Circulation

Circulation —

For general assistance with your library card, current checkouts or holds, please call 208-612-8460 or visit our second-floor service desk. You are also welcome to send us a message online.

This page outlines general circulation rules at the Idaho Falls Public Library. The information on this page is governed by our circulation policy (.pdf download).

Page Content:

Borrowing Limits

Adult and junior resident, property owner, and military card holders may check out a total of 50 physical items at a time (the limit on DVD and Blu-ray items is 10). They may also check out 15 digital items at any given time through OverDrive.

Nonresident card holders may also check out 50 physical items at a time, but don’t have access to OverDrive.

Temporary borrowers may only check out 2 physical items at a time plus the 15 digital items through OverDrive.

Borrowing Periods

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Most items at the library can be borrowed for 3 weeks. Exceptions include:

  • DVDs and Blu-rays: 1 week
  • Quick Reads: 1 week*
  • Early Learning Bags: 1 week*
  • New Fiction: 2 weeks
  • Interlibrary Loans: 2 weeks
  • OverDrive: Up to 2 weeks
  • Book Club Sets: 6 weeks*

*One-time checkout that cannot be renewed.

Fees

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Lost or Damaged – The Idaho Falls Public Library charges fees for lost or damaged items. The amount charged is the original purchase price or the cost to replace the item, whichever is lower.

Late Fines – The library does not charge late fines, but does suspend borrowing until overdue materials are renewed or returned.

Patrons may view their fees by signing in to their library accounts and clicking on the Fines tab. Fees may be paid in person at our second-floor service desk in Idaho Falls or at one of the branch staff desks in Iona or Swan Valley.

Hold Requests

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If you’ve placed a hold on an item, but it is not yet ready for checkout, we call this a request. If an item has been sent to the shelf for you to check it out, we call this a hold. When you sign into your library account, requests will show a pending status and holds will have a pickup deadline.

Holds that are ready for pickup will be waiting for you on our second-floor hold shelves. Holds are arranged alphabetically with a yellow slip of paper showing the first 4 letters of your last name followed by your first initial. You will have 7 days from the time a hold is fulfilled to pick up the book. Please note that, when you pick up a hold, you must still check it out using one of our self-check machines. Please note also that, during the pandemic, it may take longer than usual to fulfill holds since all returned items pass through a 1-week quarantine.

For questions about your holds, please call 208-612-8460.

How To Request an Item

To request that a book be put on hold, find it in our online catalog and click the “Place Hold” button. You may also call 208-612-8460 or visit any library service desk to ask a staff member for help.

How to Edit, Suspend or Cancel a Request

To cancel a request, sign into your library account and open the Holds tab. Select the requests you wish to cancel and click the Cancel Holds button.

To suspend a request, use the Suspend Holds button.

To edit the pick up location for a request, use the Edit Pickup Location button.

Please note that, once a request has been fulfilled as an active hold, it can only be edited or canceled by calling the library.

Account Notifications

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To enable courtesy notifications for upcoming due dates, holds that are ready to be checked out or reminders about overdue items, use our online support form or visit any library service desk. Notification options include:

  • Automated phone calls
  • SMS text messages
  • Email notifications
  • Phone calls + email
  • SMS text + email

Notifications are optional and are provided as a courtesy service only.

Renewals

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Patrons may renew most library items up to 3 times after the original checkout.

Quick Read books, Book Club in a Bag sets, Early Learning Bags, and items with requests cannot be renewed at all. Expired library cards may also prevent renewals.

To renew your library checkouts, use one of the following options:

Returns

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To return your library checkouts, use one of our book returns:

Idaho Falls

  • Inside book return on the first floor
  • Inside book bin on the second floor
  • Drive-through book return on the east side of the library*
  • Outside book return by the north doors (facing Broadway St)*

Iona

  • Inside book return at the end of the staff desk
  • Outside book return by the library entrance*

Swan Valley

  • Return books to the staff desk
  • Outside book return across from the library entrance*

*Available after hours

Who Can Access OverDrive and LinkedIn Learning?

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By license agreement, only certain library card types can access the ebooks and digital audiobooks on OverDrive and the learning videos on LinkedIn Learning:

  • Adult and junior resident cards
  • Temporary cards
  • Property owner cards
  • Military cards

Nonresident cards do not have access to OverDrive and LinkedIn Learning through the Idaho Falls Public Library, but they do have access to many other resources available through the Idaho Commission for Libraries.

For more information about library cards, including how to renew an expired card or troubleshoot login errors, visit our library cards page.

For questions about circulation, call 208-612-8460 or send us a message online.