Borrowing Policy
Area of Service
The Middlebury Public Library serves the town of Middlebury as well as Jefferson, Middlebury, and York Townships of Elkhart County. The services of the library are free to all residents of the service area.
Library Cards
Resident Card
A borrower’s card will be issued free of charge to patrons aged 18 and older who show proof of residence in the service area. Cards are valid for three years.
Valid forms of identification include:
- Indiana Driver’s license with current address;
- Indiana ID with current address
In the absence of the above form of identification, patrons may also present:
- Utility bill;
- Property tax bill;
- Or anything showing patron’s name and current address
Parents/legal guardians can apply for a library card for a child. The parent or guardian must have a library card in good standing and show proof of residence. Parents/guardians have the option of allowing computer use for the child.
Teachers: Teachers employed in a public or non-public school in the MPL service area may receive a Teacher card at no charge. Teachers must present a valid form of identification as well as a school ID, paycheck stub, or another form of professional identification. Teachers can check out items for an extended loan period of four weeks.
Staff: All staff members of MPL are issued a Staff library card, valid for three years.
Reciprocal Borrowing
MPL has a reciprocal lending policy with all public libraries in the counties of Elkhart and LaGrange; with the Mishawaka-Penn-Harris Public Library system; as well as any Indiana public library participating in the state reciprocal lending program. Reciprocal borrowers in good standing with their home library can apply for a free Middlebury Public Library card by presenting their home library card and a valid form of identification. Reciprocal borrowers do not have access to MPL’s e-resources.
Other Cards
All others pay a fee to be a member:
Non-resident: $55; Indiana residents who live outside the MPL service area can apply for a non-resident card.
Public Library Access Card (PLAC): $65; PLAC cards allow patrons to borrow materials from any public library in Indiana; the patron must present a valid home library card in good standing and a valid form of identification.
Summer: $15; Summer visitors may purchase a MPL card that is valid from June 1 to August 31. Patrons may upgrade their Summer card to a Non-resident card for an additional $40, and the card will expire the following June 1.
Linked Cards
Cardholders may link household members to an adult cardholder who will be responsible for all fees and payments for lost or damaged materials charged on the linked card.
Lost Cards
A charge of $1 is required to replace a lost card.
Borrowing Privileges
Borrowing privileges may be revoked for any of the following reasons: destruction of library materials, failure to return materials, failure to pay for lost or damaged items, and objectionable conduct in the library.
Loan Periods
Patrons can check out up to 100 physical items at a time, including a maximum of 1 Park/Zoo Pass. Checkout limits for e-materials are set by the consortia agreement with the content provider.
All materials except for Park/Zoo passes may be renewed by telephone or on your online account. If an item is on hold for another patrons, renewals are not allowed.
| Material Type | Loan Period | Renewals | Loan Limits | Overdue Fees |
| Books, Books on CD, Music CDs, Playaways | 3 weeks | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| DVDs, Magazines, Playaway Views, Launchpads, WonderBooks | 1 week | 1 | N/A | N/A |
| Parks Pass, Zoo Pass | 1 week | 0 | 1 per family | $1 per day |
| Library of Things | 1 week | 1 | ||
| Laptops | 2 hours (in-library use only) | 1 | N/A | |
| eBooks, eAudiobooks | Depends on content provider | Depends on content provider | Depends on content provider | N/A |
| Interlibrary Loans* | Depends on lender policy | Depends on lender policy | 10 active ILL requests | Depends on lender policy |
*See MPL’s Interlibrary Loan Policy for more information.
Lost or Damaged Materials
The patron is responsible for the safe return of all materials checked out to them and will be charged the cost of replacing the item if lost or damaged. No materials will be checked out to the patrons until the fee is paid in full. The library will not accept replacement of the item.
Holds
Limit of 10 items may be put on hold.
Materials will be held on reserve for a patron for seven days after notification.
Purchase Requests
Patrons may request items for purchase using the Purchase Suggestion form on MPL’s website. Suggestions are reviewed by Librarians and are subject to MPL’s Collection Development Policy. If the item is not purchased, MPL will try to borrow the item through Interlibrary Loan (see Interlibrary Loan Policy).
Reviewed: December 11, 2003
Revised: September 11, 2014
Revised: December 12, 2019
Revised: January 2020
Approved: August 11, 2022
