Library Card Policy

Webster Parish Libraries issue library cards free of charge. All persons who live within Webster Parish are eligible for a card, and persons residing outside of Webster Parish are eligible for a card with limitations. A valid card entitles users to borrow materials from the library system with borrowing permissions dependent upon patron status. A patron must have a valid library card and be in good standing in order to check out items. Patrons are encouraged to use a physical version or mobile version of the library card that is accessible through the Webster Parish Libraries app. If unavailable, staff can look up the library card number if provided with a patron’s unexpired, valid photo ID, such as a state issued driver’s license.

 

Card Types

Card types are assigned to ensure proper limitations are in place. Card type is determined based upon factors including residency, age, and service location. 

 

Adult

• Adult

• Probationary Adult

• Non-resident Adult

 

Restricted

• Juvenile Restricted

• Juvenile Restricted Digital

• Young Adult Restricted

• Young Adult Restricted Digital

• Non-resident Juvenile Restricted

• Non-resident YA Restricted

 

Non-restricted

• Juvenile/YA Non-restricted

• Non-resident Juvenile/YA Non-restricted

 

Other

• Outreach

• Online Registration

• Interlibrary Loan

 

Adult

This card is for patrons 18 and older residing or owning property in Webster Parish or Webster Parish employees. It expires after three years. These patrons:

• can checkout all Webster Parish Library System materials

• have access to public computers

• have access to library databases

• have access to digital content platforms such as Hoopla, Overdrive, Kanopy, etc.

• have access to Interlibrary Loan service

• can check-out equipment for in-house use and out of house use

 

Probationary Adult

This card is for patrons 18 and older residing or owning property in Webster Parish. It expires after three months and will be automatically renewed for three years if there are no library assigned blocks. These patrons:

• can checkout most Webster Parish Library System materials

• have access to public computers

• have access to library databases

• have access to digital content platforms such as Hoopla, Overdrive, Kanopy, etc.

• have access to Interlibrary Loan service

• can check-out equipment for in-house use

 

Non-resident Adult

This card is for patrons residing outside of Webster Parish and over the age of 18. It expires after three years. These patrons:

• can checkout all Webster Parish Library System materials

• have access to public computers in all library locations

• may check out equipment for in-house use only

 

Juvenile Restricted

This card is for patrons aged 0 - 12 residing in Webster Parish. It expires after three years. These patrons:

• can checkout Juvenile materials only

• have access to library databases

• have access to designated Juvenile computers where applicable

 

Juvenile Restricted Digital

This card is for patrons aged 0 - 12 residing in Webster Parish. It expires after three years.  These patrons must have permission from a parent/guardian to access digital content in order to hold this card. These patrons:

• can checkout Juvenile materials only

• have access to library databases

• have access to digital content platforms such as Hoopla, OverDrive, Kanopy, etc.

 

Young Adult Restricted

This card is for patrons aged 13 - 17 residing in Webster Parish. It expires after three years. These patrons:

• can checkout Juvenile and Young Adult materials

• have access to public computers in all library locations

• have access to library databases

 

Young Adult Restricted Digital

This card is for patrons aged 13 - 17 residing in Webster Parish. It expires after three years. These patrons must have permission from a parent/guardian to access digital content in order to hold this card. These patrons:

• can checkout Juvenile and Young Adult materials

• have access to public computers in all library locations

• have access to library databases

• have access to digital content platforms such as Hoopla, OverDrive, Kanopy, etc.

 

Non-resident Juvenile Restricted

 This card is for patrons aged 0 - 12 residing outside of Webster Parish. It expires after three years. These patrons:

• can checkout Juvenile materials only

• have access to public computers in children’s area only

 

Non-resident Young Adult Restricted

 This card is for patrons aged 13 - 17 residing outside of Webster Parish. It expires after three years. These patrons:

• can checkout Juvenile and Young Adult materials only

• have access to public computers

 

Juvenile/YA Non-restricted

This card is for patrons aged 0 - 17 residing in Webster Parish. It expires after three years. These patrons must have permission from a parent/guardian to access restricted materials, digital content, and computers in order to hold this card. These patrons: 

• can checkout Juvenile, Young Adult, and Adult materials

• have access to public computers in all library locations

• have access to library databases

• have access to digital content platforms such as Hoopla, Overdrive, Kanopy, etc.

 

Non-resident Juvenile/YA Non-restricted

This card is for patrons aged 0 - 17 residing outside of Webster Parish. It expires after three years. These patrons must have permission from a parent/guardian to access restricted materials and computers in order to hold this card. These patrons: 

• can checkout Juvenile, Young Adult, and Adult materials

• have access to public computers in all library locations

 

Outreach

The Outreach patron code is only applied by designated staff. An outreach card also allows individual cardholders who live in the designated outreach area to participate in the library’s outreach program. Outreach patrons can sign up for outreach services to have materials delivered to them. It expires after three years. These patrons:

• can checkout all Webster Parish Library system materials

• have access to library databases

• have access to Interlibrary Loan service

• can check-out equipment for in-house use and out of house use

 

An outreach card also allows local organizations/businesses to check out library materials for use in their facilities. The organization is responsible for all materials checked out by authorized staff/users and an authorized agent must sign as the account holder and point of contact. In order to hold this card, a written request on organization letterhead must be submitted and signed by the head of the organization, and the authorized agent must provide a copy of an unexpired government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, with a current address.The organization accepts all responsibility for monitoring the access of library materials and services.

