Borrowing Basics

Learn the basics of placing holds, autorenewals, and more.
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Checkouts & Renewals

Loan periods, checkout limits, and automatic renewals.

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Manage Holds

How to place, cancel, and freeze holds on your account.

Screenshot of a map of Fort Collins with indications of dropboxes

Returns & Dropboxes

Return items at any of our libraries or at our remote drop locations.

Example of a book that was chewed by a puppy

Overdue, Lost, & Damaged Items

No daily overdue fines. Items 21 days overdue are considered lost or missing and billed to your account.

Colorful spines of books shelved at a library.

Borrow from Other Libraries

Use Prospector or Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services.

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Manage Your Account

Make the most of your account features, sign up for account notifications, or make an online payment.

Checkouts & Renewals

Loan Periods

1 week – Movies, Here & Now Collection (books & movies), magazines
3 weeks – Books, specially marked movies, audiobooks and kits (children’s books and CDs).
6 weeks – Book Club Kits
Gadgets & Things – The item record in the online catalog gives specific details on lending periods, renewals, and holds.

Check Out Limits

100 per card – items (seasonal and holiday items may have additional checkout limits. Please look for posted notices.)
20 per card – movies and magazines
20 per card – holds

Prospector

1 week – DVDs (no renewals)
3 weeks – print materials and compact discs (1 renewal)
20 per card – Checkout Limit

Automatic Renewals

Items automatically renew up to three times, unless it is on hold for another customer or you have $50.00 or more in fees on your account. Renewal periods are the same length as the original loan period.

Some items are not eligible for automatic renewal: digital content downloaded from Libby, Hoopla, and similar services; Interlibrary Loan; Here & Now Collection; Lucky Day Collection; some Prospector items; and some Gadgets & Things.

If you have chosen to receive email notices through My Account, you will get a notice one day prior to the due date that items have been renewed or were not renewed.

Manage Holds

Log in to My Account to view a list of items you have on hold. The status will tell you where you are in line or will say “Ready must pick up by mm/dd/yy” if the item is waiting for you at your pickup location. Once the item is available for pickup, you will receive an email notification or, if you’ve opted in, a text message. Items are held for one week.

Returns & Dropboxes

All Library and Prospector materials can be returned 24 hours a day, 7 days a week at any of the three library locations and at our remote dropboxes. Interlibrary Loan items must be returned to the customer service desk at the library it was checked out from.

Remote Dropbox Pickup Schedule

Daily Pickup

First National Bank (drive-up)
155 E. Boardwalk Drive

Fort Collins Senior Center (drive-up)
1200 Raintree Drive

King Soopers
1842 N. College Avenue

King Soopers at Rigden Farms
2602 Timberline Road

King Soopers Cedarwood
1015 S. Taft Hill Road

Pickup on Mondays, Wednesdays and Fridays ONLY.

Overland Foods
3333 W. County Road 54G
Laporte

Timnath Town Center Building
4750 Signal Tree Drive
Timnath

Dropbox Locations


View Libraries and Bookdrop Locations in a larger map

Overdue, Lost, & Damaged Items

The Library District does not charge daily fines for overdue materials. Items do still have a due date and must be returned once the checkout period has expired and all automatic renewals have been used.

NOTE: An item that is 21 days overdue is considered “lost/missing.” Your account is billed for the replacement cost of the item.

This fee must be paid if the item has been lost. If the item is returned in good condition and can be returned to the collection for check out, the replacement fee is waived from your account.

Items that are lost, returned with damaged or missing parts, or otherwise are not returned in the same condition as when they were checked out will be billed for the cost of the Library replacing the item. This includes processing fees.

The Library does not accept replacement items in exchange for lost or missing materials.

Due Date, Overdue, & Debt Collection* Notifications

Knowing when your library items are due is your responsibility. To help you keep track of item due dates, the library sends the following notices.

Reminder email is sent

Reminder email is sent

Reminder email is sent; if there is no email connected with the customer’s account, the notification is mailed via USPS to the account address.

Final notice is sent via USPS mail.

The item is considered “lost/missing” and the amount for replacing the item is billed to your library account.

Notification is sent via USPS mail, telling the customer they will be charged for item(s) not returned.

Accounts with a fee balance of $50 or more are turned over to Unique Management (UM), an outside agency for collection, and assessed a $10 processing fee*

UM sends the customer a letter as soon as it receives the customer account, usually the same day. Customer has three weeks to respond.

If the customer’s total fee is not resolved, UM will continue sending mail and making phone calls until the amount is paid.

* Library debts are not reported to credit bureaus by collection agencies. As such, library debt does not affect your credit report.

Paying Fees on Your Account

Once fees reach $50.00 your library card is blocked from use. The Library District does not accept replacements for lost or damaged items.

Lost Materials: item cost + a $10.00 processing fee

Damaged Materials: item cost + a $10.00 processing fee

Refunds

If you pay for a lost item and then find it and return it to a Library Service Desk within 60 days, the Library will refund you the full amount you paid for the replacement item.

To receive a refund the item must be in good enough condition to return to the Library’s circulating collection.

Using Your Library

Discover our new website's improved features and intuitive navigation for an enhanced library experience.
Spark imaginations with storytimes, board and picture books, and have fun with early learning skills.
Read library policies regarding library use, behavior, customer data, and more.
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Learn about our dedication to making the Library's website accessible to all.
Find homework help, attend events and programs, and browse a selection of books and games.
Navigate the variety of account options including setting a PIN and turning on your reading history.
Learn the basics of placing holds, autorenewals, and more.
Get help navigating Library resources or browse frequently asked questions.
Can't find a book or other item? Find it with Prospector or interlibrary loan.
Connect with your library and explore why we're the space to be.