Our Policies & Disclaimers
Library Card Policy
Pursuant to the Mississippi Code:
§ 39-3-365. Confidentiality of library user records.
Records maintained by any library funded in whole or in part by public funds, which contain information relating to the identity of a library user, relative to the user’s use of books or other materials at the library, shall be confidential. Such records may only be released with the express written permission of the respective library user or as the result of a court order. Sources: Laws, 1992, ch. 521, § 1, eff from and after July 1, 1992.
By state law, library employees cannot share information, with regard to library materials, with anyone other than that patron. This applies to parents, children, spouses and other family members. This applies to materials checked out by a patron or books on hold for a patron. One must have the library card in order to review what items are checked out on that card or to pick up books being held on that card.
Your card may be used at any of our four library branches: Purvis, Sumrall, Lumberton and Oak Grove. You may also return library materials to any of these four branches.
You may have up to 30 items checked out on your library card at a time except DVDs, which are limited to 5 per card. The Library reserves the right to limit checkouts.
Books, audiobooks, CDs, & DVDs can be checked out for up to 2 weeks.
All magazines, with the exception of the latest issue, can be checked out for 2 weeks.
For materials retrieved through our interlibrary loan ( ILL ) process, the loan period varies depending on the lender and can, usually, not be renewed
Any items, such as popular titles that have 3 or more holds, will have a 1 week checkout period.
There are three ways to update your contact information: in person, by phone, or by accessing your account through our online catalog. All address changes must be verified upon next visit to library by showing proof of address or address change.
You are responsible for all materials borrowed on your library card or that of your child.
You are responsible for immediately reporting a lost or stolen card. To get a new card, bring $1 and a valid photo ID to one of our four locations.
Use of Lamar County Library System materials is free if all items are returned by the due date or renewed before the due date. However, the library system will call and/or send you a letter concerning any that are overdue.
When an item becomes 2 weeks overdue, a notice will be mailed or emailed to you. This is the only notice you will receive.
If the item is not returned within 30 days of the due date, the item will be declared lost and your library account will be charged a replacement cost and a $5 processing fee for each item.
You will lose your borrowing privileges until all overdue items are returned and fines and fees are paid.
Parents, please share with your child the importance of his/her library card and the responsibility it entails. A library card provides your child access to all library materials, including videos, DVDs, and magazines. Your child’s library card is confidential. However, parents are responsible for overdue fines, damages or lost items.
Request for Reconsideration
"LAMAR COUNTY LIBRARY SYSTEM
MATERIAL RECONSIDERATION POLICY"
Bill of Rights
All libraries are forums for information and ideas. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. Libraries should provide materials and information presenting all points of view on current and historical issues. We are to remain neutral in all matters. A person’s right to use a library should not be denied or abridged because of origin, age, background, or views. Libraries which make spaces and meeting rooms available to the public should make such facilities available regardless of the beliefs or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting use. We hold these truths to be self-evident, that all men are created equal, that they are endowed by their Creator with certain unalienable Rights, that among these are life, liberty, and the pursuit of happiness. In accordance with the First Amendment of the Constitution, we protect freedom of speech and the press. To uphold the Declaration of Independence and Constitution of the United States, we continuously strive to provide materials to all people regardless of race, sex, religion, gender, background, age, origin, or views. All people are equal and therefore will be represented.
Mission Statement
Through consistent acquisition, organization, and preservation of information, LCLS offers services in an environment that will support the community’s educational, cultural, recreational, and professional interests. The Lamar County Library System will accelerate inquiry, creativity, and learning for global impact and the public good. We will advance student success, catalyze research and individuality, provide adventure, and nurture curiosity while amplifying the diverse voices of our communities. We will empower staff and patrons to experiment with new programs fearlessly, to journey out and create new knowledge. The mission of the Lamar County Library System is to serve and enrich the lives of Lamar County residents and surrounding communities by: cultivating knowledge, promoting curiosity, and inspiring lifelong learning. Some of the fundamental principles of our institution is liberty, justice, and freedom. The library is committed to providing individuals with the freedom to read and access materials.
Purpose of the Policy
This policy will guide the library in maintaining a collection that meets the diverse needs and interests of the community it serves within the budgetary constraints and limitations of the library. It will set the guidelines for how and when the collection will be evaluated and possibly reconsidered.
