Library materials must be returned within 5 days of the due date that is printed on the receipt issued at the time of checkout. Your receipt is considered the first notification of due dates. Materials must be returned before the library closes on that day. Materials returned after the library closes will be deleted from your account on the next day that the library opens and late charges may apply.

A late charge is calculated starting the first day an item is overdue, but the late charges will be canceled if you return the item within 5 days of the due date (the "grace period"). Beginning the sixth day after the due date, however, you will owe late charges for all 6 days, plus any additional days the item is late. Late charges on children’s materials are 5¢ per day to a maximum of $1 per item. Late charges on adult materials are 20¢ per day to a maximum of $4 per item. There also is a 50 cent fee for holds that have not been picked up.

You can renew all library materials except rental collection items, as long as no one else has placed a request on them. Materials can be renewed only once for one additional loan period figured from the date the renewal is made. You can renew materials at the checkout desk or by phone or by using the online catalog EasiCat. Items that are within the grace period may be renewed only by phone or in person. To renew by phone, call 459-3400 ext 3401. Have your library card number available!

There is a fee charged for returns of mismatched or incomplete items, for example, audiobooks missing one CD or toys that are missing parts.

If you lose an item you will be billed for the cost of the item at the time it was purchased by the library. If lost items are kept past the regular due date, late charges and other service charges will be assessed. If you find a lost item within 6 months of paying for it, the cost of the book will be reimbursed.

If you damage an item so seriously that it can no longer be used you will be billed for the price of the item at the time it was purchased by the library. Less serious damage will be billed according to a standard list of charges.

An overdue notice will be sent to you items are three weeks overdue. When an item is seven weeks late, it is judged lost, and you will receive a bill for the cost of the item plus a processing fee. There is a 50 cent fee for mailed notices.

If your account contains late charges exceeding $10 or charges for lost or damaged materials, or any charge that is 6 months old, you will not be allowed to check out additional materials and may not be able to use the Internet.

In an attempt to retrieve materials that are more than 2 months overdue and to collect unpaid fees the library contracts with Unique Management Services, a library materials recovery and collection agency. Mead Library also requests Municipal Court citations in some cases where long-overdue materials have not been returned and the customer's account balance is over $100.

Mead Library does accept MasterCard and VISA payments.

Additional information about the library’s payment and collection policy is available at the Customer Service Desk.