Service Directory

Library Cards

Library cards are available free of charge for all citizens 10 years of age or older living within Pemiscot County. (Children under 14 must have a parent accompany them to register for a card.) To receive a card, simply bring a photo id and proof of your address (a utility bill, piece of mail, voter registration card, etc.) Those who live outside of Pemiscot County can pay $20.00 a year for the entire family to use.

Lost Library Cards

Cardholders will be charged a $1.00 fee for replacement of a lost library card.

Loan Periods and Loan Limits

Current cardholders in good standing may check out books, magazines, audiobooks, and newspapers for a period of 14 days. DVDs will be checked out for 3 days.

Downloaded electronic content will be available for the period indicated by terms of licenses granted by content providers.

Genealogy Room materials may circulate for a brief period upon request.

Cardholders whose accounts show that they have lost or overdue items outstanding will not be permitted to check out Library materials.

Probationary Patrons with new cards may check out 2 total items at a time for the first six months of their membership. Permanent patrons, after a 6-month probationary period with no overdues or damaged materials, may have up to 10 total items checked out at a time.

Renewals

Circulating materials may be renewed for up to two additional periods equal to the original loan period as long as no holds are waiting for those items.

Regular library cardholders may have up to 10 holds at any one time, including any hold items waiting on the hold shelf for pickup. Patrons have 7 days to checkout holds once they become available.

Lost or Damaged Materials

The Library charges only for lost library materials and library materials damaged through neglect. For lost materials or those damaged beyond repair, the total charge will consist of the replacement cost of the material. For materials requiring repair, the charge will consist of the costs incurred in repairing the item.

The Library will accept a replacement copy for a lost or damaged item. The replacement copy must be identical to the original copy and have the same ISBN number or other standard identifying number as determined by a library staff member (in the case of non-book materials). The replacement copy must be in new or “like new” condition. The patron will be charged a $5.00 processing fee per each lost item. This fee covers items that are in addition to the cost of the lost material (i.e. bar codes, labels, book jackets, AV containers, MARC record, etc.).

In the event that a patron asserts that a lost item was returned, but it still appears on the patron’s record, Library staff will search for the item for 90 days, during which time the patron should also look for it. If the item is not located after the 90 days, the patron will be billed for the amount of the item plus the processing fee. If the item is found after the patron has paid for it, the Library will refund the amount paid, less the processing fee, to the patron.

In the event a patron returns a book or other item thought to be lost within one year of paying for it, the retail price of the material will be credited to the patron. The processing fee will not. The damaged item will be retained by the patron if they want it. Patrons will be charged for lost/damaged interlibrary loan materials based on the charge assessed by the lending library. Additional fees may be assessed to recover costs of collection.

 

Copies

Available for .25 each; To fax a document, the charge is $1.00 a page. Scanning is available for $1.00 a page and notary service is $2.00 a document.

Conference Rooms

May be reserved by calling the library or checking with the circulation desk during open hours. There is no fee for those who have library cards and for groups from outside the area, we simply ask for a donation to Caruthersville Public Library.

Computer Use Policy

Though the Internet is a valuable information resource, it is an unregulated medium, and some websites may be inaccurate, unreliable, personally offensive, or even illegal. Caruthersville Public Library has no control over information accessed through the Internet, nor are they responsible for any damages resulting from accessing the Internet. ALWAYS log-out of sites that you access on our public computers!

The following behaviors are not permitted on Library computers, some of which may violate local, state, and/or federal laws. A library computer may not be used to:

  • view, display, or transmit obscene materials, with the library reserving the right to exercise judgment
  • engage in any illegal purpose, including but not limited to: hacking, misrepresentation, harassment, slander, violating copyright and/or software agreements
  • alter, damage, or abuse library hardware or software or other library property
  • create an intimidating or hostile environment, including disruptions that hinder other users from doing their work

Caruthersville Public Library reserves the right to prohibit violators of library computer policies/procedures from using the library computers for a period of time or permanently.

Children under the age of 10 may not access patron computers. As with other materials, parents and guardians are responsible for information their children may access. Caruthersville Public Library strongly encourages parents and guardians to guide and monitor their children in using the Internet. Staff will be happy to assist you and your children in selecting appropriate websites.

Notary Public

A notary is on hand at the library most days from 9:30 to 5:30 to verify documents. (You may want to call ahead before coming to the library) The cost is $2.00 a document.

Patron Assistance at Computers

While library staff are on hand to provide suggestions in using the Internet, as time and number of staff allows, and are happy to assist you in searching for information or in choosing websites for your children, the Library staff’s availability to help users with basic computer use is limited. Additionally, Library staff may not have knowledge of all Library computer programs, nor will they be familiar with how to use all websites. Library staff will be glad to assist you as they are able and time permitting, but users must have basic computer skills. Use of the library’s Internet computers is expected to be primarily independent of library staff assistance. Help with filling out forms, applications, tax information and the like, cannot be done by our staff because of the involvement of personal information, like Social Security numbers. It is best to bring someone to help you with this, if you cannot do it yourself.

Unattended Children

Very small children (under age 3) should not be left alone in the children’s room or to go to the restroom by themselves. Parents must monitor your children or you will be asked to leave.

Donations

We are honored to accept your donations in honor of or in memory of a friend or loved one. Write a tax deductible check for the amount with which you want to honor someone special for any reason. We can provide a receipt for tax purposes and we will send a card to the person being honored. A special bookplate which honors the designated person will be placed inside the book and remain there for the life of the book. We also have a Birthday Club, in which donations can be made in honor of a birthday for a person of any age. Our circulation desk is happy to help you with the details and we will send a card to the family and also list your contribution in the newspaper.

For any of these options to support Caruthersville Public Library, call us at 333-2480, or mail your donation to 707 West 13th Street, Caruthersville, MO 63830 (You may also drop it into the book drop on the front of our building if we are closed.) YOUR GENEROSITY IS MUCH APPRECIATED!!!

PayPal “Donate” link allows patron to provide donations or even to place an honorarium, birthday gift, or memorial donation. You will find the PayPal button on our homepage in the sidebar.

 

Amazon Smile Donation

Caruthersville Public Library can also benefit when you the AmazonSmile page while shopping at the site. Choosing us as your charity will allow us to receive a portion of your expenditures at Amazon.

How do I select a charitable organization to support when shopping on AmazonSmile?

On your first visit to AmazonSmile smile.amazon.com, you need to select a charitable organization (Caruthersville Public Library) to receive donations from eligible purchases before you begin shopping. We will remember Caruthersville Public Library, and then every eligible purchase you make at smile.amazon.com will result in a donation.

Materials Donations

Caruthersville Public Library accepts materials donations (used books, audiobooks, videos and magazines) in good condition which may fill holes in the collection or may be placed with items for our semi-annual book sale, depending on the library’s needs. You may bring these into the library or place them near the book drop on the front of our building if we are closed. Thank you!

Books and materials discarded from the library are for sale twice a year during the Library’s HUGE Book Sale, held usually in February and August.