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Portland library director tightens loan policy language on out-of-print and damaged items
Summary
Library Director Jennifer Billingsley presented and the board approved revisions to the library loan policy clarifying replacement pricing for out-of-print items, removing outdated collection terms, and aligning damaged-item rules with lost-item procedures.
Jennifer Billingsley, Portland Public Library director, presented red-lined revisions to the library’s loan policy and asked the board to approve clarifying edits. Billingsley said the changes remove outdated references (for example, to a pre‑COVID “Zoom collection”), and add language to make replacement pricing for out-of-print materials reasonable and administratively clear.
Billingsley said the revised wording instructs staff to use the integrated library system (ILS) to determine a default replacement price rather than charging market or collector prices. She illustrated the change with a hypothetical example: if an out-of-print children’s book could only be found for an inflated price online, the library would instead charge the ILS/default price ("You will pay us $19.99") and not require patrons to procure a collector’s copy.
The policy also clarifies that damaged items will be handled under the same replacement rules as lost items. The board moved to approve the revised policy; the motion was seconded and carried by voice vote.
What’s next: The library will implement the updated loan policy and incorporate the new "library of things" handling language to accommodate equipment loans and other nontraditional materials.
