Policies
Patron Registration Policy
Residents and landowners of any member county or municipality of the Plum Creek Library System are eligible to receive a library card at no cost. The following groups are also eligible to receive cards:
- Children under the age of 16 may receive a card at no cost if the application is signed by a parent or legal guardian. Member libraries may choose to raise this age.
- Minnesota residents with a valid card from their home library living in an area that participates in the Minnesota Reciprocal Borrowing Compact may register and borrow at no cost. Residents of the Pioneerland and Traverse des Sioux regions may be issued a card without a card from their home library, depending upon local policy.
- South Dakota residents who attend the Pipestone school district or with children who attend the Pipestone school district may receive a card at no cost.
- Individuals and families may receive a non-resident card good for three years at a charge of $5. This includes residents of other states and residents of communities in Minnesota that do not participate in the Minnesota Reciprocal Borrowing Compact.
- Businesses, institutions, and organizations may receive a card under the same terms as individuals. The card application must be signed by the owner, president, treasurer, or other signatory eligible to take responsibility for the materials borrowed on the card.
Plum Creek Library System requires public libraries using its shared ILS to use the Plum Creek card application, which includes a Tennessen warning. Cards will not be issued to patrons who do not provide the information marked with an asterisk(*) on the application form.
- Identification must be a valid driver's license or state identification card, tribal identification card, passport, or immigration identification with a photograph.
- If the address on the identification is not current, proof of current address must be provided by showing a check, piece of business mail, or other item.
Library Card Renewals
Patrons must renew their cards every three years. Those with a name change must complete a new registration form and the old one must be destroyed. Twice a year, Plum Creek will purge all patron records that have no fines or fees and have been expired for three years.
Fines
Each library will determine whether to charge fines and set its own rates. Fines for overdue items are determined by the lending library’s circulation policies, regardless of which library owns the item.
If a library collects $5 or more in fines or fees at one time that were assessed by another library, it will forward the amount to the library that assessed them.
Overdue Materials
Patrons are responsible for all materials checked out on their cards. Each library is responsible for contacting all patrons with overdue materials a minimum of two times, regardless of who owns the materials:
- At 38 days, a library must contact the patron either via mail, email, phone call or text message.
- At 68 days, the library must mail a Legal/Bill notice, citing MN Statute 609.541 subdivision 3, which considers unreturned library materials a petty misdemeanor.
Although this policy only requires two contacts, Plum Creek encourages all libraries to leverage the ILS’s email program to contact patrons more often, including notice of upcoming return dates and after the one week grace period is up. If requested, the owning library may contact the lending library about overdue materials and ask what contacts have been made. The owning library may reach out to the patron to request that the material be returned after first contacting the lending library. The owning library will place a note in the patron record when they have contacted a patron.
The lending library will place a restriction in the patron’s record when an overdue or Legal/Bill notice letter is returned as undeliverable or a phone number has been disconnected.
Suspended borrowing privileges
Patrons may not borrow materials if:
- They have $5 or more in fines and fees.
- They have any item overdue for a week or more.
MNLink ILL Lost Materials
Costs associated with lost MNLink interlibrary loan materials (those borrowed from other regions) are first, the responsibility of the patron who borrowed the materials; second, the responsibility of the Plum Creek member library from which the materials were loaned; and ultimately, the responsibility of the Plum Creek Library System. If Plum Creek pays for an item, the library where the item was checked out will receive an invoice. If not paid within 60 days, Plum Creek will suspend borrowing privileges for the library and/or customer.
Approved by Advisory Council November 10, 2021
Approved by Governing Board December 29, 2021
Minnesota Statute 13.04 provides that individuals on whom data is stored by a government entity have the right to know what data is stored, how the data will be used, and what happens if the individual refuses to provide it.
Minnesota Statute 13.40 provides that patron records are private and that information linking a patron to materials requested or borrowed or with a subject about which the patron has requested information may not be disclosed without a court order except for library purposes.
Card applications will be kept by the library that accepts them, either in print or electronic format, until the patron record is deleted from the ILS. Libraries will keep the applications in a secure location or on a secure server if they are stored online.
