocalborrow.php. The program works in the following way: If one of your patrons visits Rockford Public Library (which is a reciprocal borrower) and wishes to borrow materials from that library, he or she would be able to, only if your library agreed to participate in intersystem reciprocal borrowing. Your patron would only need to show his resident library card to check out the library materials. If Rockford Public Library patrons (or patrons from any other public library in another system in Illinois which agrees to be a reciprocal borrower) wish to borrow materials from your library, they may do so. Borrowed materials may be returned directly to the lending library or to your own local library if more convenient. Your library can return materials through the system delivery system. RPLS public libraries shall participate in Intersystem Reciprocal Borrowing. The guidelines for Reciprocal Borrowing shall apply to Intersystem Reciprocal Borrowing.

Administration of Reciprocal Access, Reciprocal Borrowing and Non-resident Reciprocal Borrowing Program

The Executive Director of Rolling Prairie Library System shall monitor and guide these programs. The system may suspend a library from membership in accordance with the system's By-Laws in the event a library fails to conform to the system policies.