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Checking out Books and Other Materials
All you need to know about checking out items
This page covers all the details about borrowing items from your Library.
First of all, you may have a total of 100 items checked out on your card at any one time.
See below for how to renew checked out items, loan periods, late fines, who can borrow and what can be checked out!
On-time return of checked out items makes our materials available to more users. Your cooperation in returning materials on-time is appreciated!
How many times can an item be renewed?
After library items have been checked out on your card, in most cases they can be renewed for an additional loan period, up to 3 times before the item will need to be returned.
Exceptions to this renewal policy are:
- No renewals will be allowed if there is a wait list on the title. If there are requests on the item you have, the computer system will block you from renewing the item and the item will need to be returned by its existing due date to avoid fines.
- Interlibrary Loan items, those borrowed for you from other library systems across the country, may be renewed once. Please contact a staff member to renew the item for you. (Read more about our Interlibrary Loan service.)
How to Renew an Item
- At a library - At an Express Check workstation, you may simply check out the item again with the same card. A staff member can also renew the item for you.
- By phone - Call from home, your mobile phone or any phone 24/7 to use automated phone line renewal. Renew by phone: 253-535-9300.
- Via Internet (24/7) - In Library Catalog, log into My Account, pull up Items Out, select the items you wish to renew, click Renew Selected Items button at bottom of screen. (Please remember to review the confirmed new due dates.)
- Special case for downloadable audiobooks: If the three-week license to an audio file you have previously downloaded has expired, you may return to the appropriate download page to download another copy of the three-week license, thus 'renewing' your audio book.
Note: If an item is already overdue when you attempt to renew the item, any late fines accrued at that point in time will still apply.
Loan Periods
3 weeks is the basic loan period for most library materials:
- Regular books.
- Books borrowed on InterLibrary Loan from other library systems.
- Magazines.
- Music CDs.
- Audiobooks books, including Playaways, and downloadable audiobook's license.
- Theme and baby packets.
- Educational video materials (nonfiction DVDs with a Dewey Decimal call number).
- Some entertainment DVDs in sets.
1 Week for entertainment video materials:
- DVDs - entertainment, feature films.
1 Day for special overnight loan
- Selected reference materials (when permitted.)
1 month special loan period:
- Book Discussion Group Kits (see staff member to make arrangements.)
Late fines and fees
Checked out items must be returned by the due date for each item to avoid fines. Items returned to a book drop after closing will be considered returned the same day. Due dates for each item checked out to you can be viewed from the Items Out screen of your account within the Library catalog.
Our basic late fine rate is 15¢ per day for each overdue item, with a maximum accrual of $6. There are a few special exceptions to this rule.
Special cases:
- Magazines and paperbacks have a maximum accrual of $3.
- Fine for reference material (when overnight loan was permitted) is $1 per day.
- The license for downloadable audio books will automatically expire after 21 days, but there is no check-in or late fines for these, nor will the items show up in your library catalog account.
The fine amounts above apply to each overdue item per day (including library closed days). For example, two late books would incur a combined fine of 30¢ per day.
Fines are charged from the first day of overdue, the first day after the due date. By the time an overdue notice reaches you, you will already owe a fine. Items with several parts, such as a talking book with multiple parts or a movie that has a part 1 and part 2, are considered returned when all parts are returned.
Get advance notice of upcoming due dates via e-mail. When e-mail is the chosen option for library notification, you will automatically receive a notice in advance of due dates for items on your record.
Lost or Damaged Items
You will be charged to replace non-returned, lost or destroyed library items, or to repair damaged library items.
The library is not responsible for repair of equipment used to play library materials.
Checkout Privileges
Checkout privileges are extended to residents with a current valid Pierce County Library card, and who have a balance due of less that $10 on their account.
If an account has unpaid fines and fees totally more than $10, checkout privileges will be suspended until payment is made reducing the total to under $10.
(Read more on borrowing privilege policy, and library card eligibility.)