Plum Creek Library System will delete records for patrons whose records in the ILS have been expired for at least three years. The records will be deleted at least once per year and a list of the deleted records will be sent to the library that entered the record so that the applications may be removed from storage and destroyed. Libraries will destroy the applications within 60 days of receipt of the list of deleted patron records.
Patrons may consent to permit libraries to use email addresses to communicate via email about programs, services, and fundraising efforts. Patrons that choose to take advantage of opt-in communication may unsubscribe at any time by contacting their local library.
Approved by Governing Board December 29, 2021
Libraries on the Plum Creek ILS will share their materials to the greatest extent possible, but they may create collections that are restricted to use at the library or to borrowing at the owning library. Such collections should be limited in size and number. Examples of such collections are local histories that are no longer available for purchase or a reference collection. Broader categories such as entire genres must be made available for lending to other libraries through the ILS. All materials must be available to fill holds immediately upon addition to the collection.
Each library must run its holds list and fill the holds on it each day the library is open. Holds will be filled using a "local holds filled first" feature in Koha: if a library owns an item, patrons choosing that library as their home library will have their holds filled before holds for patrons at other libraries regardless of their place in the hold queue.
Items with holds may not be renewed.
Approved by Advisory Council 2/9/22
Approved by Governing Board 2/17/22
Libraries are public spaces and those who use them do not have a reasonable expectation of privacy. Photographs may be taken during library programs and posted to websites maintained by Plum Creek Library System on behalf of a member library at that library’s request.
If a close-up photo is taken of one or two people, a photo permission form will be acquired by the library and a copy will be sent to Plum Creek Library System before the photo will be used. The permission form must be completed and signed by a parent or legal guardian for children under the age of 18. The library will use a permission form provided by Plum Creek Library System.
This policy only applies to webpages maintained by Plum Creek Library System.
Approved by the Advisory Council February 7, 2018
Approved by the Governing Board February 21, 2018
Amendment to Minnesota Library Reciprocal Borrowing Compact
By
Pioneerland Library System, Plum Creek Library System, and Traverse des Sioux Library Cooperative
WHEREAS, the undersigned boards of trustees are participants in the Minnesota Library Reciprocal Borrowing Compact dated the 15th day of June, 2001; and,
WHEREAS, the undersigned boards of trustees recognize that public libraries are working to remove barriers to library service; and,
WHEREAS, Sec. 5. of the Minnesota Library Reciprocal Borrowing Compact requires borrowers to hold a borrower’s identification card from the regional library system, or member library, serving that area before obtaining a card from a library in another regional library system; and
WHEREAS, the above requirement creates a barrier to access to library service;
NOW, THEREFORE, FOR AND IN CONSIDERATION OF THE MUTUAL COVENANTS HEREIN CONTAINED, THE PARTIES AGREE AS FOLLOWS:
Sec. 1. Each of the three regional library systems that are parties to this Amendment shall be permitted to determine whether to require borrowers from the other two regional library systems to hold a borrower’s identification card under the terms of Sec. 5. of the Minnesota Library Reciprocal Borrowing Compact.
Sec. 2. Each of the three regional library systems shall issue borrower’s identification cards to residents of the other two regional library systems based upon policies set within that region.
This compact shall be executed by the President of the board of trustees and the Director of each participating regional library system, and where required, the members thereof;
IN WITNESS WHEREOF, this COMPACT has been executed this 28th day of February, 2018.
Printable Amendment to Minnesota Library Reciprocal Borrowing Compact
Data Practices Rights Advisory
("Tennessen Warning")
Pursuant to the Minnesota Government Data Practices Act, library users must be informed of what private data is being collected, its uses and disposition (sometimes referred to as the “Tennessen warning”). By Minnesota law, information you provide in applying for a library card (other than your name) is private. Likewise, services you use, such as checking out materials and using the internet, are also private. This information is available only to you and to appropriate library personnel. You are not legally required to provide the information on the application, but you will not receive a library card if you choose not to provide the requested information. The personal information provided, including materials checked out, must be released pursuant to a court order or may be shared with another agency in pursuit of unreturned materials or excessive fines.
