Swan Hills Municipal Library

• General Information
• Membership Fees
• Loan Periods and Allowances
• Inter-library Loans and Holds
• Returning Items
• Fines
• Internet and computer services
• Fax and copy services

General Information

Swan Hills Municipal Library is a member of Yellowhead Regional Library.  We are also a member of The Regional Automation Consortium (TRAC) and of The Alberta Library (TAL).  Our participation in The Alberta Library gives our patrons access to 15 million items in over 230 Alberta libraries.

Residents of the Town of Swan Hills may acquire a library card provided that proper identification is shown.

Your library card is The Alberta Library (TAL) card.  This means that as a member of Swan Hills Municipal Library, you may borrow and return books at any Alberta Library.

To obtain a library membership we ask that you be 18 years of age and older. Children can hold their own membership card with the written permission of the parent of guardian

If you lose your library card please contact the library immediately to avoid the unauthorized use of your library card.

If you move or change your phone number please notify us as soon as possible in order to keep you file up to date.

To sign out items from our library, you must have your card present.

Membership Fees

Family: $20.00 per year
Single:  $10.00 per year
Junior (12 and under) $5.00 per year
Seniors (65+)  FREE

Temporary memberships ($10.00) are available to non-residents on a 3 month basis.  You MUST provide a driver’s license or other picture ID. 

Loan Periods and Allowances

Books and audio books have a three-week loan period.  Magazines, videos and DVDs are a one week loan period.

Unless your item has been requested by another patron, you may renew it two times.  Renewals can be done in a number of ways:

• Phone (780) 333-4505
• Bring the item for renewal to the circulation desk
• Renew the item yourself at one of our Municipal catalogue stations which feature TRACpac.
• Renew from home or work online at TRACpac.

Forget what you have signed out?  Visit TRACpac and review your items checked out by inputting your library card barcode and your PIN number (last four digits of your phone number). 

Members may have up to 50 items from TRAC libraries at a time.

Inter-library Loans and Holds

If an item in our database is signed out to another patron, you may place a hold on that item.  If you would like to have an item brought in that is in another library in our database, you may place a hold on the item and it will be sent to our library for you.  To make such a request, you may:

• Ask staff to place the hold or inter-library loan request over the telephone at (780) 333-4505
• Place it yourself on our computer station (if you don’t know how, our staff are happy to assist)
• Place it from home, over the Internet by visiting our online catalogue at www.tracpac.ab.ca

Can’t find an item in our database?  The Alberta Library Online lets you search the catalogues of most Municipal, post-secondary, and special libraries in Alberta.  Once the item is located, we can order for you. 

Returning Items

You may return items during regular hours at the ‘Book Return’ sign at the circulation desk.  

Books can be returned to the book drop located at the east corner of the library anytime. 

Please do not return videos, cassettes, or CDs in the after-hours book drop.  These items can be damaged by the weight of the books falling on them.  Patrons will be charged for items damaged in this manner.

Fines

A due date slip is provided at the time of borrowing.  Please take notice of this date so that you may renew or return items in time to avoid fines.  Fines are $0.10 a day per item on all materials.  If your account is in arrears of $5.00 in fines, your membership will be temporarily suspended until the fines are paid.

You will be notified by phone once a week for the first 2 weeks of you overdue items.  Overdue notices are sent 14 days after the material becomes overdue.  One more notice will be sent if the material is not returned.

After the final notice is sent, the member will be asked to pay for the lost item.  The charge for lost books is the price of the book.

If you find an item you have paid for within 6 months of paying for it, we will refund the cost of the book to you, less accrued overdue fines.

Internet and Computer Services

There are 3 internet stations available.  These services are free to patrons who hold a current membership.

Non-members pay $3.00 per hour.  Each user must sign a internet user agreement prior to use.  The use of outside media (CDs, flash drives etc.) is not permitted.

Copy and Fax services

• Photo copies $0.25 per page
• Black and white printing $0.25 per page
• Color printing $1.50 per page
• Local in town fax $0.50 per page
• Alberta fax $ 1.00 per page
• Canada and the U.S $2.00 per page
• International $3.50 per page