Abington Township Public Library

you may get a Library card, without charge, at the Abington Free Library or the Roslyn Library. Children under 18 need a parent's signature on the registration form. Please come in to Abington Free Library or Roslyn Branch with identification showing your current address to register yourself/your child(ren).

Lost Card

You are responsible for returning on time and in good condition any items borrowed with it.

To replace a lost card:

Non-Residents of Abington Township

valid Access Pennsylvania Library card from your home library,

If you work or go to school in Abington Township,

you may apply for an Abington Library card that you can use only in Abington Township Public Library. This card is not a Pennsylvania Access card. This card will be valid for one year, renewable after a year if the patron is still working or going to school in Abington Township.

LOAN PERIODS

The standard loan period for books is 21 days, exceptions are below:

New Checkout Procedure
New fiction -- 2 weeks
New non-fiction -- 3 weeks
Videotapes & DVDs -- 1 week
DVD series with 6 or more DVDs -- 2 weeks
Children's Videotapes & DVDs -- 1 week
Children's Holiday Books -- 1 week
(within a month of the holiday, otherwise 3 weeks)
Renewals -- original loan period unless the item is reserved. Patron must come in with the item and a valid library card to renew. Look into renewing online!
CDs and Children's Big Books -- 3 weeks

ITEM LIMITS

Fiction -- no item limit
Non-fiction -- 4 per subject per household
Compact discs -- 3 per card
Cassettes -- 3 per card
Videotapes AND DVDs -- 3 per household

Materials with the prefix REF or R or JR do not circulate without specific permission from the Head of Reference or the Head of Children's.
Periodicals from Abington Free Library do not circulate.
Roslyn Branch Library's periodicals may be checked out.
Reference materials do not circulate without specific permission from the Head of Reference or the Head of Children's.
Items can be renewed one time for the original loan period unless they are on reserve. Patron must come in with the item and a valid library card to renew. Look into renewing online!
Videos and DVDs cannot be renewed.

NEW PROCEDURE

Effective January 14, 2005 , the following checkout periods and limits will apply:

CHILDREN’S NON-FICTION:
4 books per subject per household

CHILDREN’S HOLIDAY MATERIALS (excluding videos/DVDs):
4 items per subject per household

During the 30 days preceding a holiday:
Items circulate for 1 week.

During the rest of the year:
Items circulate for 3 weeks.

NO RENEWALS

PATRON ACCOUNT INFORMATION

Go to the catalog or click here to access your Patron Account.

Along the top of the page, find the words

Library Info

Patron Account

Help

and click on Patron Account,

ENTER the barcode number from the back of your Library Card -
(21030XXXXXXXXX - no spaces)

AND your password.

Then you can SEE

what items you currently checked out
when they're due
what items you have requested
where your request is in the queue
NOW you can RENEW items ONLINE
- if the item is renewable,
- if you have not exceeded your renewal limit
- if the item is not overdue and
- if there are no blocks on your account.
REQUEST BOOKS from HOME!
When you found what you want in the catalog, click on "Place Request." Type in your library card barcode and password. Click on "Submit Request" and that's it.

You can also alter the library where you will pick up your request.

Click here for Patron Access User Guide

Look for more features in the future!

RENEWALS

The patron must come in with the item and a valid library card to renew.
Items with reserves on them cannot be renewed.
Renewable items can be renewed ONCE.
After the original borrowing period and one renewal, the borrowing patron and his/her household cannot check out that item for 24 hours.
Renewals are for the original loan period.
Renewable items can be renewed ONLINE
Videos and DVDs cannot be renewed and are available on a first come first serve basis.
Videos and DVDs are for home use only and by copyright law may not be copied.

FINES AND CHARGES

15¢ per page charge for pages printed on Library printers.
10¢ per page charge for pages copied by copiers.
Adult books, cassettes, CD's 15¢ per day,
maximum per item - $10.00,
maximum per transaction - $30.00
Children's items, 15¢ per day,
maximum per item - $3.00,
maximum per transaction - $10.00
Vertical File, Annual Reports, Adult Paperback Fiction 15¢ per day,
maximum per item - $3.00,
maximum per transaction - $10.00
Adult and Children's Videocassettes and DVDs $1.00 per day,
maximum per item or set - $10.00,
maximum per transaction - $30.00

PAPERBACK SWAP

The Paperback Swap is up by the Circulation Desk, to your left as you enter the Library.

Borrow any number of these swap books that you want.
Tell the Circulation Staff how many you've taken.
Return those or something similar to Circulation at any time.

That's it!

RENTAL BOOKS

Some books are so popular, a lot of people reserve them. If you do not wish to place the book on reserve and wait, you may borrow a Rental Book for...

1 week for $1
2 weeks for $2, or
3 weeks for $3.

Rental Books may be renewed at the rental cost with no limit.

NEW BOOKS

New Books can be found in the Ruth Abel Reading Area straight ahead as you walk in the Library.

There you will find the library's latest acquisitions in Large Print, Fiction and Non-Fiction books.

If you cannot locate a book, the Reference Staff at the Information Desk will gladly assist you.

REQUESTS / RESERVES

You can reserve items:

at the library,
by phone, (215-885-5180, ext. 13) or
through MCLINC online - REQUEST BOOKS from HOME! - - Instructions

You can reserve up to three (3) books or other items in person or by telephone. If you call, please have your library card barcode at hand so you can read it to the person taking your request. DVDs can be reserved for pick up in Abington Library only.

Abington Township Public Library Interlibrary Loan Policies

Borrowing from libraries outside of MCLINC

Definition.

