Renewals and Loan Period Policy
LCPL Renewals and Loan Period Policy
The Lake County Public Library (LCPL) limits loan periods and the number of permitted renewals per item in order to make materials available to all library users on an equal basis. As the LCPL is a public library and not a university library, it does not employ a recall system to manage long-term withdrawals and therefore requires all materials to be returned after the lending period has expired and all renewals have been used.
Depending on the demand for the item, collection size, lending source, material type, and other factors, some library materials may have shorter loan periods and fewer permitted renewals than others.
If you have any questions about this policy, please contact your local branch, or use our Ask a Librarian form.
Frequently Asked Check-Out Questions
How many items can I check out?
50 total
This total may include up to:
- 10 New Release DVDs (DVDs that are new to our collection)
- 2 Bestseller Express books
- 5 video games
- 1 video game console
- 5 read-aloud books
If your card type allows check out of these material types.
Note: This total refers to physical items that you can pick up from our shelves and is only for card types (such as Full Access and Limited Access) that have physical borrowing privileges. Digital check-outs, such as ebooks, do not count toward this total.
How many holds/requests can I place?
50 total.
Mix and match from the following:
- Up to 5 on children's Read-Aloud books
- Up to 10 on New Release DVDs
- Up to 50 on 14-day DVDs
- Up to 50 on print materials and sound recordings
- Up to 10 on downloadable audiobooks and ebooks
Note: If your card does not have video privileges, you may not place holds on or request DVDs.
What's up with automatic renewals?
All Lake County Public Library patrons are automatically signed up for automatic renewals! This means that eligible items will renew themselves instead of becoming overdue, without you having to log in or call us to renew them.
If you're signed up for email or text notifications, you'll also get an email or text reminding you that your items have been renewed or letting you know if they were NOT renewed. The notification includes the adjusted due date to help you avoid late fees. You can also sign into your account at any time to check on the status of your items.
14-day loan period items (books, older movies, tv shows, magazines, etc) may renew 6 times (as long as no one has a hold on them). Bestseller Express books and New Release DVDs are not eligible for renewal.
Can I check out magazines?
Yes! You can check out print magazines at any location. Full Access/Digital Access cardholders can check out digital magazines as well.
How do I request a specific periodical issue?
Go to the catalog and do a keyword search for the title of the magazine you're looking for. Limit by serial.
You may see two results that look like a match - click "Availability". If it says "MICROFILM" then check the other result. You should see a list of branches that have the magazine.
Click the plus sign to expand a branch's collection and the list of specific issues will appear. Click the HOLD symbol to place a hold by the issue you're looking for.
If you're not already logged in, you will be prompted to do so now. Once you're logged in, you can review your list of holds any time.
I'm reading a series and want to know how many titles there are total and what order they're in.
There are several ways to find out this information! Checking the author's website is often a good choice. You can also try Novelist, a database of nothing but books and reading suggestions.
To find a series using Novelist:
- Go to Novelist and type in the name of the series in the search bar (For example, Dresden Files).
- Click the blue "Series" tab at the top of your search results.
- Click the series you were looking for. You will be taken to a page of information about the series.
- Scroll down to see books in the series in order.
Why don't I have a Full Access Card?
Not all cities in Lake County contribute taxes to the Lake County Public Library; many belong to different library districts. If you do not pay taxes in one of our taxing districts, you are not eligible for a Full Access Card (see the different library districts of Lake County).
There are other ways to get Full Access Cards, however. Volunteers who contribute a certain amount of time to the library are eligible for special cards that provide full access among other benefits. Residents of other library districts may also subscribe to the library for $55/year (which is the amount that our taxpayers contribute!) to get full access.
Please see our Borrowing Privileges page for full information on what kind of card you can get.
I have fines. Can I pay online?
Sure! If your fines are $5 or more, you can log into your library account to pay them.
I forgot my PIN! Do I have to come in to the library to find out what it is?
Nope! If you have an email address on file with us, you can just go to the catalog, Log In, and click "I forgot my passcode" (see image below).
If you don't have an email address on file:
Grab your library card and give us a call.
We'll verify your library card number and ask a few other security questions, then we'll add your email address and send you the PIN reminder email.
If you don't have an email address on file and don't want one:
Grab your library card and give us a call.
We can reset your PIN over the phone after you answer some security questions. You can then change the PIN to something only you know by following these instructions.
