Media Center Policies

1. Circulation

a) Library media collections are maintained for the use of the students and school personnel. Materials may be checked out to other individuals or schools in the Orange County Public Schools at the discretion of the library media specialist.

b) Library books circulate for a period of time determined by the library media specialist. AV Software such as: videos, DVDs, CDs, etc. and AV hardware such as equipment, shall be circulated. Collections of materials are available for circulation to classrooms for a reasonable length of time to meet specific needs.

c) Staff and students have maximum accessibility to all library materials. Flexible circulation is necessary to meet specialized needs and interests such as circulation of reference materials or classroom collections. Circulation procedures for each type of library material are determined within each school.

2. Fines

a) Policies – Rules – Bylaws, The School Board of Orange County, Orlando, Florida, FILE DID, 1996, requires the principal or person in charge of a school “to be responsible for taking necessary measures to properly safeguard property under his control against loss, damage or undue depreciation.” This property custodian is further responsible for making periodic inventories of other items including “library books”.

b) Fines are kept at a minimum level so as to encourage student use of the library media center.

c) Library fines are not charged for weekends or school holidays. The total fines do not exceed the cost of the book.

d) The transfer of student’s records shall not be delayed or denied for failure to pay any fine or fee assessed by the school.

e) Amount of fines, if imposed, and procedures for assessment, are determined at the school level.

f) Students and staff are held liable for any loss, destruction, unnecessary damage or failure to return library materials and are required to pay for such loss, destruction or damage. All reasonable efforts shall be made to collect damaged or lost library media materials.

g) Procedures for assigning responsibility and collecting payments for lost damaged or destroyed library media materials are determined at each school. Procedures include number of notices to be given prior to charging for lost item and parent notification.

h) All payments must be receipted and given to the school bookkeeper.

i) Money collected for books is reported on the annual report.