Circulation Policy

Library Cards

Resident Tinley Park Public Library Cards

Residents of incorporated Tinley Park or Orland Hills are eligible to apply for and receive a library card at no charge. All bills on any previous or current records must be settled prior to issuance or replacement of a card. When applying for or replacing a library card, residents must complete a registration application and present a valid government issued photo ID with their current Tinley Park or Orland Hills address as proof of residency. Residents with a valid government issued photo ID that does not reflect their current Tinley Park or Orland Hills address must also present a second document bearing the applicant’s name and current address as proof of residency. Acceptable documents that provide proof of residency include:

• Utility Bill (dated within 90 days prior to application)
• Most Recent Property Tax Bill
• Deed/Title, Mortgage, Rental/Lease agreement
• Insurance Policy Declaration Page (auto, homeowner’s, or renter’s)
• Voter Registration Card
• Visa, Mastercard, American Express, or Discover Credit Card Billing Statement (dated within 90 days prior to application)
• Bank Statement (dated within 90 days prior to application)
• Official Mail Received from a U.S. State, County, Municipal, Local, or Federal Government Agency (dated within 90 days prior to application)

A legal guardian’s signature is required on the application and library card of anyone under the age of 18.

Library cards will not be issued later than 30 minutes before closing.

Non-Resident Tinley Park Public Library Cards

Individuals residing in unincorporated Tinley Park may apply for a non-resident fee card. Non-resident cards are valid for one year from the original date of purchase. The annual fee includes all family members living at the same address. The annual fee is determined by resolution in accordance with the formula established by the Illinois State Library [75 ILCS 5/4-7(12) and 16/30-55.60]. The determining factor for issuance of a fee card is based on the non-resident’s proximity to the closest public library serving the township or high school district where the non-resident resides. The high school districts serving Tinley Park are District 228 and District 230. This card shall entitle the cardholder to all services provided by the Tinley Park Public Library, including reciprocal borrowing.

Persons applying for a non-resident fee card must present a valid government issued photo ID to verify they do not live within the incorporated boundaries of Tinley Park. Persons with a valid government issued photo ID that does not reflect their current address must also present a second document bearing the applicant’s name and current proof of address. The aforementioned documents in the previous section shall serve as acceptable proof of address.
The non-resident fee shall not apply to a non-resident who as an individual or as a partner, principal stockholder, or other joint owner owns or leases property that is taxed for library service or is a senior administrative officer of a firm, business, or other corporation owning taxable property within the city, incorporated town, village or township upon the presentation of the most recent tax bill upon that taxable property or a copy of the commercial lease of that taxable property.

Tinley Park Public Library Staff Cards

A Tinley Park Public Library card may be issued to staff members who reside outside the corporate limits of Tinley Park or Orland Hills.  Staff cards may only be used at the Tinley Park Public Library and may not be used at other libraries.  The card will be canceled when the staff member leaves the library’s employment.

Replacing a Lost or Stolen Card

Lost or stolen cards will be replaced upon providing proper identification and documentation as stated in the previous Resident and Non-Resident sections of this policy. The first replacement of a card is free. Subsequent replacements will be charged a $4.00 fee.

Circulation

Length of Loans

The Tinley Park Public Library circulates materials in a variety of formats including books, magazines, and audiobooks. The following terms of loan are applicable as indicated (limited to 2 renewals, not guaranteed):

Items Borrowed

Patrons may borrow up to 100 items at a time. No more than 10 of these items may be feature film DVDs or Blu-Rays; and no more than 25 of the items may be CDs or audio books. No more than 5 of these items may be console games. No more than 1 of these items may be a Take-home Tech Device. Patrons may have no more than 50 reserves placed at any given time.

Fees and Fines

The Tinley Park Public Library has established, in addition to the schedule for lost or damaged items, the following schedule of fines for overdue materials as well as fees for other services provided by the Tinley Park Public Library.

Overdue materials

• Books: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Easy Holiday Books: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Audio Books: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Magazines: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Nonfiction DVDs/Blu-Ray: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• DVD/Blu-Ray Movies: $1.00 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• DVD/Blu-Ray TV series: $1.00 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Music CDs: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Sheet Music: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Pamphlets: $0.10 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Now Playing: $1.00 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Console games: $1.00 per day, not to exceed the cost of the item.​​​​​​
• Take-home tech devices: $1.00 per day overdue, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• MacBooks: $5.00 per hour overdue, not to exceed the cost of the item.
• Youth Services iPads: $1.00 per hour overdue, not to exceed the cost of the item.

Fees

• Copies: $0.10 per page b/w, $0.50 per page color.
• Fax/transmission: $1.00 per page; $8.00 per page for international faxes. The library will supply a cover sheet upon request at the cost of the fax transmission. The library stops transmitting faxes 30 minutes before closing.
• Fax/receipt: $1.00 per page. The Tinley Park Public Library assumes no responsibility of notification of the receipt of a fax for an individual. The fax will be held by the library for two weeks and then discarded if not picked up. No effort to notify the individual of the arrival of the fax will be made.
• Computer printouts: $0.10 per page b/w, $0.50 color. This fee applies to all material printed by library printers including, but not limited to, Internet downloads, CD-ROM product information, personal work, and graphics.
• Public Computer usage: No charge for Tinley Park Public Library cardholders, $4.00 per day for non-cardholders ages 18 and older (fee waived for non-cardholders ages 17 and younger).
• Collection Agency Fee: $10.00
• Take-home tech devices: A $5.00 charge will be added to a patron’s record if devices are not returned directly to the Tinley Park Public Library Circulation Services desk. Devices cannot be returned in the book drops or at another library.
• Various fees will be assessed for materials returned incomplete (i.e. with missing parts).

Lost and/or Damaged Materials

Materials borrowed from the Tinley Park Public Library are the responsibility of the library patron. The cost of lost or damaged material will be determined by the cost listed in the SWAN database and/or the Technical Services department. If the material is judged by a department supervisor to be damaged and unsuitable for the collection, full replacement cost and a processing fee will be charged. Replacement cost is the responsibility of any patron who loses or damages any library material. Replacement items are not accepted. In the case of children under the age of 18, it is the legal guardian’s responsibility to pay for lost or damaged items in accordance with the following schedule of terms:

• A charge will be added to the patron’s record.
• The patron is informed that the item will be held for 60 days during which time they may pay for the item. The patron may then keep the item.
• If the patron has not paid after 60 days, the item is discarded and the charge remains on the patron’s record.
• Materials borrowed from libraries outside the SWAN system through interlibrary loan which are lost or damaged are charged to the patron according to the bill provided by the lending library.
• A processing fee of $5.00 will be charged for any and all lost items.

If a Tinley Park item reported lost and paid for is found within a 30 day period after the due date, the cost of the item will be refunded to the patron if the patron has a receipt of payment. Processing fees are not refundable. Interlibrary loan materials are not refundable.

Reserves

Patrons may reserve materials which are not immediately available for patron use but are in the SWAN catalog.

• When the reserved materials are available to the patron who has placed the reserve, the library will notify the patron via email, text, or phone and material will be held for 7 days.
• If the patron is not available by phone, a message will be left. The specific title of the material will not be stated to anyone other than the library patron who placed the reserve.
• Relay of the message to the appropriate person in the household, and prompt retrieval of the material, are the responsibilities of the patron.

Board Approved 5/89
Revised 11/07, 5/11, 10/11, 8/15, 2/16, 8/19, 3/20, 8/20, 4/21, 10/23