Fondulac District Library offers honor-based deposit collections to eligible facilities located within the district. Materials provided are library-owned and library-maintained items, but are not part of the library’s main circulating collection. Deposit collection materials are derived in majority from items deselected from the library’s main collection and items donated to the library in good condition. Most materials are general reading material and fiction, but materials may include nonfiction and non-print materials based on availability. The materials are cataloged and tracked by the library for the purpose of providing and maintaining the service, but individual circulation of the items at the deposit location is based on the honor-system.
Deposit collections are supplemental services of the library and, as such, staff allocations, funds, and materials are provided on an as-available basis. The library reserves the right to determine sites, and materials and services provided, based upon the appropriateness of the site, degree of need, and limitations of library staff and collection.
Preference will be given to establishing these collections in facilities or locations serving populations unable to visit the library and ineligible for the library’s Homebound Delivery service and facilities in which mobility and/or disability of the residents is a barrier to accessing library services. The library may provide deposit collections for special needs facilities where library visits are inconvenient, difficult, or impossible. Facilities eligible for deposit collections may include nursing homes, assisted living centers, and other facilities approved at the discretion of the Director.
Facilities desiring to host a deposit collection must complete and sign an application for service. The Library Director or designee must review and approve the application prior to establishment of service.
While the library may provide promotional or other information related to the deposit collection or related services, hosting facilities are responsible for informing residents or clients of the service and distribution of promotional information.
Hosting facilities are required to provide and maintain the space and suitable furniture for the collection, including keeping the space and furniture clean and inviting, as well as to assist the library to the best of its ability in locating missing items last deposited at the facility. Furniture provided for the service must be reserved solely for the deposit collection to prevent blending of library-owned materials with materials owned or donated by the facility, those they serve, or others. Maintenance and insurance of the space and furniture for the collection are the responsibility of hosting facility.
The space provided for the collection must be located in a heated and air-conditioned inside area and must be convenient to load and unload library materials. The space must meet all applicable ADA criteria for accessibility.
The size of the collection loaned by the library to a facility will be determined by library dependent upon the availability of materials, number of residents, the size of the facility, and the space provided by the facility. Library staff will visit the facility not more than monthly to rotate collections and freshen selections on a schedule determined by the library in consultation with the facility. Selection of the materials will be made by library staff taking into consideration availability of materials, anticipated need, and requests of the facility. Insurance covering the deposit collection is the responsibility of the Library.
Deposit collection materials and their selection are governed by the library’s Material Selection Policy. The library considers the intended audience of the facility when developing deposit collection selections, but cannot guarantee that the collection will not include materials that contain content that some may consider offensive. A person’s choice to use library materials is an individual matter. Parents, guardians and/or caregivers, not the library, are responsible for what materials children access, read, or use and for supervising the use of materials by children.
Persons using the deposit collection are not required to have a library card or identification to borrow materials from the deposit collection, but are expected to return the items to the facility’s deposit collection location or to Fondulac District Library when finished using the items.
The library cannot ensure confidentiality for persons utilizing deposit collection material at any of the sites.
No fees are charged to facilities or borrowers for provision of the service or for lost or damaged materials in a deposit collection.
The library reserves the right to evaluate usage periodically and modify, suspend, or discontinue service. Conditions prompting modification, suspension, or discontinuation, include, but are not limited to: significant declines in usage, abuse or excessive loss of materials, harassment of library staff, health and safety concerns, staffing or budget limitations, a facility’s inability to meet the requirements of this policy, and a facility’s desire to end the service.
Approved November 28, 2022