The purpose of the library’s circulation policy is to make the best possible use of the library’s collection by the greatest number of borrowers. The Richland Public Library promotes use of materials and ensures the rights of borrowers. Service will not be denied or abridged because of religious, racial, social, economic, or political status; mental, emotional, or physical condition; age; gender; or sexual orientation.

Library Card Options

The Richland Public Library Board welcomes the use of the Richland Public Library by individuals of all ages to support their personal, educational, and professional needs.

Resident

Library cards with full borrowing privileges will be issued to Richland residents with no fee. Photo ID and proof of Richland residency are required. Resident cards are valid for three years.

Non-Resident

Applicants who do not live inside the Richland City limits will be required to purchase a Non-Resident library card with full borrowing privileges unless they meet one of the exceptions established by the Library Board. Exceptions include:

• Individuals paying property taxes to the City of Richland
• Any non-resident students attending Washington State University Tri-Cities (WSUTC), Columbia Basin College (CBC), Richland School District 400, and other schools located within the Richland School District 400 boundaries
• Any non-resident staff of educational institutions serving the City of Richland, which encompasses WSUTC, CBC, or the Richland School District 400
• Volunteers who consistently contribute 10 hours a month, or more, to the library will be granted full library privileges for the duration of their volunteer tenure
• City of Richland employees

Non-Resident cards may be purchased for an individual or a family. Non-Resident cards are valid for one year. See the Non-Resident Policy for more details.

iCards

Non-residents may purchase an iCard for the purpose of accessing the library’s digital resources and online services. iCards do not include access to the physical collection and are valid for one year.

Limited Access Cards

Applicants staying in the City of Richland, with no permanent address or without proof of address, may apply for a Limited Access card using a photo ID. Teens (age 13-18) without a parent/guardian may also apply for a Limited Access card with their Student ID. This card entitles the holder to checkout 5 items at a time, computer usage, and access to digital material. Limited Access cards are valid for six months.

Library Card Registration & Maintenance

Applicants who request a library card from the Richland Public Library must show photo identification and verification of Richland residency. Identification must be of a permanent or legal nature.

Examples of acceptable photo identification are:

• Driver’s license
• Military identification
• Passport or student body card

Examples of acceptable current street identification are:

• Valid ID with current address
• Current bank statement with name and address
• Vehicle registration
• Post office verification of new address
• Government issued IDs (military, parole, etc.)
• Current preprinted checks
• Current utility bill
• Recent piece of mail with Richland address
• Current paycheck stub with name and address
• Current receipt showing the applicant's current address

Non-Resident patrons must either pay the Non-Resident fee or show valid proof of their exempt status. Examples of acceptable proof of exempt status for non-residents are:

• Current tax receipt, showing property taxes paid to the City of Richland
• City of Richland business license
• Current employment identification at WSUTC, CBC, or the Richland School District 400.
• Current student identification showing enrollment at WSUTC, CBC, or the Richland School District 400
• Current City of Richland employment verification
• Such other documentation the Library Manager would deem acceptable

By submitting the application form, the applicant agrees to:

• Be responsible for all activity and transactions in the library
• Obey the Standards of Patron Behavior for the Richland Public Library
• Pay any fees incurred to continue use of the library
• Provide timely notification to the Richland Public Library of a change of address, change of contact information, or loss of card

Converting Limited Access Cards to Resident Cards

A Limited Access card held by a teen may be converted to a full privilege Resident card when the parent/guardian shows ID. The parent/guardian will assume full responsibility for the materials and any fees charged to the card.

Limited Access Cards for adults require valid proof of Richland residency to be converted to a full privilege Resident card.

Library Card Maintenance

When a library card expires, a conversation with library staff is necessary to verify that all account information is current. Renewals in person require the library card or photo ID. Renewals over the phone require the library card number.

Updating information on a library card may be done in person or over the phone. Account information updates in person require the library card or photo ID. Account information updates over the phone require the library card number. When changing a PIN, photo ID is always required.

If a patron has lost their library card, they may present their valid photo ID to get a replacement library card. Replacement cards are issued at no cost.

Once a year, patron accounts that have been expired seven years or longer will be purged from the database.

Checkout Privileges & Guidelines

A patron must present their own Richland Public Library card or valid photo ID to check out library materials.

Children and teens may borrow or use any materials, resources, or services in the library unless specified otherwise. For example, RPL will not limit children to the use of books in the children’s section of the library, as these materials may not meet the needs and interests of all children. In addition, library staff is not responsible for determining whether materials used by children and teens are “age appropriate.” It is the responsibility of parents/guardians to monitor their children’s and teens’ use of library resources and to determine whether to place restrictions.

