Circulation of Materials

Any person who wishes to borrow material from the library collections of Isothermal Community College must have a valid library card issued by a CMC Library Consortium member library.  (See Page 2 for a list of CMC member libraries.)  Scanners at Circulation desk terminals are used at checkout to read the unique barcode number from a person's library card and from each item borrowed. 

A library card can be obtained free of charge by inquiring at the library Circulation desk and filling out a Library Registration slip.  To qualify for a card issued by the college library, a person must be:

1. At least 14 years old, and 

2. Currently enrolled in one or more curriculum courses at Isothermal Community College
   -OR- live, work or pay taxes in Rutherford County

A person must also provide identification information from a recognized form of identification such as a driver's license.  Replacement fee for a lost library card is $1.00.

IMPORTANT: Library Privileges Security Warning    YOUR LIBRARY CARD IS AS IMPORTANT TO PROTECT AS ANY CREDIT CARD. When you are issued a library card, you agree to be responsible for all materials and services accessed through its use.  If another person makes use of your card with or without your knowledge, you are responsible for payment of all library fines and fees which may be incurred via use of that card, just like a credit card, and your library account would become delinquent until you paid for the items. When a student's library account becomes delinquent, the student is blocked from registering for classes, graduating, or getting transcripts from the college.  Don't let it happen! PROTECT YOURSELF from unauthorized use of your library account by following these guidelines: Never allow any other person to use your library card.  There is no need for anyone to borrow your card; qualified persons can get a free library card at any CMC Library If your library card has been lost or stolen, please notify the library staff immediately to cancel the card number and prevent its unauthorized use by anyone else.

Borrowing Materials

Borrowing Materials from the College Library
The chart below contains general information regarding types of normally-circulating library materials at the college library and the number of each type of item that can be checked out by a student at one time, and the loan period and number of renewals allowed for each type.  (A "business day" is any day when the library is open.)  Inquire at the Circulation desk for information regarding circulation policies for books in specific collections (such as those on Reserve).

 

Type of Material	Item Limit	Loan Period	Renewal  Limit
Book	30*	30 days	2x  (2 week period)
Audiotape	5	30 days	1x  (2 week period)
Circulating Videotape	4	3 business days	1x (3 business days)

*Limitations by collection are applied within this total, such as Nonfiction—20, Fiction—5, etc.  Check with the staff at the Circulation desk for more information.

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Placing Holds
When an item you wish to check out is checked out to someone else at the time, you may have a "hold" placed on it.  Then, when this item is returned and checked in, a notice flag with your name and phone number is printed out to alert the library staff to hold the item and call to let you know that it is now available to be checked out.  Ask for this service at the Circulation desk.

Borrowing Materials from CMC Libraries
Materials from any CMC library can be borrowed using the CMC card available at no charge from any member library. (See Page 2 for a list of CMC member libraries.)  Materials in Rutherford County libraries are not transferred from one to another for circulation purposes, as all the libraries are positioned within an area easily accessible to patrons of other CMC libraries.  Since the Polk County Public Library is now a member of the CMC Library Consortium, its materials may be checked out to anyone holding a valid CMC library card.  Although transfer of items for circulation between the libraries in Polk County and those in Rutherford County is not possible at this time, Polk County Public Library materials are available to those with direct access to that library.

Please note:  Materials that currently appear in the CMC catalog labeled Polk campus library are in transition and unavailable for circulation.  Many Polk campus materials will be merged into the Polk County Public Library collection and available once again after the county library's new building is constructed on the college's Polk campus and is open to the public. 

Returning Materials
Materials from any CMC library may be returned at Isothermal library; likewise, Isothermal library materials can be returned to any other CMC library.  (Excluding the Polk County Public Library. See the special note in Borrowing Materials from CMC Libraries above for more information.)  The date of return is automatically recorded at the receiving library; items returned at a location other than the lending library will have an In Transit status in the system until they are checked in at the lending library. They will continue to appear on your library record until checked in, but will not accrue fines.  (See Patron Review, Page 2.)  

When returning library materials to the college library during open hours, place the materials in the slot in the front of the Circulation desk to avoid the chance that another person might pick up an item still checked out to you and cause you undeserved overdue fines or lost item fees.  A book drop is provided outside the front entrance to allow material to be returned when the library is closed.  Items returned in the book drop are checked in the following morning, and are counted as having been returned during the previous business day. 

Please Note:  Materials borrowed through Interlibrary Loan service should be returned only to the library which arranged the loan, on or before the date due.

Overdues

Fines are charged for overdue library materials to help ensure their timely return.  Fines and fees accrued at any CMC library may be paid at any other CMC library.  (Excluding the Polk County Public Library. See the special note in Borrowing Materials from CMC Libraries above for more information.)  If overdue materials are not returned before the end of the current semester, the responsible student may be blocked from registering for the next semester, blocked from graduating, or blocked from obtaining transcripts required to transfer to another college or university, until the student resolves the situation with the library.  Overdue fines and blocks can be avoided by returning library materials on time, and by avoiding checking out library materials for another person or letting someone else use your library card.  If library materials have been lost or stolen, please notify the library staff right away. 

The following table lists overdue fines according to type of material.  (A “business day” is defined as any day that the library is open.) 
 

Type of Material	Fine per item per business day
Book	$.10
Audiotape	$.10
Circulating Videotape	$1.00
Reserve Material	$1.00

                

Reminder: "Anyone willfully involved in the theft, defacement or destruction of college library books, periodicals, newspapers, etc. is guilty of a Class 1 misdemeanor if the value of the items is less than $50.00; and will be punished as a Class H felon if the value is over $50.00."                                       (--General Statutes of North Carolina, Chapter 14-398.)

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