Circulation

Circulation —

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

Page Content:

Borrowing Limits

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. There is no checkout limit on OverDrive magazines.

Nonresident card holders may also check out 50 physical items at a time, but do not have access to OverDrive ebooks and digital audiobooks.

Temporary borrowers may only check out 2 physical items at a time plus the 15 digital items through OverDrive (and unlimited OverDrive magazines).

Visit our library card page to learn more about these card types.

Borrowing Periods

Most items at the library will check out 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 into their library accounts and clicking on the Fines tab. Fees may be paid in person at our payment kiosk in the computer room (in Idaho Falls) or at one of the branch staff desks in Iona or Swan Valley.

Hold Requests

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First, some basic terminology:

  • Request—Something you’ve “put on hold” but isn’t ready yet for checkout.
  • Hold—A request that has been fulfilled, meaning the item is waiting for you on the hold shelf.

When you sign into your library account, requests will show a pending status and holds will have a pickup deadline.

The hold shelves are located on the second floor of the library near the north doors. Holds are arranged alphabetically with a yellow slip of paper showing the first 4 letters of your last name followed by your first initial and the last 4 digits of your phone number. You will have 7 days from the time a hold is fulfilled to check it out.

For questions about the status your holds, sign into your account or call 208-612-8460.

How To Request an Item

To “place a hold”, or request that something be set aside for you, find it in our online catalog, then click the Place Hold button. You may also call 208-612-8460 or visit any library service desk to ask for help from library staff.

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

Once a hold has been fulfilled, it cannot be canceled, suspended, or re-routed to another location without calling the library.

Account Notifications

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Automated library notification options include:

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

Notifications are sent for:

  • Reminders about items due soon
  • Reminders about overdue items
  • Hold notices

To enable notifications, use our online support form or visit any library service desk.

Item Renewals

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Patrons may renew most library items up to 3 times after the original checkout. Exceptions are Quick Read books, Book Club in a Bag sets, and Early Learning Bags. These kinds of items can only be checked out once.

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

Note—An expired library card will prevent your from renewing your checkouts. Learn how to renew an expired card.

Item 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 third-party license agreement, only certain library card types can access OverDrive ebooks and audiobooks and the learning videos on LinkedIn Learning:

  • 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 through the Idaho Commission for Libraries.

For information about our library cards, including new cards and expired, lost, or damaged cards, visit our library card page. For additional information about circulation, call 208-612-8460 or send us a message online.