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Library Cards
Waltham Public Library cards are issued free of charge. A library card gives borrowing and computer use privileges at the Library and provides access to the Library's online subscriptions from any Internet connection. Your library card is valuable: Library cards, card numbers and Personal Identifcation Numbers (PINs) are issued to individuals and may be used only by the person to whom they were issued, whether for borrowing material or using Library computers. You are responsible for all materials borrowed on your card unless you report the card lost or stolen. Parents are responsible for materials borrowed by children 17 years and younger. A replacement card costs $1.00. As a first-time borrower, you may borrow up to three items when you receive your Library card. On later visits, the Waltham Public Library, as part of the Minuteman Library Network, allows a person to have up to 150 items checked out at one time. A Waltham Public Library card is valid at over 40 MLN Libraries. Policies vary from library to library. You will be required to show your Library card (or photo identification) each time you borrow Library materials. GETTING A CARD:
IDENTIFICATION & ADDRESS VERIFICATION A library card will be issued to you when one of the following is presented in person:
OR, any one identification from EACH of the following two lists: 1. Current Picture Identification (ID) – must include name and photo:
2. Address Verification – must include applicant’s name and Massachusetts address*
*a Post Office Box or business address is not sufficient – we must also have your current residential address.
Most Library cards are valid for five years, unless otherwise noted. All Library cards can be renewed easily at the checkout desk by confirming orally that you still live at your current address. If you have moved, you are required to notify Library staff. If your address is verified by a letter or postcard, as in letters l. and m. above, every 6 months you will be required to confirm your current address. After verification with a driver’s license, state ID or one of the items in letters g through k, the card will be valid for five years. TEENS If you are between the ages of 13 and 17 and cannot meet the ID requirements, you will need your parent or guardian (with their identification and proof of address) to sign the application. CHILDREN If you are under 13 years old, you will need to have your parent or guardian (with their identification and proof of address) sign your Library card application. OUT-OF-STATE RESIDENTS If you are an out-of-state resident and you
you may be issued a Library card, with sufficient identification. Out-of-state residents must provide identification showing their home/permanent address. Property owners must provide verification such as a tax bill, utility bill, etc. for their Massachusetts property. Students must verify their status with school identification and provide their school address. Out-of-state residents working in Massachusetts must provide their work address. COLLEGE STUDENTS If you are a student at a local college or private high school and have your school identification and photo identification with your home address, you will receive a Library Card. If you are living off-campus, you will also be required to verify your local address. Student cards are valid until the first of May. If you are staying in Waltham for the summer, and can verify your summer address, your card may be extended until the first of September. You will be asked to verify your address again at the beginning of the new academic year. VISITORS & SHORT-TERM RESIDENTS If you will be leaving the area in less than two months, your card will expire 3 weeks before your departure date, and you will be able to borrow up to 3 items at a time. COMPUTER ACCESS ONLY CARDS If you will be visiting for more than a week, and wish to have computer access only, you may receive a Computer Access Only card, with a photo identification and proof of your permanent address. Your card will expire on your departure date, and will not be valid for borrowing library materials. RESIDENTS OF DECERTIFIED MUNICIPALITIES Residents of cities and towns with libraries decertified by the Massachusetts Board of Library Commissioners (MBLC) may not obtain a library card or borrow items in Waltham. We take this action reluctantly. The Waltham Public Library Board of Trustees cannot ask Waltham taxpayers to make up for the refusal of other cities and towns to properly fund their libraries. Loss of service is one way to help decertified libraries build support to restore their budgets. This policy affects all individuals with a home address in an MBLC decertified municipality. Printable PDF of Library Card Policy Approved by the Library Board of Trustees, 9/16/2010 Borrowing Materials
*Rental books & movies are paid for by the Friends of the Waltham Public Library; rental fees return to the Friends.
Renewing Materials • By phone at 781-314-3425, ext. 2 • By online catalog using your library barcode and PIN number, after logging into "my account". • In person Rental books, DVDs and videos must be brought into the library and renewed in person. No renewals for: Speed Read books Fees & Fines
Late Fees
Rental Books
$1.00 per week $1.75 for two weeks Rental Videos $1.00 per week 50˘ rewind fee Rental DVDs $1.00 per week Lost Material
If an item borrowed on your card is lost or damaged, the current replacement cost is charged. Another option is to replace the lost item with an identical copy; see below for details. Rules for replacing lost library items:
Reserves
Returning Materials |