Circulation Services

The Columbia Public Library offers full library service to all residents of the city. The Library facilities are available during regular Library hours, for use by any person who conducts himself/herself courteously and treats with respect and care the Library materials and equipment.  Items to be loaned from the library are available to the holder of a valid borrowing card.  Materials not found in the library will be borrowed for patrons through interlibrary loans.  Computers and a typewriter are available for patron use.  A large meeting room and a smaller meeting room is available for use during library hours, and must be booked in advance.

- Hours are:  Mon-Thurs 9:00 - 8:30, Fri 9:00-5:00, Sat 9:00-4:00    

- Holiday Closings: New Year's Day; Lincoln's Birthday,(or President’s Day) Good Friday, Veterans Day, Independence Day, Labor Day, Thanksgiving and the day after Thanksgiving, Christmas Eve (4 hours);Christmas and New Year’s Eve( 4 hours).  In order to offer library services and facilities on days that offer the greatest convenience to library patrons, holiday closings are subjected to substitution. (Example: President’s Day could be substituted for Lincoln’s Birthday.)  Any member of the Library Board may propose a substitution day.  Approval of the substitution requires a majority vote of the Board members present.

p>- Patron cards are issued to any applicant who is a resident of the City of Columbia.  The card may be used at any Illinois library.  Children must be entering kindergarten to obtain their first card.

- Nonresidents may purchase a library card. (Illinois Library Laws, 1/1/94) "Privileges and use of the library may be extended to persons residing outside of the city, incorporated town, village or township.  For such use, the Board shall charge a nonresident fee at least equal to the average cost paid by residents of the City of Columbia."     

-     Nonresidents who own or lease city property may have one card for family use.

-Books, audio/books and videos are due in two weeks, magazines, one week. A fine of five cents per library day is charged for an overdue item.  The fine must not exceed the value of the item.  ALL materials charged on a card are the responsibility of the card's owner. Full replacement cost must be paid for a lost item.  The library will send overdue notifications.  Removal of a patron's card from the active file is the result of failure to return or pay for lost items.     

-A "NOTICE" of the Illinois Library Law (Article 16B. Protection of Library Materials) is posted in the vestibule.  Warnings of the consequences of theft, vandalism of materials and failure to follow the law are explained in detail.

-Audio/books and videos must not be placed in the outside book drop.  The parking lot book drop is for after hour use only.

-All lost and damaged items must be replaced by patrons at cost plus processing fees.

-There is no limit to the number of books checked out.  However, we ask that you limit the number of one subject to two books at a time.  This allows others who need books on the same subject to find material.  This also pertains to magazines, two "Times" & two "National Geographic" are fine but taking all the current magazines of one title does not leave much choice for others.

-Linking Patrons: The library has the ability to link patrons by family connections and address.  This allows the library to check on what each member of a family has checked out or to check on fines accrued by the family.  Permission must be granted by the family to link them. (amended 05/08/2007)

 

-Computers with "Microsoft," "Windows," "Print Shop," "Lotus," "CD Rom," and "Internet" are in place for public use.  Sign up boards are available for using these computers. Internet may be used for 1 hour once a day.  The other computers may be used for one hour unless no one else has signed up.  A typewriter is also available for the public.  Paper used with the printers is .10 cents per page for black print and .25 for color print.  A copier is also available at 10 cents per copy.  Patrons are to be aware of the copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code), which governs the making of photocopies.  Reproduction is not to be "used for any purpose other than private study, scholarship,or research."

  -A laminator is available for public use.  The cost is .50 per sheet.

  -An Ellison machine is available for public use.  No charge for using but must bring own paper.

  -The Fax is available for public use.  The cost is $1.00 for the first page and

Youth and Teen Services

A separate area is set aside for the Juvenile and Youth books.  New books are added each month. 

Reference Assistance

The Reference area has many useful volumes on history, medicine, legal help, music, art, literature, encyclopedias, dictionaries, language, social sciences, chemistry, biology, and other sciences.  The librarians are always willing to try and answer the questions posed by our patrons.  They will use many different sources to come up with a solution.

The Library's Collection

1.  Preamble

-Books are one of the greatest instruments of freedom and knowledge, the natural medium for the new idea and untried voice, from which come the original contributions to social growth.  They are the source of mankind's history, knowledge, and ideas from the beginning of the record.

 -It is in the public interest for libraries to make available the widest diversity of views and expressions.  Freedom is no freedom if it is accorded only to the accepted and the inoffensive.  The freedom to read is essential to our democracy.

 

-The Board of the Columbia Public Library endorses the American Library Association's "Library Bill of Rights," and it is herewith incorporated with the Library's basic book selection policy.

LIBRARY BILL OF RIGHTS

1.  As a responsibility of library service, books and other reading matter selected should be chosen for values of interest, information and enlightenment of all the people of the community.  In no case should any book be excluded because of the race or nationality, or the political or religious views of the reader.

   2.        There should be the fullest practicable provision of        material presenting all points of view concerning the problems and issues of our times, international, national, and local; and books or other reading matter of sound factual authority should not be proscribed or removed from library shelves because of partisan or doctrinal disapproval.

3.        Censorship of books, urged or practiced by volunteer arbiters of morals or political opinion or by organizations that would establish a coercive concept of Americanism, must be challenged by libraries in maintenance of their responsibility to provide public information and enlightenment through the printed word.

4.  Libraries should enlist the cooperation of allied groups in the fields of science, education, and of book publishing in resisting all abridgment of the free access of ideas and full freedom of expression that are the tradition and heritage of

      Americans.

