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Borrowing Policies
Late fees on children's materials began January 1, 2010.
Loan Periods and Late Fees
For information about late fees, renewal limits and number of items allowed for adult and juvenile cards, please refer to our:
Checkout periods are designed to maintain the Library’s collections and provide equal access to all cardholders. Late fees are charged for overdue materials; please pay them as promptly as possible. You will not be able to borrow materials or use our computer services if your outstanding charges total $10 or more.
Return to the topReturning Materials
Items may be returned to any public library (not school or university library) within Allegheny County and will be checked in from your account on the day received. Items returned to Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh bookdrops will be checked in the day received. Items returned to outdoor bookdrops after the library is closed will be back-dated to the previous day’s date as long as they are in the first collection of materials prior to 8:00 am.
Returning Materials outside Allegheny County
Items returned to libraries outside the county border may take longer to be received by the owning library and do not automatically clear from your account. Be sure to ask about the return policy for those libraries to ensure that you are not incorrectly charged overdue fines.
InterLibrary Loan
If you cannot find an item in our county-wide catalog, you may request an interlibrary loan online by logging into our new ILLiad system. For more information, please see the InterLibrary Loan Frequently Asked Questions page.
Due to budget cuts from the State of Pennsylvania, the ILL Center must reduce the number of customer placed interlibrary loan requests in process at any given time from 20 to 10 beginning on January 1, 2010.
The ILL Center must also begin charging for interlibrary loans lent to out-of-state customers which may limit the number of items that can be obtained free from out-of-state locations for our customers. Items borrowed and lent within PA will remain free of charge.
For other libraries requesting loans from the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh, please see our InterLibrary Loan Lending Policies to Other Libraries.
Depository Requests
Pre-1970 journals and some reference materials from the Main Library's collections are housed off-site at the Carnegie Library Depository located at the East Liberty Library. These reference materials include books and most pre-1970 periodical titles. They are listed in The Catalog with the location of "off-site storage".
To access materials held at the Depository you must make arrangements in advance. Please submit a Depository Request Form and indicate if you wish to view the materials at the Main Library in Oakland or at the East Liberty branch. You can call the Photocopy Office: 412.622.3142, for more information. You may also ask a librarian for assistance. Spontaneous and walk-in requests cannot be accommodated.
Once you have submitted a request, the materials will be available within 2-3 days at Main or at East Liberty. You will be notified by email or by phone when the items are available for your use. In some cases, photocopying of Depository items may be restricted or prohibited because of condition.
PhotoCopy Requests
Phone: 412.622.3142
Fax: 412.621.1267
Photocopy orders can be placed by telephone, mail, or FAX.
$1.00 per page (minimum charge of $6.00)
$5.00 handling fee per order, per day
$5.00 FAX charge per order
7 percent local sales tax (if applicable)
postage (determined by weight)
Orders are filled on a same day basis. (Items in storage may take longer.)
Please call 412.622.3142 or FAX: 412.621.1267
Lost or Damaged Items
Cardholders are responsible for the replacement cost of lost or damaged items. For children 17 and under a parent or legal guardian is responsible. Library materials that are lost or remain unreturned after six weeks from the due date are automatically billed to your account. Bills include a $5 processing fee to cover re-cataloging, processing, labels, barcodes, etc. A lost item must be paid in full in order to restore borrowing privileges. The Library does not accept replacement items.
Items damaged beyond repair will be billed to the customer’s card and must be paid in full in order to remain in good standing with the Library.
If you find a lost item after you pay for it, you may be entitled to a refund. CLP refunds payments for lost items for up to one year of the original due date of the item. The late fees accrued on the item are deducted from that amount. All customer refunds are processed through our Finance Department. Refunds are not done in person but will be mailed by check 30-60 days after a request is processed.
Use of AV Materials Disclaimer
Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh is not liable for damage to customers' CD players, DVD players, VCRs, stereos, cassette players, computers or any other equipment on which library materials are played or used. Customers are responsible for borrowed a/v materials damaged in their equipment or by customer use.
Suggest A Purchase
If you would like to suggest that the Carnegie Library of Pittsburgh purchase a particular item that it does not have, please fill out the Suggest a Purchase form that is found on the Catalog website under "Search Tips".
