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Library Card Policies

All policies below apply to card holders. (Exceptions: Customers age 60 and older are not charged overdue fines. Customers who live in or teach in the Westerville City School District may be issued an Educator Card with different loan policies.)

Loan Periods for Checked Out Items

This table describes how long you can keep materials checked out.
28-day loans include:	14-day loans include:	7-day loans include:
Most books	New books	Fiction DVDs
Puzzles	Audiobooks	Juvenile DVDs and videos
Art Prints	eBooks	Ohio eBook Project videos
CD-ROMs	eAudiobooks	Ohio eBook Project music
Non-fiction videos & DVDs	Holiday books	-----
----	Magazines	-----
----	MP3 players	-----
----	Music CDs	-----
----	Playaways	-----

Attention: SearchOhio and OhioLINK loan policies may differ.

Overdue Fines

1. Books and most items | 20 cents per day
2. Videos, DVDs, MP3 Players | $1.25 per day
3. Art prints | 25 cents per day

Note: Overdue fines on a single item will be charged up to the replacement cost of that item. (For example, a book purchased by the Library for $19 can mean late fines of up to $19.)

Other Fines & Regulations

1. Collection Agency (i.e. Unique Management Services): The Westerville Public Library currently uses a collection agency to collect outstanding overdue items on the library's behalf. To find out more, please see our Collection Agency information page.
2. Confidentiality Policy: In order to receive information about your library card account at the library, you must show your library card or government-issued photo ID. If communicating by phone, you must provide us with your name and library card number (located underneath the barcode on your library card.)
3. Lost Card: Please contact us immediately to report a lost or stolen card. You are responsible for all items checked out on your library card, so please make your report as soon as possible. There is no charge for replacing your card.
4. Lost items: If you have lost or damaged library materials, you will need to pay for the cost of the item as well as any overdue fines associated with the item. (Note: The library may accept a patron-provided copy of the item in lieu of a monetary payment. Please contact Customer Services for more information.) If you find a lost item within 8 weeks of paying for it, you may return it and ask that the library refund the cost of the item. If you returned the item, but it still appears on your library account, you can request that the library do a search of the shelves for that item. Please see our Searches for Missing or Lost Items page for more information.
5. Maximum Fines: If your fines exceed $5.00, your account will be blocked and you will be restricted from checking out additional items, renewing items or using the computer labs and gaming room. The block will be removed when your fines are paid down to $5.00 or less.
6. Movie restrictions for children: With parental permission, children under 18 may check out movies above a G rating. Parents may give permission when registering their child for a Library card, or by signing a consent form at the Circulation Desk. Otherwise, movies rated PG, PG-13, or R cannot be checked out using a child’s library card.
7. Renewing Items: You can renew items up to 4 times, unless another patron has requested it or if your library card has a fine of over $5.00. (Items requested through SearchOhio or OhioLINK have different renewal policies.) If you renewed an item after its original due date, you will be assessed a fine for the days between the due date and the day you renewed the item. For more information on how to renew items, please see our Renew Items help page.
8. Reserves: You are restricted from requesting more than 50 reserves (holds) at any one time. Your account will be blocked when you reach the 50-item limit on reserves. Still curious? Find out more about reserving items.

Please see our My Account help page for more information about your library card account, including instructions for renewing items, paying fines and accessing your library account online.