4.        As an institution of education for democratic living, the
library should welcome the use of its meeting rooms for socially useful and cultural activities and discussion of current public questions.  Such meeting places should be available on equal terms to all groups in the community regardless of their beliefs and affiliations of their members. 

 

2.        Material Selection Policy

-It is the policy of the Columbia Public Library to select for purchase those materials, which will best serve the educational, recreational, and information needs of the community.  Particular items will be selected on the basis of the following considerations:

a.        Reviews from reliable and professional sources that 

    list the significance and merit of the material.

b.        Current and anticipated requests of patrons.

c.        Reference materials needed for building adequate, up-to

Date subject areas in the library.

d.        Originality and literary effectiveness.

e.        The prevailing variety in patron's interests, and also in

The intensities or depths of their interests.

         f.  The amount of money available in the budget for purchase.

     

-The librarian is initially responsible for selecting all new acquisitions, with the Board reserving final discretion.

           

3.        Gifts of Books and Materials

   (Subject to above selection policies)

-Memorial gifts will have special bookplates inserted to identify the donor.

-Magazines, textbooks, and worn out and shabby materials will not be accepted.     

-Gifts, which do not meet the library’s needs/criteria, will be disposed of in sales or other means.

-Items other than circulating material will be accepted only with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

-A gift agreement form may be given to donors wishing one(see following form).  It will acknowledge the donation but will not give a monetary value to the item for tax purposes.

COLUMBIA PUBLIC LIBRARY     618-281-4237

106 NORTH METTER AVENUE                    FAX 618-281-6977

COLUMBIA, IL 62236                                                e-mail cla@lcls.org

 

GIFT AGREEMENT FORM

Donor___________________________________________ Date________

Address_______________________________________________________

City____________________State______________Zip_______________

 

Description of material donated: ___________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

_____________________________________________________________

This Gift Agreement transfers legal title of the gift to Columbia Public Library.

 

Gifts of Books and Materials

v    Memorial gifts will have special bookplates inserted to identify the donor.

v    Magazines, textbooks, and worn out or shabby materials will not be accepted.

v    Gifts, which do not meet the library’s needs/criteria, will be disposed of in sales or by other means.

v    Items other than circulating material will be accepted only with the approval of the Board of Trustees.

v    The library cannot appraise the value of a donation for tax purposes.  It will issue the donor a letter acknowledging the donation. 

 

I have read the gift policy provisions of the Columbia Public Library and agree that they are acceptable.

 

Donor signature___________________________ Date_____________

Accepted for the Library by_________________  Date_____________

 
 

 

      4.  Removal of Library Materials  (Weeding)

      -In order to maintain a vital, interesting, and usable collection, the library continually removes items no longer suitable or necessary.  Some of the basis for withdrawal of materials is outdated information, unused subject matter,

unneeded duplicate materials, worn out and shabby materials, and items not being checked out.

5.  Censorship Policy

-The Library recognizes that censorship is purely an individual matter and declares that while everyone is free to reject materials not approved of, they cannot exercise censorship that restricts the freedom of others.  Many books are controversial and any given item may offend some patrons.  Selections will not be made on the basis of any anticipated approval, or disapproval, but solely on the merits of the work in relation to the building of the collections and to serving the interests of the readers.

 -Responsibility for the reading of children rests with their parents and legal guardians.  Selection will not be inhibited by the possibility that books may inadvertently come into the possession of children.

 -No books or library materials shall be removed from the library by reason of censorship unless under the order of a court or competent jurisdiction.

 -Should the Columbia Public Library receive a complaint from a citizen about specific titles which he/she feels is objectionable, the complaint is required   to be in writing, and the complainant should be identified properly before the complaint is considered.

 -Librarians will not get into a discussion about the appropriateness of materials.  Offer the "Book Reevaluation Form."  

 Procedures:  Recommendations for the withdrawal of specific materials from the library are welcome.  Take the following steps:

       1.  Obtain a "Book Reevaluation Form" from a librarian.

 2.        Meet with the head librarian with the completed form.  The librarian, and in some cases the Board of Trustees, will consider the withdrawal request.

BOOK REEVALUATION FORM

 

Title _______________________________ ( )Book ( )Periodical ( )Other

Author ________________________________________________________________

Publisher _______________________________________________________________

 

Request initiated by _________________________________________________

 

Address ______________________________________________________

 

City ________________________________ State __________ Zip __________ Telephone ­­­­­­­­­­___________­­__­­­­

Do you represent:  () Yourself

                   () An organization (name) ___________________

                   () Other group (name)____________________________

 

1.  To what in the work do you object? Please be specific. Cite pages.

         ___________________________________________________________________

 

2. Did you read the entire work? _________What parts?

 

____________________________________________________________

 

3.  What do you think might be the result of reading this work?

 

     ___________________________________________________________________

 

4.  For what age groups would you recommend this work?     ______

     __________________________________________________________________

 

5.  What do you believe is the theme of this work? ______________________________

 

     __________________________________________________________________

6.  Are you aware of the judgment of this work by literary critics?  _________________

 

     ___________________________________________________________________

7.  What would you like your library to do about this work?

      () Do not lend it to my child.

      () Return it to the selection department for reevaluation.

      () Other.  Explain:  __________________________________________________

 

8.  In its place, what work would you recommend that would convey as valuable a picture and perspective of the subject treated?  ____________________________________

     __________________________________________________________________

 

Signature ____________________________________ Date

Community Spaces in the Library

The library has a meeting room in the lower level that is used for library activities such as Story Hour, Library Pre-School, Friends meetings, and other library and community related programs.  There is a tutor/meeting room off the main area of the library for small groups.  The History Room is next to the Genealogy collection so it is used by researchers.  The magazine/newspaper area has chairs and sofas to relax in while checking out the latest news.