Table of Contents
Who qualifies for a library card
How to get a library card
What a library card means for you
Borrowing Periods
Overdue Fines
How to renew books
What are your Mid-York Library system privileges
If your library card is lost or stolen
How to use public computers
How to book the library’s Meeting Rooms
Who qualifies for an Oneida Public Library card . . .
The Oneida Public Library provides full and free borrowing privileges and library services to permanent residents of our Special Legislature Library District, which is co-extensive with the Oneida City School District. Full-time residents of the City of Oneida, Durhamville, Oneida Castle, Oneida Valley, Sylvan Beach, Verona Beach and Wampsville qualify for a free library card, while part-time residents who own property within the District and reside here only part of the year may also obtain library cards.
As a member of the Mid-York Library System, the Oneida Public Library also extends borrowing privileges to all patrons in good standing of the 42 other member libraries who have valid Mid-York library cards.
The Library provides patrons who reside outside our service district and outside the Mid-York Library System’s region full access to all library materials and services, but it cannot extend to these patrons any borrowing privileges other than through Interlibrary Loan in cooperation with their local public libraries.
How you can get an Oneida Public Library card . . .
If you never had a library card from the Oneida Public Library or from any other library in the MYLS, ask for an application form at the library circulation desk. Those who are 13 years of age and older should fill out an Adult Application. The Youth Application is for those who are 12 years of age and younger. Youth Applications may be filled out by parents or guardians as long as the children can write their names clearly.
When you submit a new application for a library card at the Circulation Desk, library staff will review your application and check that your residential address lies within the Oneida Public Library’s service district. Staff will also ask you to show a valid, current photographic identification card, such as a U.S. driver’s license, a student identification card, a sheriff’s or state identification card, a passport, a U.S. alien registration card or a credit card; plus proof of your current residential address, namely, a document with both your name and current address, such as a checkbook or a recent household or personal bill sent by mail.
If the information on your library record changes, please bring in your library card with verification of your new address or phone number and we will update your file.
For those with valid library cards from other libraries in the Mid-York Library System
As a member of the Mid-York Library System, the OPL also extends borrowing privileges to all patrons in good standing of the 42 other member libraries who have valid Mid-York library cards. If you have a valid library card from a library in the Mid-York Library System and you hold full borrowing privileges there, you do not need to apply for an OPL library card. Simply use your current valid Mid-York Library System card at the OPL.
If your library card from a Mid-York library has been “blocked” or “barred” because of high overdue fines or unreturned books or DVDs, you will have no access to borrowing privileges or to public computers at the OPL—until you settle with your home library and your library privileges there are restored.
For temporary residents living in a supervised residence within the OPL Special District
If you are temporarily residing in the OPL’s Special District for a few months up to one year in a home, institution or shelter under the direct supervision of an agency or organization, whether you live there voluntarily or under court order, you may qualify for an OPL library card with limited borrowing privileges. These limited privileges are:
1. You may borrow up to two items at any one time (whether books, DVDs or magazines), the same privilege being renewed when (a) you return the two items borrowed and (b) you pay any overdue fines that have occurred for a late return;
2. You may use one of the public access computers for one-hour a day (standard for all library card holders and guests).
To qualify for an OPL card with limited privileges, you need to do the following.
1. Ask for a Temporary Resident Form at the OPL check-out desk and fill it out with your full name, date of birth, your current address and your permanent address, if any; sign it; have it countersigned by a counselor or supervisor of your temporary residence; and fill in the date the form has been signed by the counselor or supervisor.
2. Take the signed form to the OPL check-out desk, fill out a Mid-York Library System Application completely and sign it. When you present the Temporary Resident Form and the Mid-York Application to the check-out clerk, he or she will ask you for an identification card with your photograph and birth date. This ID may be a driver’s license, passport or school or college ID.
Be aware that the library clerk will check the Mid-York Library System database to see whether a person with your name and date of birth is in possession of a Mid-York library card. If such a record turns up, you will NOT receive an OPL card. The systemwide rule is that one person can be in possession of only one Mid-York library card at any one time.
What a library card means for you . . .
You may borrow at any one time up to 30 items from the Oneida Public Library—books, noncurrent magazines and audiobooks—though we ask you not to take all the items we have on any particular subject.
