Circulation

Upon proof of residence, any Westford resident may register for a
Merrimack Valley Library Consortium (MVLC) library card, which may
be used at the J. V. Fletcher Library or any of the other 28 MVLC libraries.
There is no minimum age requirement.

Residents in good standing of other cities and towns in the MVLC network
may use their home town's card at the J. V. Fletcher Library.

Residents outside of the MVLC Network may register for a Westford card
by presenting a valid library card from their home town/city library.
(Note: library cards compatible with our scanner may be directly
registered into our MVLC database, eliminating the need for an additional
MVLC card.)

Organizations and businesses may register for an institutional library card.
The application must be signed by the head of the organization.

Lost or worn library cards may be replaced at a fee of $1.00 each.

IDENTIFICATION

To register, patrons must present an acceptable form of identification
showing name and current legal address. Acceptable ID includes a driver's
license, tax bill, a checkbook with current address, or a utility bill.

LOAN PERIODS

In general, patrons may take out as many items as they wish, (with a limit of 3 books
on any one subject) for a period of 3 weeks. The exceptions to this policy are:

Best Sellers	2 Weeks
Rental Books*	1 Week
Videos**	1 Week
Audio/Visual Equipment	1 Week
Best Seller Videos	3 Days
Museum Passes	1 Day

*Rental books are charged out at $0.25 per day with a maximum charge of
$1 per week (additional loan at the same rate).

**The video collection is maintained by the Friends of the Library, Inc.,
and circulates for a rental fee of $1.00 each.

During the summer months, older adult fiction and paperbacks are loaned out
until mid-September.

TEACHER LOANS

Teachers in the Town of Westford School System are encouraged to contact
either Kathy Hutchins (pre-school through middle-school) or Kristina Worcester
(high school) regarding a special teacher's library card and to arrange for deposit
collections (for use in school) and special reserve collections (for use by students
in the J. V. Fletcher Library).

RENEWALS, RESERVES, AND INTER-LIBRARY LOANS

Library materials may be renewed unless requested by another patron. When
renewing by telephone, patrons must provide both the barcode number on their
library card, and the barcode numbers of the items to be renewed.

Circulating items may be reserved in person, by telephone or online.

Patrons may request items from other libraries through our
Inter-Library Loan (ILL) service. ILL requests from within the MVLC
Network generally arrive within a week to 10 days.

FEES AND FINES

The J. V. Fletcher Library is interested in having materials returned, not in
collecting fines. Unlike many libraries, we do NOT charge fines for overdue
books, magazines, records, and compact discs. We are pleased that our patrons
generally respect this privilege, and return their materials promptly.

PRIVACY STATEMENT

By state law, all patron card activity is confidential - this is even true for very
young children. A child essentially experiences his or her first equal "adult" status
in the act of acquiring a personal library card and is afforded the same privacy as
adults. Thus, overdue notices and print-outs of books checked out are mailed directly
to youngsters (even though parents may be legally responsible for the actions of the
minors in their household). Parents are encouraged to weigh the child's delight in the
first libary card with the knowledge that according to state law, parents may not have
direct access to a child's borrowing record.

MUSEUM PASSES

Certain Museums charge a minimal entrance fee along with the library Museum pass.
Inquire for more information at the Fine Arts Desk.

OVERDUE NOTICES

If materials are held past their due date, a series of reminder notices are sent by
mail. Patrons will also be notified when checking out at a Public Service Desk of
materials that are still outstanding on their card. The "amount due" listed on a
reminder notice is the replacement cost if the materials are not returned.

MERRIMACK VALLEY LIBRARY CONSORTIUM (MVLC)

Amesbury	Andover	Billerica	Boxford	Burlington
Carlisle	Chelmsford	Dracut	Dunstable	Essex
Georgetown	Groveland	Hamilton	Haverhill	Ipswich
Lawrence	Littleton	Lowell	Manchester	Merrimac
Methuen	Middleton	Newbury	Newburyport	North Andover
North Reading	Rockport	Rowley	Salisbury	Tewksbury
Topsfield	Tyngsborough	Wenham	West Newbury	Westford
Wilmington

GETTING A LIBRARY CARD