Interlibrary loan ( ILL ) is the process by which a library requests material from, or supplies material to, another library. ILL services shall not be construed to be a substitute for adequate local collections or utilized in place of a carefully crafted collection development policy that has been devised to satisfy the needs of the population served by the Abington Township Public Library (ATPL).

Purpose.

The purpose of ILL is to obtain, upon the expressed need of a library user, materials that are not available from the library or consortium through which the user places the request. ILL services should be used only to obtain materials that are outside the scope of the local collections and/or unavailable through the MCLINC consortium.

Eligibility.

ILL is a service that is available to all customers of state-funded libraries throughout the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania . ILL is a privilege, not a right. ATPL will provide ILL service to any Pennsylvania resident who presents a valid borrower’s card, issued by their “home” library, that has been properly registered in the MCLINC borrower database. ILL service will not be extended to anyone who owes fines or fees or has overdue materials. Any requestor who disregards the basic provisions of this policy may have his or her ILL borrowing privileges suspended at the discretion of the Executive Director.

Scope.

Many types of library materials may be requested through ILL; however, the Abington Township Public Library, in compliance with the Pennsylvania Interlibrary Loan Code, 1994 (PaILC94), cannot request materials from outside the MCLINC consortium that fall into the following categories:

Best sellers;
Titles published within the past six (6) months;
Multiple copies of the same title;
Titles in recurring demand;
Titles owned by the local library or within the Consortium, unless long overdue or declared missing;
Whole issues and/or volumes of periodicals and journals (requests for photocopies of articles are permitted);
More than five (5) articles from five (5) issues of the same periodical or journal title, unless a subscription to the title has been placed or copyright royalties have been paid;
Course materials, including textbooks and course reserves;
Licensed computer software data-files.

In addition, requestors should be aware that some categories of material are frequently difficult to obtain; borrowing these may involve prolonged delivery times, and/or advance payment of lending fees. , These categories include, but are not limited to:

Sound recordings (spoken and music);
Video recordings (VHS and DVD);
Reference works;
Dissertations, theses, etc.;
Locally-specific materials (e.g., local history materials);
Genealogical materials;
Rare and archival materials.

Rules and Procedures.

Library Requirements

ATPL limits the number of requests submitted to four (4) per cardholder, per visit;
Requestors who need to request large numbers of ILL materials may be asked to place requests incrementally;
ILL requests may be submitted by phone or in person;
Bibliographic citations should be as complete as possible;
All requests for materials not owned by the library will be considered by selector-librarians for possible purchase before ILL requests are placed;
ATPL will transmit ILL requests via electronic means whenever feasible;
Requestors will be given advance notice of any fees required by lender(s) prior to the request(s) being placed;
ATPL will pursue every possible avenue in order to obtain requested materials; exception: ATPL cannot place requests for audiovisual materials from libraries outside the State of Pennsylvania ;
Requestors will be notified in the event that requested materials cannot be obtained.

Borrowers’ responsibilities

ILL materials should be picked up within three (3) days of phone notification;
Materials not picked up after three (3) days will be returned to the lending library;
ILL privileges may be suspended for requestors who fail to pick up materials three times within a 12-month period;
Materials obtained through ILL must be returned to Abington Township Public Library;
Requestors must pay for any photocopying expenses at the time of pick-up;
ILL materials will be loaned for 2 weeks unless the lending library specifies otherwise;
The lending policies of the Abington Township Public Library regarding overdue, damaged, or lost materials also apply to ILL materials. In addition, the policies of the lending library may, in the case of loss or damage, result in additional charges to be borne by the borrower.
ILL materials may be renewed at the discretion of the lending library if the renewal request can be transmitted electronically.

Copyright Compliance.

Abington Township Public Library will not accept ILL requests that do not comply with the Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S. Code) and its accompanying guidelines as issued by the National Commission on New Technological Uses of Copyrighted Works.

Abington Township Public Library ILL Policy Development.

The Abington Township Public Library has developed this policy in accordance with the principles set forth in the Pennsylvania Interlibrary Loan Code, 1994 and the American Library Association’s Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States .

Rev. 02-08-06

Lending to libraries outside of MCLINC

Contact Information:

Abington Township Public Library
1030 Old York Road
Abington, PA 19001
Tel.: 215-885-5180
Fax: 215-885-9242
abingtonfreelibrary.org

Codes and Symbols:

PAFLP (Access PA)

ABG (OCLC)

Method of Request

The Abington Township Public Library (ATPL) will accept requests from Access PA (electronic) or via an ALA form. The preferred method to receive an ALA form is by fax or mail to ATPL. The Abington Township Public Library will make every effort to respond to a request within 4 (four) days.

Delivery

IDS or USPS (ATPL will cover the costs of shipping).

Billing

Materials will be checked out to the requesting library through our automated system. The lending policies of ATPL regarding overdue, damaged, or lost materials apply to ILL materials.

Types and categories of materials that will circulate on ILL

ATPL will loan:

Books;
Music scores;
Sound recordings (both musical and non-musical) on audiocassette;
VHS videorecordings.

Types and categories of materials that will not circulate on ILL

ATPL will NOT loan:

Materials from the Reference collection, including, but not limited to:

Microfilm and microfiche;
Periodicals;
Electronic resources.

Sound recordings (both musical and non-musical) on compact discs;
DVDs;

Duration of loan

ATPL will loan material to requesting libraries for 4 (four) weeks.

Renewals

ATPL will make every effort to respond promptly to requests for renewals. The renewal period will consist of an extension of the loan by 2 (two) weeks.

Photoduplication service

Upon request, with specific citations and page numbers, APTL will make photocopies (up to 20 pages) of materials for requesting libraries. The Library will not produce copies from microfilm or micro-fiche.

Abington Township Public Library ILL Policy Development

3/2/2006