Circulation Policy

Mar 16, 2022

Checking Out

The patron must check out using their own library card. Patrons receiving a first-time library card may check out only 2 items when the card is issued. You must present your library card to check out any items. In order to checkout materials, patron account and linked household accounts must be in good standing, requiring the household to not have outstanding fine balance equal to or exceeding $1.00 or unpaid lost items. Library accounts must be renewed annually at which time a valid photo ID will need to be presented to library staff for adult accounts. Juvenile patrons may renew accounts without photo ID.

Patrons may borrow the following library materials: 

Note: Magazines for circulation must be back-issues.

Renewal

You may renew an item two times if there is not a reserve for that item. It is not necessary to bring items into the library for renewal. You may renew by phone by providing your library card bar code number when you call. Items can also be renewed in your online VERSO account. New adult fiction, adult non-fiction titles, and inter-library loans are not eligible for renewal. 

Returns

A book drop is available to the left of the front door of the library to return borrowed items. Laptops, hotspots, golf putters, and golf balls must be returned at the circulation desk. There is also a second book drop located inside the library at the front desk side. When items are returned, the covers of items are sanitized.

Online library catalog

Patrons may use our web-based library catalog to search for materials in our collection and to determine whether an item is on the shelf or checked out.

Holds

Patrons may place a title on hold by calling 423-745-7782, using their VERSO online account, or at the library. Patrons receive three free holds, additional holds cost $1.00 per item per day. Holds may be picked up via curbside upon request or at the circulation desk during normal hours. For curbside pick-up please call 423-745-7782 from the library parking lot. All holds should be placed one business day prior to expected pick-up.

Lost and Damaged Item Policy

Items that are lost or damaged cannot be replaced by patrons under any circumstances. The cost of the item must be paid in addition to a $10.00 processing fee. If lost items are located and returned in good condition within 6 months of payment the item cost will be returned to the patron. The $10.00 is non-refundable.

Item damage is determined at the discretion of the Library Director and/or Circulation Manager. All library items determined or suspected to be impacted specifically by pest infestations will be treated as damaged items under the library’s Circulation Policy and will either be treated or discarded at the Library Director’s discretion. Any material returned by a patron which shows evidence of live or dead bugs will result in immediate suspension of Library privileges for that patron and any patrons in the same residence. Suspension will be lifted after the patron presents proof that the residence has been successfully treated for and eradicated of the bugs in question by a licensed and accredited pest control company.

The parent/guardian signing for the juvenile card accepts financial responsibility for the child’s materials. Ask the front desk about the process for partial payments toward lost/damaged items. Refunds will only be issued to the parent/guardian who signed for the juvenile account. Parents/guardians who did not sign for account may receive refund if they present the receipt for the item payment.

$5.00 fee applied to repairable damage to materials. Technology repairs based on actual repair cost.

Overdues

Overdue alerts will go out at 7 days overdue, 14 days overdue, and 25 days overdue. At 25 days the item will be switched to Lost. First and second alerts will be via call or email, third notice will be via mail. Patrons encouraged to set up email for prompt alert.

Technology Devices

Patrons must have a history of borrowing materials for one month prior to checking out technology. Technology that has been disabled due to being overdue will count toward “three strike” count. Patrons returning devices 14 days or more overdue would have six months ban from checking out technology.

Wetlands

Jul 24, 2021

Computers at the Library

Jul 9, 2021

Computer Use

The Library offers computers for the public to use. All computers are connected to the internet and feature Microsoft Office. We are happy to assist you as time permits. Staff is limited in the ways computer assistance can be offered. We offer one-on-one tech assistance classes upon request. Patrons can request an alcohol wipe to clean computer hardware before use.

You must present your own library card at the circulation desk. If there are no fines present on your account, you will be given an access code for a public computer. If you do have fines present we will ask you to pay a minimum of $2.00 toward the fine. If you do not have a library card you must present a valid photo ID.

If you do not have a valid photo ID or your library card has been barred due to lost items, you are still welcome to use a 15 minute public computer.

Printed black and white copies are $0.25 per sheet. Color copies are $0.50 per sheet.

Read E.G. Fisher Public Library’s Library Internet Policy before signing in for an Internet session. All patrons agree to abide by the Library’s Acceptable Internet Use Policy, which can be found in its entirety at the Reference Desk.

Boat Safety Exam

We also can administer the boating safety internet exam. You will need a Type 600 Boat Safety Exam Permit (sold here at the library for $10) and your I.D. We will get you on a computer and proctor the TWRA Boating Safety Exam. The exam is 60 questions and you must get at least 48 correct to pass. The system allows for two test sessions per day per student. If you fail the test, you can review the missed questions and try once more in a 24 hour period. If you pass the exam, congratulations! You will get a temporary pass until your permanent one comes in the mail within 2-3 weeks.

Library Internet Policy

Mar 14, 2014

Introduction

The McMinn County Library Board establishes this Library Internet Policy to ensure appropriate use of Internet resources within the library.

The Library provides workstations for free public access to the Internet as an informational, education and recreational resource. The Library expects that all use of electronic information resources such as the Internet will be responsible and ethical,consistent with the purpose for which these resources are provided. Potential users must agree to follow the policy guidelines outlined below:

Disclaimer

The Library offers links to a wide range of useful and interesting sites through its web site. Some Internet sites found through search engines may contain inaccurate, incomplete, outdated, indecent, controversial or offensive material.

