Alabama Administrative Code
Title 520 - ALABAMA PUBLIC LIBRARY SERVICE
Chapter 520-3-1 - SERVICES TO STATE GOVERNMENT AND PUBLIC LIBRARIES
Section 520-3-1-.02 - Circulation Policies

(a) In-state libraries.

(b) Out-of-state libraries. Interlibrary loan services are provided to out-of-state libraries under the guidelines of the Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States, revised 2001. (American Library Association, 2001).

(c) State employees. In this category are included all state officials, legislators, state employees, legislative employees, and members of state boards, commissions, and authorities, etc. (those who receive their paychecks directly from the State Treasury). State employees are eligible for direct loans of library materials, interlibrary loan services, and reference services. A registration card must be filled out and returned to APLS before material is borrowed. A state employee who has not borrowed material in 36 months must re-register.

(d) Blind and Physically Handicapped (BPH) patrons. A BPH patron certified by the BPH Division staff as handicapped, a member of the family of a handicapped person, or a professional working with the handicapped may borrow print materials from the BPH collection.

(e) General public. Members of the general public are strongly encouraged to use their local libraries. Members of the general public may borrow APLS materials through their local libraries through the interlibrary loan process.

(a) Books are generally circulated. Exceptions are reference books, out-of-print books in the Alabama collection, and materials in extremely poor condition.

(b) Hard copy periodicals do not circulate. Photocopies, microform printouts or microfiche copies are sent if doing so will not violate copyright laws.

(a) State employees. Three (3) weeks and renewable if no requests are pending for the materials;

(b) Libraries. Four (4) weeks and renewable if no requests are pending for the materials.

(a) No fines are charged.

(b) A state employee with two overdue books must return them before borrowing additional material.

(c) A library with 20 overdues must return enough overdues to be below the 20-overdues limit before borrowing additional materials.

(a) If books are reported lost in the mail, APLS has them traced. Then, if not located, APLS may replace them at APLS expense with no penalty for the borrowing library. However, if a state employee loses books in hand-mail more than two times, APLS asks that he pay for the materials in the third instance or lose service.

(b) If a book is reported lost at a library, APLS asks the library to replace it with the same title or, if it is no longer available, with a substitute. After a library fails to replace two books within the 6-month limit, APLS will notify the library of the following:

(c) If a book is overdue three months (sooner if reserves are on it or APLS borrowed it from another library to send it), APLS will send a letter asking that the library return it or replace it. However, if a library has ten or more books overdue for three months with no apparent action to return them, APLS will notify the library that ILL services will be stopped if the books are not returned or replaced within a month.

(d) If a state employee loses a book, he is billed for the current replacement cost of the book if it is in-print. If it is not in-print and an equivalent title can be purchases as a substitute, APLS will bill the employee for the price of the substitute. If no adequate substitute may be purchased, APLS will charge the patron either the original book price or the current average price of a book (either in paperback or hard copy) whichever is higher.

(e) If a state employee fails to pay for a lost book, he will lose use of his library card.