 

Online Registration

Online registration is system-generated only. Webster Parish residents 18 years of age or older may complete the online registration form. It expires after three months and may not be renewed. Online registration allows patrons to access the library’s digital services.

 

 

Interlibrary Loan

The Interlibrary Loan patron code is only applied by designated staff. It expires after three years. Interlibrary Loan allows the Interlibrary Loan staff to loan materials to libraries outside of our system.

 

Patron Status

Due to Act 436 passed by the Louisiana State Legislature on June 7, 2023, library card access levels have been implemented to restrict content access to library patrons under the age of 18. Libraries are required to implement policies to limit the access of minors to what is considered “sexually explicit material” by state legislation which contains “sexual conduct” defined by Act 436 as any of the following:

 

(a) Masturbation or lewd exhibition, actual, simulated, or animated, of the genitals, pubic hair, anus, vulva, or female breast nipples.

(b) Sadomasochistic abuse, meaning actual, simulated, or animated, flagellation, or torture by or upon a person who is nude or clad in undergarments or in a costume that reveals the pubic hair, anus, vulva, genitals, or female breast nipples, or in the condition of being fettered, bound, or otherwise physically restrained, on the part of one so clothed.

(c) Actual, simulated, or animated touching, caressing, or fondling of, or other similar physical contact with a pubic area, anus, female breast nipple, covered or exposed, whether alone or between humans, animals, or a human and an animal, of the same or opposite sex, in an act of apparent sexual 16 stimulation or gratification.

(d) Actual, simulated, or animated stimulation of a human genital organ by any device whether or not the device is designed, manufactured, or marketed for that purpose.

(e) Actual, simulated, or animated ultimate sexual acts, whether between human beings, animals, or a human being and an animal.

 

This "Sexually explicit material" can be textual, visual, or audio material, produced in any medium, that depicts or describes sexual conduct. Not all depictions will “meet the definition of sexual conduct unless it rises to the level of being lewd.”

 

Community standards for the population served by the library are required to be considered when acquiring library material that would be accessible to a minor through donation or purchase. If access to resources and potentially offensive material, such as what can be found via the internet, is desired, the parent/guardian of a person under the age of 18 must provide consent for the card holder to obtain non-restricted status. 

 

Restricted Status

Restricted library card access prevents certain materials from being checked out by a patron and prevents certain services from being accessed. For juveniles under the age of 18, restricted is the default library card status. Inaccessible materials and services with restricted library card status include:

 

• Materials that have received a request for reconsideration after January 1, 2024

• digital content including Kanopy, Overdrive, and Hoopla as well as any future digital content platforms

• public computers with internet access for ages 0 - 12

 

Non-restricted Status

Non-restricted library card status will allow patrons to access all content and services available to them based on card type through the Webster Parish Libraries. Non-restricted access is the default status for patrons 18 and older. For patrons under the age of 18, non-restricted access has to be requested by the patron account holder acting as the parent/guardian of the juvenile.

 

Probationary Status

New resident adult patrons registering for a library card are placed on probationary status for an initial three month period. After the probationary period concludes, patron probationary status will be changed to Adult.

 

Card Registration Requirements

Applicants must provide an unexpired government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, with the current physical address.

 

Other Forms of Verification

Applicants without an unexpired government-issued photo ID with a current physical address will need to provide additional documentation for verification purposes. Other forms of acceptable verification documents include, but are not limited to:

 

• Voter Registration Card

• Student ID

• Proof of Property Ownership

• Utility Bill

• Pay Statement

• Rent Receipt

• Mail addressed to applicant postmarked within 60 days of application date

 

Juvenile Registration

In order for a child to be issued a card, a parent/guardian of that child must be present with the child that is being registered, or if the child is not present to get a card, a parent/guardian must provide proof that they are a parent/guardian of the child being registered.

 

Acceptable verification documents for proof of guardianship include, but are not limited to:

• Student report card

• Birth certificate

• Student ID

• Social Security Card

 

It is not required that a parent/guardian have a library card. If a parent/guardian does not have a library card, an unexpired government-issued photo ID, such as a driver’s license, with a current physical address must be presented. If not available, another form of acceptable verification, such as those listed in the ‘Other Forms of Verification’ section above, must be provided.

 

Responsibilities of Card Holders

Card users are responsible for the liability and care of borrowed materials. Cards are nontransferable, and it is the patron’s responsibility to monitor the use of their card. Patrons are asked to report lost, stolen, or damaged cards, as well as any changes in names, addresses, telephone numbers, and email addresses to the Library as soon as possible. This ensures records are updated.

 

 A patron is responsible for all materials checked out on his/her library card, unless he or she has previously reported the library card missing or stolen. Parents/guardians must agree to be responsible for items checked out on their children’s cards; organizations and other entities must accept responsibility for items checked out on their organizations’ outreach cards.

 

The library system is not responsible for damages caused to a patron’s equipment by materials checked out from the library.

 

A patron must return materials on time or pay assessed fees for items not returned and that are assumed/claimed lost. Failure to pay assessed fees or lost item charges may result in the borrower’s card being blocked and library services restricted.

 

Parents have the responsibility to guide and monitor their children in the selection of circulating library items.

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Renewal and Replacement Cards

 

Renewal

Cards are renewed every 3 years and must be renewed by the patron holding the account. A valid photo ID with the patron’s current physical address must be presented, or the patron must verify that the account information is current.

 

Replacement Cards

There is a replacement card fee for lost, stolen, or damaged cards. A valid photo ID with the patron’s current physical address must be presented at the time of replacement, or the patron must verify that the account information is current.

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Board Approved November 3, 2023