Borrowing

The information below is extracted from the library’s Circulation of Library Material Policy. You may choose to view the policy in its entirety, as passed by the Board of Library Trustees.

With a regular adult or juvenile card, you can have up to 50 physical items checked out at a time. We also offer additional library cards that have unique checkout limits.

  • With an Educator card, you can have up to 100 items (Shaker-owned materials only) checked out at a time.
  • With an Adult Temporary Card, you can have 3 Shaker-owned print or video items checked out at a time.
  • With a Three for Me card, you can have 3 Shaker-owned children’s books checked out at a time.
  • With a Three for Teens card, you can have 3 Shaker-owned print items checked out at a time.

All Shaker Library cards come with free access to digital content.

Item

Loan Period

Renewals

Holds Allowed

Newly Released Feature Films

7 days

0

Yes

Other Movies and DVD sets

14 days

1

Yes

Magazines

7 days

2

No

Bestsellers

14 days

0

No

New Books

14 days

5

Yes

Wireless Hotspots

14 days

0

Yes

Launch Pads

7 days

0

No

All Other Material

21 days

5

Yes

You cannot renew items if there are outstanding holds or if the maximum number of renewals for a particular material has been met. Some popular material may not be eligible for holds to ensure we have a wide selection of new material in the library. Due to limited availability, limits may be set for the number of materials in certain media formats that a customer may have checked out.

You may return Shaker Library material to any CLEVNET member library and the items will be checked in upon receipt by that library.

Shaker Library material that is returned to a non-CLEVNET library in Ohio may be shipped to Shaker Library by that library, but will not be discharged from your card until it is received by Shaker Library. You remain financially responsible for the material until it has been received and discharged by Shaker Heights Public Library.

The Shaker Main Library and Bertram Woods Branch have book drops where you can return library material when we are closed. Please do not put Interlibrary Loan items in any book drop; they must be returned with the Interlibrary Loan form to a Shaker Library service counter.

Shaker Library does not charge overdue fines on material we own. You may also borrow material from other CLEVNET member libraries. However, not all CLEVNET member libraries are fine free and the policies of the owning library apply in those transactions.

Borrowing privileges for physical materials will be blocked if bills on your account are $10 or more, or if you have 10 or more overdue items.

An item more than 21 days overdue is considered lost.  See “What if I lose or damage library materials?” below.

The CLEVNET system will automatically renew eligible items one day prior to their due date.  You may also renew eligible items in person, by phone at 216-991-2030, or online. Please have your library card number or the item number for telephone renewals. If you are renewing online you need your library card number or username and your PIN. We cannot renew items acquired through Interlibrary Loan from other library systems.

With a regular adult or juvenile card, you can place holds on most materials found in the library catalog. We belong to the CLEVNET consortium and share a catalog and materials with member libraries. There is no charge for borrowing items from other member libraries.

You can also request items from libraries outside of CLEVNET via interlibrary loan with a regular adult or juvenile card. We will try to obtain material from other libraries for free whenever possible. However, some libraries charge a small fee for their material. You are responsible for paying interlibrary loan fees over $15.

If you request interlibrary loan material but do not pick it up from the library once it has arrived you may be charged a small handling fee.

Once an item is 21 days overdue, we assume that the item is lost and your account is billed for the replacement cost of the item. If an item is returned damaged, your account will be billed for the item. Borrowing privileges for physical materials will be blocked if bills on your account are $10 or more, or if you have 10 or more overdue items.

If you return a billed item in good condition, the replacement charge will be removed from your account. We do not accept replacement copies of material in place of payment for lost or damaged items and we cannot issue refunds for lost items that have been paid for.

If you don’t return or pay for the item after receiving the bill, your account may be turned over to a library materials recovery agency. A nonrefundable referral fee is added to your library account to cover the cost of the recovery service.

Shaker Library cards expire every two years, no matter how frequently they are used. You can renew your card online, over the phone, or in person at the Circulation desk.

To renew online, please visit https://forms.clevnet.org/renew/ A card may only be renewed online once.

To renew over the phone, please have your library card number ready. If you need to change your address, your card cannot be renewed over the phone.

To renew in-person, please bring your physical library card or a government-issued photo ID. If you need to change your address, please also bring proof of current address (physical or electronic utility bill, lease/mortgage agreement, etc.).