Borrowers of DVDs, videos and computer video games must be 18 years of age or older. It is the responsibility of parents or guardians of children 17 years of age and younger to guide and supervise their children’s viewing.
Please note that current issues of magazines, all newspapers and all references works (marked R or Ref) may not be checked out. Books, microfilm and materials in the Local History Room collection can only be consulted in the room itself.
You may request items that are checked out or available at other Mid-York libraries by placing a “hold” on the items in person at the Circulation Desk, by telephoning the Circulation Desk or by accessing the Mid-York Library System Web Catalog online (www.midyork.org). To place a hold, you will need your library card (or library card number, minus the “A”), author’s name and title of the item.
A library card is issued to one individual and one individual only, and that library card holder is:
1. Responsible for the care and return in a timely manner of all items borrowed on that card;
2. Responsible to pay all overdue fines and replacement charges for damaged or lost items that are in that library card’s record;
3. Responsible when that card is used to access the library’s public computers and the Internet; and
4. Responsible for any misuse of that card at the OPL or at any other library in the Mid-York System.
If you qualify for an OPL card and receive one in due course, whether with full or limited privileges, you must remember to take care of it, never lend it to another person and report in a timely manner to the OPL if the card is lost or stolen. If another person misuses your card, you are held responsible, and your own library privileges may be revoked.
When you move out of your temporary residence, you should do one of the following.
1. If you are remaining in the OPL Special District, update your OPL library card record with your new address and telephone number at the check-out desk; or
2. If you are moving outside the OPL District but staying within Herkimer, Madison or Oneida counties, update your library card at your new local public library and ask that the new library be your “home” library; or
3. Return the library card and have the desk clerk void your record and close your account.
| Type of Item | Borrowing Period | Items per Card |
|---|---|---|
| Books & Magazines | 21 days | 30 |
| Audiobooks | 21 days | 30 |
| DVDs & Videos | 7 days | 4 |
| Music CDs | 7 days | 3 |
| Type of Item | Overdue Fines | Maximum Fine/Item |
|---|---|---|
| Books & Magazines | 10 cents/day | $5.00 |
| Audiobooks | 10 cents/day | $5.00 |
| DVDs & Videos | $1.00/day | $6.00 |
| Music CDs | 50 cents/day | $5.00 |
If an item that you borrowed is damaged, please bring the item back to the library. We will assess the damage and ask you to pay accordingly and any overdue fines that may have accrued.
If you have lost an item that you borrowed from the library, you are responsible for paying the cost of the item as listed in the Mid-York Library System catalogue and the maximum overdue fine pertinent to that type of item.
How to renew books and other materials . . .
You may renew any of the above items for one or two renewals—as long as the item does not have a hold request. You may renew an item by coming to the library’s circulation desk in person, by phoning the library’s circulation desk (363.3050), or by accessing your account on the Mid-York Web Catalog (www.midyork.org). If you wish to renew by phone, please be sure to provide library staff with your library card number and the title and author of the item.
What are your Mid-York Library System privileges . . .
The Oneida Public Library is one of 43 public libraries in Madison and Oneida counties that are members of the Mid-York Library System. Your Oneida Library card can be used to borrow materials at any library in the Mid-York System, whether in person or by requesting them at the library’s circulation desk, by phone or on the Mid-York Web Catalog. Your library card also gives you the privilege of using Mid-York’s MYaudio2go, an online source for downloadable audio books and E books. See MYaudio2go at midyork.lib.overdrive.com.
You may return most materials borrowed from a member library at any Mid-York System library, including Oneida. Just remember that, to avoid overdue fines, the materials you borrowed from a member library must reach that library by the due date.
The Mid-York Library System is part of a nationwide interlibrary loan system that allows Mid-York library card holders to request books that are not in the Mid-York system but can be made available from other libraries. If a book you seek is not in the Mid-York Library System, you may request it from Oneida Library staff by providing author and title plus, if known, the publishing date. (The book you request through interlibrary loan must be at least one-year old.) Oneida Library staff will forward your request to the Mid-York Interlibrary Loan Department. When the book you requested has been received, library staff will notify you by phone. You must return the interlibrary loan to the Mid-York library that gave it to you.
Depending on the lending library’s policies, the interlibrary loan period is typically 21 days, with one renewal. The overdue fine for interlibrary loans is 10 cents per day. If you lose the loan item, you must pay the cost of the item plus the maximum overdue fine as well as any penalties imposed by the lending library.
