Our Policies

Borrowing Policies

Registration Requirements

Patron must present PA Driver’s License (preferred) or ID with a current address.
Library cards are free for Butler County residents and patrons with a valid Access PA sticker.
A yearly fee of $20.00 will be charged to Non- Butler County residents or patrons without a valid Access PA sticker.
All registration forms must be signed by the responsible party.
All patrons under age 18 must have a parent/guardian sign the card application.
There is no age limit for obtaining a library card.
The replacement card fee is $2.50 per card.
Only one registration per patron is allowed.

Patron Database

When a patron is in the database and has a card with an existing barcode, it is to be used.
When a patron is in the database and does not have a card with a barcode, their existing record is deleted and a new card is issued. A $2.50 replacement fee will be charged.
Patron records may not be deleted if fines or materials are attached to them.
A batch delete of patrons with expired cards of five years or more will be conducted county-wide every January.

Circulation

Patrons must have a valid library card to check out materials. A patron may check out with a PA Driver’s License or photo ID in lieu of a library card for up to three times per year. A notation will be made in the circulation comment field for each such use.
Renewals for items that are not on hold may be placed online, by phone, or at any member BCFLS library.
Limit of 25 items per card.

Checkout Periods

Checkout periods for all items is now 3 weeks.

Holds

All reserved items will be held for 3 days. If a patron does not pick up the item within 3 days, the holds will be cancelled and items returned to the libraries’ shelves.
Items on hold can not be renewed.

Inter Library Loans

Only three ILL’s can be requested at one time.
If requested, a one-week renewal may be granted upon the approval of the lending library from which the material was sent.

Lost Materials and Fines

Patrons will be charged the current retail cost for lost materials.
All materials except DVDs and ILL’s (Inter-Library Loans): 25 cents per day
DVD’s: $1.00 per day
Readers and other devices – at the discretion of the library directors
Maximum Fine: Retail cost or best estimate to replace
Borrower privileges will be suspended when fines are $5.00 or more
Fines may be paid at any library in Butler county. The receiving library retains all fine money.
Forgiveness of fines is at the discretion of the library directors with the exception of fines related to police or magistrate cases.

The system libraries accept no responsibility for the loss of damage to patron’s property or equipment as a result of the use of any library materials.

Library Statement

borrow

Donation Policy

The Mars Area Public Library appreciates book donations all year long. Once items are donated, we reserve the right to decide which items are added to the Library’s collection, added to the book sale which benefits the Library, or discarded.Donated items should never be dropped off outside the library or left after hours of operation.

We accept:

The Mars Area Public Library only accepts donations of books, CDs, and DVDs in good condition no matter what their age.

We do not accept:

Magazines
Encyclopedias
VHS tapes
Audio cassettes
Books that are musty, water / smoke damaged, dirty, insect infested, or have covers removed
DVDs/CDs that are scratched or unusable

Donate

Minutes

Board Meeting Minutes

2018

Library financial documents are available upon request. Feel free to contact the library director at cboland@marslibrary.org, call, or visit the library.

For information on attending a board meeting, visit our Administration and Board page.

The documents linked below are Pdf's that open in a new window.