Aviso de los derechos respecto a las prácticas que rigen la información
(Aviso Tennessen)
Según la ley de prácticas que rigen la información en el estado de Minnesota, a los usuarios de la biblioteca se les debe informar en cuanto a la recopilación de información privada, sus usos y distribución (a lo que algunas veces nos referimos como “aviso Tennessen”). Según la ley del estado de Minnesota, la información que usted proporciona al solicitar una tarjeta para el uso de la biblioteca es privada (a excepción de su nombre). De igual manera, los servicios que usted utiliza, tales como sacar materiales prestados y utilizar la Internet, también son privados y esta información solo está disponible para usted y personal pertinente de la biblioteca. Usted no está legalmente obligado a proporcionar la información en la solicitud, pero si usted opta por no hacerlo, no recibirá la tarjeta para el uso de la biblioteca. La información personal proporcionada, incluyendo los materiales que se saquen prestados, se deben divulgar conforme a la orden judicial o se puede compartir con otra agencia en busca de materiales no devueltos o por multas excesivas.
DMCA Notifications of Claimed Infringement should be sent to:
Joel Sasse
Plum Creek Library System
PO Box 697
Worthington, MN 56187
507-376-5803 ext 2
jsasse@plumcreeklibrary.net
No PCLS trustee shall derive any personal financial gain or anything of substantial value, directly or indirectly, by reason of position on the PCLS board. Other than compensation, no employee may derive any personal financial gain or anything of substantial value by reason of employment by PCLS. PCLS trustees and employees may receive compensation for professional activities that advance the field of librarianship such as publications, presentations, and professional services. Professional activities that result in financial gain must be fully disclosed to the Board.
Each trustee and employee shall disclose any personal interest or the interests of immediate family members which may influence a matter pending before the Board. Trustees shall refrain from participating in any decision on such a matter.
No PCLS trustee or employee may solicit or accept from any person, directly or indirectly, anything of value if it could reasonably be expected to influence a PCLS trustee or employee’s official actions or judgment, or could reasonably be considered as a reward for any official action or inaction.
No PCLS employee may serve as a trustee of the Board or of a PCLS member library board.
Approved by PCLS Governing Board 2/16/22
Printable Conflict of Interest Policy for Board Members and Employees Policy
Each year the Director shall complete an evaluation of each employee within one month of their employment anniversary and report on the status of the employees to the Board of Trustees. Upon receipt of a successful evaluation, any regular full-time employees not at the top step of the pay scale for the position shall receive a step increase beginning with the first pay period following completion of at least one year of employment. Regular part-time employees will receive their first evaluation after one year of employment and completing their probation with 1040 hours of employment. The anniversary date for all employees will be set to the initial date of hire.
Approved by Governing Board 2/18/22
Outside employment is permitted for employees of PCLS as long as the employee’s work for PCLS is unaffected.
PCLS employees may not engage in outside employment that creates a conflict of interest with PCLS employment. For example, employees may not hold employment with a vendor conducting business with PCLS.
Outside work must not interfere with the employee’s normal working hours at PCLS and must not involve the use of PCLS equipment. PCLS employees may work for or contract with PCLS libraries with permission of the Director. In the case of the Director, outside work for or contract with PCLS libraries may be permitted with the permission of the Board.
Approved by PCLS Governing Board 2/16/22
Social Media Policy
PCLS’s social media accounts are created to engage member libraries and the community, promote services, and carry out the library system’s mission.
PCLS reserves the right to monitor content and remove messages or postings containing the following
- Comments containing hate language, vulgar, obscene, or libelous language
- Degrading content directed at others on the basis of race, creed, color, age, religion, gender, marital status, socioeconomic status, physical or mental disability, sexual orientation, or national origin
- Personal attacks against others
- Threatening or harassing postings
- False information
- Copyright violations
- Off topic comments
- Duplicated posts from the same individual
- Endorsements of specific products of services for advertising purposes.
PCLS staff is available to respond to comments and questions about this policy Monday through Friday during business hours.
Approved by Governing Board April 20, 2022