The Library does not and may not monitor, control, or provide barriers to such material and cannot be held responsible for its content. We firmly believe that the valuable information available on this world-wide network far outweighs the possibility that users may come across material that is not consistent with the goals of the Library. Selection policies that serve to govern a library’s purchase of written material may not apply to material accessed electronically.

Responsibilities

The Library provides Internet access equally to all library users. Only parents or guardians — Not the library or its staff — may restrict their children — and only their own children — from access to the Internet or other library materials. We strongly encourage parents to monitor and supervise their children’s Internet use. For more information on children and the Internet, please read Child Safety on the Information Highway (http://www.safekids.com/) produced by the National Center for Missing and Exploited Children and the Interactive Services Association.

Ultimately, all library users, whether children or adults, are the final selectors in using the Internet and other library materials and are responsible for their individual choices and decisions, and use these resources at their own risk.

However, the library does prohibit sending, receiving, or displaying text or graphics which are sexually explicit, pornographic, obscene or offensive in such a public setting where minor children or other library users might be unwilling exposed. The Library reserves the right to terminate any session where such material is present. 

Privacy and Confidentiality

In general, the Library will treat information on computers as confidential. Requests for disclosure of information regarding an individual’s use will be honored only if approved by the Library Director, when authorized by the owners of the information, or when required by local, state, or federal law.

The Library staff may impose restrictions, such as time limits, on the use of library equipment. While respecting an individual user’s right to privacy, library staff reserves the right to monitor use of Internet workstations to ensure compliance with the Library Internet Policy.

Guidelines for Acceptable Use

It is essential that at all times Internet users shall:

1. Obey all applicable federal, state, and local laws and regulations regarding minor’s access to materials harmful to a minor.
2. Refrain from any activities which might be disruptive to other library users.
3. Refrain from the transmission or display of threatening, harassing, libelous, pornographic, or slanderous materials; in accordance with the Tennessee Code Title 39, Chapter 17, Part 9. Refrain from sending, receiving or displaying text or graphics that may be reasonably construed as obscene by community standards.
4. Make no attempt to damage computer equipment, alter computer settings or install any software, introduce a worm or virus, or other harmful form of programming or vandalism, or participate in hacking activities or any form of unauthorized access to other computers, networks, or information systems.
5. Avoid disclosing personal information over the Internet to preserve his or her own personal safety. Library Internet users are prohibited by law from disclosing, using, or disseminating personal information regarding minors without written authorization of the parent or legal guardian of the minor(s) involved. Internet users are prohibited from using the library computers to compromise the safety and security of minors when using email, chat rooms, social networking sites, and other forms of direct electronic communications. Such use includes, but is not limited to: giving others private information about one’s self or others or arranging a face-to-face meeting with someone one has met on the Internet without a parent or legal guardian’s permission.
6. Respect international copyright laws and honor software licensing agreements.

Conditions and Terms of Use

The patron’s E.G. Fisher Public Library card must be presented at the time of signup. If a patron’s library card is barred for overdue materials, the patron must clear or resolve the account before being granted access to the Internet. Patrons with a blocked card because of fines must reduce the balance of their account $2.00 each time they request an Internet session. Patrons who have lost their library card may purchase a replacement for $4.00.

Non-County residents who only wish to gain access to the Internet must provide documentation of their out-of-county status.

Patrons are allowed access to the Internet computers on a first come, first serve basis. They Library does not take reservations for Internet access. The user agrees to restrict his/her Internet time to one hour when others are waiting.

It is understood that minors having a library card may access the Internet with or without a parent/guardian’s presence; however, the Library does encourage parents/guardians to oversee their child’s Internet activity.

The Library staff is happy to assist users in accessing the Internet, each user is nevertheless responsible for his/her own search. Staff cannot provide in-depth personal training in the use of the Internet or of personal computers.

Downloading/saving to a CD or flash drive is permitted on Internet accessible computers. The Library sells CDs for $1.50 each. Hard copies of information may be printed out at the cost of 20 cents per page. Downloading/saving to the computer hard drive is not permitted.

Filtering

Library computers accessing the Internet are filtered in compliance with the Federal Government’s Child Internet Protect Act (CIPA). If a patron encounters a blocked site that he/she feels is necessary for their research, they may ask a member of the Library staff to unblock the site.

Violations

While respecting an individual user’s right to privacy, Library staff reserves the right to monitor use of Internet workstations to ensure compliance with this safety policy. A user’s access to the library’s computer resources is a privilege, not a right. Staff may ask users to remove themselves from Library equipment if they observe any behavior which they judge to be in conflict with this policy. Misuse or abuse of Library computers or Internet access may result in loss of Internet access privileges. Repeated abuse of the Internet Safety Policy could result in loss of library privileges, being barred from the Library itself or possible criminal prosecution.

Virus Warming

Although the Library uses a program that checks for viruses, there is no guarantee that files downloaded from the Internet will not contain a virus. The Library is not responsible for any damages that may arise from saving or downloading files to any personal device.

Adopted October 12, 2007
Revised May 17, 2012