If your library card is lost or stolen . . .
You are responsible for your library card. If someone else is using your card, including other family members, we assume it is with your permission. We must hold you responsible for all items checked out on your card. By signing your library card, you also accept full responsibility for all fines incurred and for lost or damaged materials borrowed from your card. Failure to respond to attempts by Oneida Public Library to recover materials, fines or fees may result in the loss of your card’s validity and thus your borrowing privileges in all the libraries within the Mid-York Library System.
If your card is lost or stolen, notify the Oneida Library staff immediately. Then, we will issue you a new library card, with a different personal identification number, and void the old card. (If your card is lost, the library will charge you a processing fee of $1.00 for a new replacement.)
How to use the Library’s public computers . . .
The use of the Oneida Public Library’s public computers is a privilege similar to borrowing library books and using its reference materials. The Oneida Library welcomes all patrons in good standing to use its public computers. To be in good standing, you must have a current, valid Mid-York Library System card; no outstanding library fines or penalties over $5.00; and no restrictions in your library membership record.
The library also welcomes visitors without Mid-York Library System cards to use its computers, but they must check in at the circulation desk and provide a current, valid photographic identification card issued by a recognized authority in order to access one of the public computers.
The eight public computers in the Reference Room are reserved for adults 18 years of age and older, while the six public computers in the Young Adults Room are reserved for the use of children and young adults [i.e., preschool children and elementary-, middle- and high-school students up to the age of 17 years].
How much time is allowed . . .
With the OPL’s new automated system, you are free to sit at any open public computer and log on, but you are limited to computer use to ONE HOUR per day, whether you use the computer for one hour straight or over several sessions during the day. A clock in a corner of the screen keeps track of the time remaining in your session. You will be given a 5-minute and a 1-minute warning on the computer screen that your one-hour session is about to end. The computer will automatically close at the end of your one-hour limit and clear all records made during the session.
You may walk away from the computer while you are logged on, but if so, click on the toolbar “LOCK SCREEN” to preserve your place. The computer continues to clock your session and, after 10 minutes of inactivity, the computer will close out and clear as usual.
If you require more than one-hour per day for a special project, please contact the library director for a special computer reservation.
How to log on . . .
On the monitor of an available computer, you will see a log-on screen that asks for your Mid-York Library Card personal identification number. Log in by typing in your 13 number I.D. (do not type in the “A”). If you are a library-card holder in good standing, the computer will open as usual for program access.
If you wish to leave before your one-hour session is up, be sure to click “EXIT” to end your session.
How to print . . .
All public computers are hooked up to the photocopy printer located next to the check-out desk. Ask a library staff member to print out what you want printed. The library charges .25 cents per 8.5 by 11 in. sheet of paper.
Privacy
The library cannot ensure your privacy when you use a public computer. Remember that the computer terminals are in a public space in full view of all. Also, the World Wide Web, e-mail and other two-way Internet communications and transactions are not perfectly secure.
Code of Conduct
All patrons must use the library computers in a responsible, ethical and legal manner in line with the standards of the library and the community. Any patron who has disobeyed or disregarded the above rules and procedures or who has been discovered using a public computer for a malicious, criminal, obscene or indecent purpose—whether in language or image—will be denied the privilege of computer use:
1. First offense: loss of computer-use privileges for one (1) day;
2. Second offense: loss of computer-use privileges for one (1) week;
3. Third offense: loss of computer-use privileges forever.
How to book the Library’s Meeting Room . . .
When the Oneida Public Library’s program scheduling allows, the library’s Meeting Rooms are available at no charge for meetings or programs sponsored by adult, not-for-profit community groups and for programs or workshops presented by accredited individuals who wish to provide the public with literacy, educational or cultural information. Though meetings may be restricted to a group’s membership, all programs must be free, noncommercial and open to the public. The library reserves the right to deny a group or an individual access to the Meeting Room in the best interests of its patrons and the community. There are three available meeting rooms: the Community Room (two Screens, room divider, for groups of 15+), the History Room (moveable screen for HDMI hookup to laptop, for groups up to 15 people), the Board Room (screen, white board, for groups up to 12 people). Light refreshments may be served (excludes the History Room). To reserve any of the Meeting Rooms, contact the Library Director or Librarian at least one month in advance.