St. Mary's County Library

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Using your Library Card

woman and boy standing at the checkout desk with two library staff members behind the desk
Loan Periods and Fees | Fees for Lost or Damaged Items | Other Fees | Checkout of Library Materials | Limits Per Card | Renewals | Lost Items | Returning Material That May Have Come in Contact with Pests | Blocked Cards | Overdue Notices and Bills Schedule | Collection Agency | Holds | Online Account Access and Library Elf | Using Your SMART Card

Loan Periods and Fees:

  • Books, Magazines, Music CDs, CD-ROMs, and Kits (exceptions listed below) check out for 21 days. Overdue items are 25¢ per day, $5 max.
    • BookXpress items check out for 14 days. Overdue items are $1 per day, $20 max.
    • Kids board books, early readers, magazines, multimedia kits, picture books, and Spanish books check out for 21 days. As of June 2018, there are no overdue fees on these items. Fees incurred on these items prior to June 2018 will remain on the account, but no further fees will be added.
  • DVDs (except DVDXpress) and Blurays check out for 7 days. Overdue items are $1 per day, $20 max.
  • DVDXpress items check out for 3 days. Overdue items are $2 per day, $20 max.
  • Nonfiction DVDs, Books on CD, and Playaways check out for 21 days. Overdue items are $1 per day, $20 max.
  • Ukulele kits check out for 21 days. Overdue items are $1 per day, $20 max.
  • WiFi Hotspots check out for 14 days. There are no overdue fees.

In accordance with the Building Lifelong Learners Act of 2020, public libraries in Maryland will be fine-free for minors.

  • A minor is defined as an individual under the age of 18.
  • A fine is defined as a charge for an item not returned by the due date (aka overdue fine)
  • Special Collections are exempt from this law.
    • Interlibrary Loan materials (both Marina and OCLC) are considered special collections and are therefore exempt from the law. Minors may borrow ILL materials and may be charged overdue fines for such use in accordance with policies set out above.
  • Fees such as those for damaged materials are not prohibited by this law and may be charged in accordance with policies set out below.
  • Blocking a minor’s card due to outstanding fees is not prohibited by this law and may continue to be done in accordance with policies set out below.
  • Fees for borrowing, such as an ILL Request fee, are not prohibited by this law and may be charged in accordance with policies set out below.

Fees for Lost or Damaged Items:

  • Replacement cost of the item
  • CD and DVD cases: $5
  • Book on CD cases: $10
  • Each Book on CD disk: $10
  • Ukulele Kits and WiFi Hotspots have additional fees for lost/damaged items. Please see the ukulele kits page or the hotspots page for details.

Other Fees:

  • Collection agency referral fee: $10
  • Returned check fee: $15 per check
  • Out-of-state resident library card fee: $20 per year

Checkout of Library Materials:

  • Customers with a valid library card (owing less than $25 in fines), may check out library materials.
  • If the customer does not have the library card, he/she should present another ID or verify information on the account in order to check out library materials.

Limits Per Card:

  • Maximum of 75 items checked out
  • 2 DVDXpress

Renewals:

  • Most items may be renewed four times unless items have been requested by other customers. BookXpress and DVDXpress items cannot be renewed.
  • Eligible items will be automatically renewed three days before their due date. Exceptions to auto-renewal include:
    • Items that have been placed on hold by another customer
    • Items that have reached the maximum number of renewals
    • Any e-content (digital books, magazines, music, movies, etc)
    • Any account that is blocked
  • Items that are automatically renewed will be renewed from the original due date.
  • Items borrowed from Maryland Libraries other than Calvert, Charles or St. Mary’s (Marina items) may be renewed once if permitted by lending library.
  • Customers with email will receive notification of successful automatic renewal, as well as a list of items that were not renewed.

Lost Item Policy:

  • If an item is lost or damaged, the customer will be billed the replacement value of the item as identified in the catalog record. If the customer finds a lower price for a new item using an online bookseller, ie. Amazon.com, they may pay the lower amount instead. No replacement items will be accepted.
  • If a customer returns an item that has been recorded as “lost and paid,” a refund will be issued upon presentation of the original receipt.  All requests for refunds must occur within one (1) month of payment. The refund shall be the amount paid by the customer for the lost item.

Returning Material That May Have Come in Contact with Pests:

If Library materials may have come into contact with bed bugs, roaches, lice, fleas, or other insects or pests while in a customer’s possession, the customer SHOULD NOT return the material through the book drop. Instead, place the items in a securely closed plastic bag and notify a staff member immediately upon return of the materials to the front desk, so the staff member can take necessary precautions. Materials that are returned with bed bug or other pest infestation will be treated or discarded at the Library’s discretion. Materials that must be discarded may be charged to the customer at full replacement value, and all relevant circulation policies regarding fines and fees apply. If further occurrence of infestation of materials occurs, Library privileges may be permanently withdrawn.

Blocked Cards

  • Customers with a balance of $25 or more or more than 75 items checked out will be blocked from checking out, placing holds, and downloading books.

Overdue Notices & Bills Schedule:

  • Customers with email: a courtesy reminder/autorenewal notice 3 days before the item is due, 3-day overdue notice, 14-day overdue notice, 21-day bill notice.
  • Customers without email: 3-day overdue notice via automated phone service (due to confidentiality titles are not mentioned), 21-day bill notice via the US mail.
  • Bills are sent to all account with $25 or more in fines, even if materials have been returned.

Collection Agency:

  • It is important to return materials on time. If you do not return items within 21 days, they are listed as “lost” and become a fine on your account.
  • An account with a balance of $50 or more, if not resolved within 59 days of the due date, is automatically sent to a collection agency, even if all items have been returned and a $50 fine remains.
  • A $10 collection service charge is added to the account.

Holds:

  • St. Mary’s County Library partners with Calvert Library and Charles County Public Library to offer a materials for the residents of Southern Maryland. If materials are not available in a customer’s home branch, they may place a hold on the item in the catalog.
  • If a title is not available in the tri-county area, but is owned by another public library in the state, it can potentially be requested through the MARINA collaboration of Maryland public libraries. Customers may place their own requests using MARINA, or by asking information staff at any library to help.
  • If a title is not available locally or state-wide, please see information staff at any library for help.
  • There is a limit of 50 holds at one time.
  • The customer is informed that the item is in through either an email message or a phone call.
  • Holds will be held for five (5) days following notification before being returned to the owning library.

Online Account Access and Library Elf:

  • All customers can view their library account, renew items, pay fines, and manage holds from the My Account page.
  • Sign up for Library Elf to view items checked out and on hold and receive reminder emails. Customers can add multiple library cards to their Library Elf account. Already have a Library Elf account? Sign in!