While children and teens may have their own library cards, the parents/guardian of youth under the age of 18 are financially responsible for library materials and equipment their children or teens check out, including items that are lost, damaged, or unreturned.

The checkout specifications in this section may not include special collection items. Please see library staff for checkout details about special collection items.

Checkout Periods

Checkout Limits

Hold Requests

Most circulating items may be placed on hold. The patron will be notified when the item is available to be picked up and will have seven days to retrieve their items.

Interlibrary Loans

A patron may request material through an Interlibrary Loan when the material is not owned by the Richland Public Library or is not something the library will add to their collection.

There will be no RPL imposed Interlibrary Loan fee on requests, however, if the lending library charges fees, these charges will be passed on to the patron with prior patron approval.  The patron will be responsible for all lending library fees and must pay the fee before being allowed to check out the Interlibrary Loan.  If the patron cancels the request for the Interlibrary Loan or does not pick it up after notification, they are still responsible for any lending library fee.

Interlibrary Loans will be declared lost once they are 7 days overdue. Because RPL is not the owning library for these materials, this lost item fee must be paid once the owning library decides to take action on the lost item.

Renewals

Most items may be renewed up to five times. RPL implements automatic renewals, which will occur on the due date. Items may also be renewed by phone, in person, or by the patron over the Internet. If an item is on hold for another patron, the patron’s account is blocked, the item is marked lost, or if the item has been renewed the maximum number of times, the item will not successfully renew.

Interlibrary Loans may be renewed at the discretion of the lending library.  The request must be made through the reference desk and you will be notified if it was successful or not.

Date Due Notifications

A receipt is offered at the time of check-out. Patrons can opt for an emailed receipt. Patrons may also check their due dates online with their library card number and PIN at any time.

Overdue notices are a courtesy to patrons. Failure to receive a notice does not exempt patrons from fees. When library material is classified as overdue, a notice will be sent one week after the due date informing the patron that the item is overdue. This notice will also inform the patron that after 14 days, the material will be declared lost.

Claims Returned

When a patron notifies the circulation staff that they have returned materials that are still on their account, the staff will change the status of the material to ‘claims returned’. The patron is asked to continue to search for the material. The library will monitor the claim for a year. At the end of the year, if the material has not been found it will be withdrawn from the library's collection. Upon the fourth Claims Returned incident for any one patron, borrowing privileges will be suspended until the patron has recovered the item(s). Exceptions will be made at the discretion of library management.

Library Fines & Fees

No Late Fines

The Richland Public Library has eliminated charging late fines! We still ask that patrons monitor their due dates and return library material in a timely manner, but patrons will not be penalized for returning items past the due date.

Suspension of Checkout Privileges

Checkout privileges are suspended when a patron has any item that has been marked lost, has been damaged, or has been billed for missing parts. Privileges will only be restored when all lost materials, damaged materials, or missing parts are paid for or returned.

Lost Materials

An item is declared “lost” 14 days after it is marked as overdue. If items are lost, the patron will be billed for replacement costs. The replacement charge will reflect the retail price of the material. As an alternative, a patron may replace lost material with a new copy of the item. A patron must seek library approval before purchasing a new copy as a replacement.

Lost material that has been paid for by the patron will be removed from the system. No refunds will be given once payment is made for a lost item. Should the item be found after it is paid, the patron may keep the recovered item. Lost material not paid for will remain on the patron’s record for 3 years.

Damaged Materials

Patrons will be held responsible for items returned with damage sufficient to prevent their continued circulation as judged by library staff. The replacement charge will reflect the retail price of the material. As an alternative, a patron may replace damaged material with a new copy of the item. A patron must seek library approval before purchasing a new copy as a replacement.

Items with Missing Parts

Patrons will be billed for the replacement of items returned with a missing part or parts. For audiobooks, there is a per disc replacement fee charged if the item is missing two or fewer discs upon return. If an audiobook is missing three or more discs upon return, the full cost of replacement is billed to the account. For other items containing discs, such as movies, any one disc that is missing upon return will result in the full cost of replacement being billed to the patron account. The return of missing parts will result in the associated fees being cleared.

See the City of Richland Fee Schedule for the current table of library related fees. Any exceptions to the above procedures will only be at the discretion of the Library Manager.

• Adopted by the Richland Public Library Board on August 7, 1994.
• Amended November 3, 1994, July 6, 1995, April 3, 1997, Sept. 3, 1998, July 5, 2001, April 4, 2002, September 5, 2002, March 6, 2003, April 19, 2004, May 12, 2005, May 12, 2005, May 12, 2005, October 9, 2007, May 10, 2011, September 2, 2014, May 10, 2022, May 9, 2023, September 1, 2023, November 14, 2023.