Loans & Returns

Loan Periods

  • Books, including books on CD: 3-week loan period, 2 renewals permitted, unless the item is on hold for another patron
  • “Lucky Day” Book Collection: 3-week loan period, no renewals
  • Adult and Children’s DVDs: 1-week loan period, 2 renewals permitted, unless there are holds
  • Express DVDs: 3-day loan period, no renewals
  • Non-fiction (travel, instructional etc.) DVDs: 3-week loan period, 2 renewals permitted, unless their are holds
  • Periodicals: 1-week loan period, 2 renewals, unless there are holds
  • Museum passes: 2-day loan period, no renewals (one pass per family at a time) for physical passes. Most museum passes are available as print-on-demand, which do not need to be picked up or returned.

Almost all Durham Public Library materials will renew automatically up to two times, unless the item is on hold for another patron. Patrons will receive an email notifying them of the new due date. Lucky Day books and Express DVDs have no renewals and will not renew automatically.

Fines

  • Fines are assessed daily for overdue items
  • Most adult and young adult materials: $.10 per day, $5.00 maximum
  • Children’s books: $ .05 per day, $2.00 maximum
  • Adult and Children’s DVDs: $.10 per day, $5.00 maximum
  • Express DVDs: $2.00 per day, $5.00 maximum
  • Museum passes: $5.00, $50.00 maximum for physical passes.

Lost Items

Items that have not been returned within three weeks of the due date are considered lost. At that point, the patron’s card is charged with the replacement cost of the item. A receipt is given to the patron upon payment. If the lost item is found within 6 months of payment, the amount paid, less any fines owed, will be refunded on presentation of receipt.

Damaged Items

When an item is returned damaged, the Library will determine if the patron should be held responsible for the damage, in which case, the patron will be charged for the cost of the item’s replacement. If the patron is charged for replacement, they may keep the damaged item.