Recently Asked Questions (RAQs)

Many libraries use a form of “registration card” when signing people up for a library card; a small form filled out by a patron before receiving a library card. We’d like some clarity regarding the retention of physical registration cards as they pertain to “Library Card Application Records” in the LGS-1.

Here are the questions:
1. How would you define a Library Card Application Record?

2. Does duplicating all information from a simple registration card into the ILS patron record relieve the retention period of the physical registration card?

3. The registration card would not have unique information or signatures. Does retention change if there is unique information on the registration card that is not duplicated in the ILS, including signatures?

4. If retention applies to a simple registration card (no signatures or unique information), is it possible to define it as a temporary data transfer tool rather than an application through policy, to relieve the retention requirement?

What are the legal requirements, or best practices, for libraries handling lost or unclaimed property, i.e. patron items left inadvertently at the library?

For items like lost library cards where the owner’s identity it easy to find, we look up the patron record and attach a note to it, then place the card in Lost & Found. But what about things like electronics? We’ve had a lost cell phone in L&F for several months now. I assume for privacy reasons we should never access the phone in an attempt to learn the owner’s identity?

Three area directors I’ve asked said that after one month, they give unclaimed phones to their local police department. Is this a legal requirement or simply a best practice? What about other found items, like money? Can money, after a period of time, be given to the library’s Friends group or kept by the library itself, or should it be turned over to the police as well?

Thanks.

At a recent training held by my cooperative library system, I learned that all public library investments must be in accounts that meet the requirements of the General Municipal Law, unless they are in a “true trust.” What is a true trust, and if it turns out my public library has some stocks that aren’t allowed, can my library create a true trust so we can keep our stocks?

I was told that when a public or association library’s charter sets a range of trustees (for instance “no less than 5, no more than 15”) the bylaws should always set out the current number. Is this true?

Please provide a long, detailed, and deeply footnoted resource on the difference between lobbying, political activity, and telling people how to vote on a ballot measure such as a library budget proposition.