Circulation Policy

 

Circulation Policy

Patrons who borrow materials from the Library must have a valid library card issued by Platteville Public Library or a member of the Southwest Wisconsin Library System. Fees for lost materials, fines, checkout periods, item limits, and renewal limits of materials owned by other SWLS member libraries may vary by library.

Standard Circulation Limits

Loan periods and limits on the number of library materials that may be borrowed will be determined by the Library Board. Designated Library staff, at their discretion, may approve requests for the overnight loan of in-house items.

  • Art prints
    • Limit: 2
    • Checkout period: 120 days
    • Renewal period: 120 days
    • Renewal limit: 1
  • Book Club Kits
    • Limit: 10
    • Checkout period: 35 days
    • Renewal period: 35 days
    • Renewal limit: 1
  • DVDs, Kits, Playaways
    • Limit: 10
    • Checkout period: 28 days
    • Renewal period: 28 days
    • Renewal limit: 1
  • Books, Magazines, Books on CD, Music CDs, SWLS Resource items
    • Limit: 100
    • Checkout period: 28 days
    • Renewal period: 28 days
    • Renewal limit: 1
  • Newspapers, Reference, Microfilm
    • Limit: 0
    • Checkout period: 0 days
    • Renewal period: 0 days
    • Renewal limit: 0

Renewal

Circulating library materials may be renewed according to the circulation limits unless the item has been reserved for another patron.

Returns

Materials can be returned to the exterior Library book drop at any time or to the interior book drop during business hours. Materials that will not fit in the book drop must be returned inside the Library. Items returned in the book drop before the library opens for the day are considered returned on the previous open day.

Library materials can be returned at any Southwest Wisconsin Library System member library for return via the System’s interlibrary delivery van.

Overdue Materials

Materials are overdue if they have not been returned to the Library book drop or circulation desk by the opening of business on the day following their due date. Patrons may opt-in for courtesy overdue notices.

Fines

Platteville Public Library does not charge fines but other libraries in the Southwest Wisconsin Library System might. Items checked out at other locations are subject to the lending library’s policies.

Lost & Damaged Materials

Materials that have not been returned to the Library 30 or more days beyond the due date will be considered lost. Materials that are returned damaged beyond use or are returned missing parts will also be considered lost. Replacement cost for lost materials will be charged to the patron’s account. Patron accounts with lost materials(s) will be blocked from checking out until all materials are returned, paid for, or replaced with a new or like-new copy. Payments for lost materials are not refundable. Patrons with a pattern of repeated lost items may be subject to borrowing restrictions.

Replacement costs for lost materials are listed in the Fee Schedule. In special circumstances, fees may be adjusted or waived at the discretion of the Library Director or designated staff member in charge.
Fees for lost Platteville materials on Platteville juvenile cards will be forgiven when the juvenile turns 16 and transitions to an adult card. Fees on expired patron accounts may be waived.

Intra-Library Loan Requests

If an item is owned within the Southwest Wisconsin Library System, a request (intralibrary loan) may be placed. Patrons may have up to 10 requests at a time.

Patrons will be notified as soon as the requested item is available at the Platteville Public Library circulation desk. Requested items will be held at the library for a minimum of 1 week, after which time they may be passed on to the next waiting patron or returned to their home library.

Intralibrary loan privileges are not available to out-of-state residents holding a Platteville Public Library access-only card.

Inter-Library Loan Requests

If an item is not owned within the Southwest Wisconsin Library System, an interlibrary loan request (ILL) may be placed through outside library systems. Out-of-system interlibrary loan requests are limited to 10 per patron at any given time.

Availability of items, loan periods, and renewal privileges are determined by the lending library. Materials received as out-of-system interlibrary loans generally cannot be renewed. Due to shipping and processing costs and to ensure fair usage of materials, the same item may be requested no more than once every four months by a patron.

Patrons will be notified when the material arrives. Items not picked up by their due dates will be returned to the lending library. Materials received via out-of-system interlibrary loan must be returned to Platteville Public Library.

Libraries generally do not fill interlibrary loan requests for non-circulating items, new items, or items in high demand.

Patrons are responsible for any loss or damage to materials received on interlibrary loan and for payment of replacement costs and any associated fines or fees assessed by the lending library.

Patrons with suspended checkout privileges will also have interlibrary loan privileges suspended. Patrons who repeatedly fail to pick up interlibrary loan materials or repeatedly return interlibrary loan materials late may be denied this service at the discretion of the Library Director.

Interlibrary loan privileges are not available to out-of-state residents.

Updated by the Platteville Public Library Board of Trustees, July 3, 2018
Updated by the Platteville Public Library Board of Trustees, December 2, 2020
Updated by the Platteville Public Library Board of Trustees, April 7, 2026