- City of Bellaire
- Departments
- Library
- Circulation Policies
Circulation Policies
Circulation Information
Library material is available for loan to Bellaire City Library cardholders in good standing. Borrowing privileges will be suspended for material that is not returned, damaged material or fines that exceed $10. Loan periods for most library material range from 1 week to 2 weeks. Extended loan periods are available upon request.
Harris County Public Library cards may also be used at Bellaire to borrow material. Bellaire serves as a hold pick up site for Houston Public Library.
Book Renewals
Renewals of items may be made by telephone, in person or on the link to your library account found the catalog web-page. Please be prepared to furnish your name and the title of the item if you are calling into the library for renewal. If the item can be renewed, you will be given the new date due for the item. Items that have exceeded their renewal limit or are on hold for someone else cannot be renewed.
Books are generally checked out for a 2-week period and may be renewed in person, by telephone or on the web. New books and DVDs are due back in a week with the option to renew for an additional week if the material is not on hold for another user. Please refer to the following charts for specific limits, fines and renewals. Material cannot be transferred to another family member's card, but can be checked out again if the material is found on the shelf the same day it was returned.
Patrons may place their own hold on materials on-line or they are invited to call in and have a staff member place the hold for them. There may be a limit on the number of holds placed when calling into the library.
Services Exclusive to Bellaire Residents
Bellaire residents can arrange to borrow:
- 8 mm projector
- 16 mm projector
- Data projector
- Filmstrip projector
- Slide projector
- Video projector
- Videocassette player
Other Services Available for All Library Users
- Color printer
- Color copy machine
- Internet access
- Microfilm reader/printer
- Scanner
| Books | Limit | Fines | Checkout | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Fiction | None | 20¢ / day | 2 weeks | 2 times |
| Fiction (blue dot) | None | 20¢ / day | 1 week | 1 time |
| Non-Fiction | 4** | 20¢ / day | 2 weeks | 2 times |
| Non-fiction (blue dot) | 4** | 20¢ / day | 1 week | 1 time |
| Encyclopedias from a set | 4 | 20¢ / day | 2 weeks | 2 times |
*Limit 4 per SUBJECT per family
| Non-Book | Limit | Fines | Checkout | Renewal |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| DVD | 10/card | $1 / day | 7 days | 1 time |
| Audiobooks | None | 20¢ / day | 2 weeks | 2 times |
| Playaway Tablet | 5/card | $1 / day | 7 days | None |
| Playaway View | 5/card | $1 /day | 7 days | None |
| Magazines** | None | 20¢ / day* | 2 week | None |
*charge for each item.
**Some magazines and newspapers do not check out
Librarians reserve the right to restrict materials due to demand or school assignments.
Additional Information
Please ask at the desk for Interlibrary Loan (ILL) service information. Interlibrary Loan requests are made when an item is not available at the Bellaire City Library. ILL requests are sent to participating libraries all over the United States and the request can be taken by any library staff member or you may submit the information on the website. Material that can be requested must have a copyright date prior to the current year and you will be charged the cost of postage to return the material to the lending library. ILL service can take a minimum of two weeks to receive the material at the Bellaire City Library and you generally have a three-week check out period. Charges will apply even it the material is not picked up.