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What you need to know about lending services

Anyone who lives or works in Merthyr Tydfil County Borough has the right to use library services and join the public lending library.

The only exception to that is someone who has not followed the membership rules as expressed in the byelaws and operating principles expressed below

The loan conditions apply to any form of library stock included in the lending collections

Basic lending terms

• No one can borrow items categorised as "reference only" without the permission of the Head of Libraries
• Every member of the library is entitled to borrow a lending item for at least 3-weeks.
• Lending stock can be return at any time within the standard 3-week loan period.
• The date stamp/self service slip is the latest date the item is due back - not the expected date of return.
• We encourage extended loans and renewals unless the item is required by another library member.
• We cannot renew an item reserved by another borrower.
• If items on any form of extended loan are needed by another borrower we would issue a recall, but we would not charge fines as long as the item is returned within a week.

Potential problems

• The borrower is fully resonsible for any items in their possession, including the possible effect of theft, damage and third party abuse.
• If any borrower loses an item they are liable for the replacement costs at the current market costs.
• We naturally allow for a degree of minor "wear and tear" in a public lending service, but any damaged lending items will not be received back. In those cases the borrower will be charged for a replacement lending copy at the current market cost (although we would also accept a like-for-like replacement). The damaged copy then becomes the property of the borrower.
• Items borrowed from other libraries to meet specific needs may bring higher replacment charges or penalties if they are lost, damaged or stolen.

All rules are open to question and continuous review and the reasons for them will be explained in more detail on request. Simply email library.services@merthyr.gov.uk