Guidelines and Procedures
LCLS selects a wide variety of library materials that satisfy the diverse interests of our community, and we uphold the right of the individual to secure these resources. A person who wishes to request the reconsideration of library materials must file a formal written request for reconsideration by emailing hq@lamarcountylibraries.org or by visiting our website www.lamarcountylibraries.org to receive a Request for Reconsideration of Materials form. If request is by email, a reconsideration form will be sent and must be returned within ten days to be considered by the Advisory Committee. All sections must be complete for request to be considered.
Materials must be read in full, be understood, and points of contention must not be copied and pasted from outside the filer’s own work. Any individuals seeking to challenge materials must be an LCLS patron, have an active card, and be in good standing with our library system. A Request for Reconsideration of Materials form must be completed separately for each material challenged, and each will be reviewed individually in accordance with this policy. Only one form/challenge can be active per household at a time. Once a decision by the committee has been made on a challenged material, this decision remains in place for three years. Minimum representation on this committee will be:
1. Library staff from each branch
2. Assistant Director
3. Board of Trustees Member
4. Friends’ of the Library Member
After receiving a formal challenge, the Director will inform the Board of Trustees. The Director will then appoint an Advisory Committee. The challenged material will remain in our facilities until the challenge process is completed. Once appointed, the Advisory Committee will have thirty days to:
1. Read in full the challenged material;
2. Read reviews of the material from professional resources;
3. Examine the reconsideration form and any other information submitted by the patron complainant;
4. Form opinions based on the material as a whole and not on isolated passages, scenes, or segments;
5. Review MISS Code.
6. Make a determination on the reconsideration request and write a formal opinion and decision in response to the challenge.
The Director can extend the thirty-day period based on appropriate circumstances, including but not limited to the length of the book or material, and shall inform the patron complainant of the extension.
If the committee determines that the challenged material violates the constitutional or other legal rights, the committee shall accommodate the request. If the committee determines that the challenged material is unsuitable, pervasively vulgar, or inappropriate to the age, maturity, or grade level of the patrons accessing the material, the committee shall take appropriate action, including but not limited to removing the material from the institution or modifying access to the material. Books and other materials may be removed from the library collection only for legitimate reasons and are subject to the limitations of the First Amendment.
The Committee shall provide a copy of its determination in writing to the patron and will include the timeline for appeal. The determination will be binding for three years from the date of its issuance at the library system in which the complaint was filed, and no further challenges to the material at this library system will be permitted during the three-year period unless the determination is overturned on appeal.
Appeal
If the complainant is dissatisfied with the determination of the Advisory Committee, they may appeal to the Lamar County Library System Board of Trustees. The appeal must be made in writing to the Board with a copy to the Director of the Lamar County Library System within five days of the Advisory Committee’s determination and should specify the reasons for appeal.
In addition, the Director or Committee member is authorized to refer a determination to remove a book by the Advisory Committee to the Lamar County Library System Board of Trustees if there are concerns about whether the removal was lawful.
Once an appeal is filed, the Board of Trustees will have thirty days to:
1. Read in full the challenged material;
2. Read reviews of the material from professional sources;
3. Examine the reconsideration form as filed with the library;
4. Form opinions based on the material as a whole and not on isolated passages, scenes, or segments;
5. Review MISS Code; and
6. Meet in accordance with the Mississippi Open Meetings Act in order to make a determination on the appeal.
The Director may extend the thirty-day period based on appropriate circumstances, including but not limited to the length of the book or material and shall inform the complainant of the extension.
If the Board determines that the challenged material violates constitutional or other legal rights of the patron, the Board shall take appropriate action. If the Board determines that the challenged material is unsuitable, pervasively vulgar, or inappropriate to the age, maturity, or grade level of the patron, the committee shall take appropriate action, including but not limited to removing the material from library use or modifying access to the material.
Books and other materials may be removed from the public library collection only for legitimate legal reasons and are subject to the limitations of the First Amendment. The determination of the Lamar County Library System Board of Trustees for the challenged material is binding for three years. No complaints against the challenged material will be reviewed through this process during that three-year period.
*Forms that are not fully completed and signed will be void.
Through consistent acquisition, organization, and preservation of information, LCLS offers services in an environment that will support the community’s educational, cultural, recreational, and professional interests. All libraries are forums for information and ideas. Books and other library resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation. However, we do not infringe on a parents’ rights to educate their own children about the books that may be best for them.
