1. Your Library Card
2. Borrowing Materials
3. Renewing Materials
4. Returning Materials
5. Late Charges & Notices
6. Library Patron Confidentiality Act

Your library card, or registration may be used at any public library in Jefferson County. Please, take care of your library card--treat it like a credit card.

You are responsible for any library materials borrowed on your card, whether by you or by someone else. If you lose your card, or if you change your name or address, notify your library immediately.

If your card must be replaced there will be a charge.

You may VIEW YOUR OWN RECORD.

When you are ready to check out, take your materials and library card to the circulation desk. Borrowing periods vary but all library materials should be returned on or before the due date. There is a late charge for each day overdue on each item.

Library materials may be renewed in person or online. Materials may be renewed one time. Some materials may not be renewed at all.

• If you renew item(s), you are confirming that you still have each item. Therefore, before renewing, you are responsible for:
  • Carefully matching material (on the next screens) that you plan to renew against library material in your possession.
  • Immediately reporting any discrepancy to the library from which the material was checked out.
• After clicking "renew," you must examine the STATUS column for each book to determine IF it has actually been renewed. Some types of material will never be renewed, including:
  • items reserved by another patron and marked HOLD on the screen.
  • items that are long overdue
  • items checked out for less than 7 days
  • items whose loan policies do not allow renewal, such as some videos and popular books, etc.
  • items already renewed once
• If it has been renewed, note the new due date for your records.
• If it did not renew, return the material promptly!
  NOTE: Even if you do not notice that an item did not renew, you are responsible for any overdue fines.

Click here to view your own record

Books may be returned to any public library in Jefferson County, Alabama. They may be placed in a book drop or returned to the circulation desk.

Non-book materials--audio cassettes, CD-ROMs, video cassettes and any other non-print materials may be returned to any Birmingham Public Library. You may not return these materials in a book drop.

An individual item usually has a late charge of $0.25 a day with a total fine of $5.00 for each item. One exception is videos. A video has a late charge of $1.00 a day with a total fine of $5.00 for ech video.

You will be sent an overdue notice for any library materials not returned on time.

If the late charges are not paid when overdue materials are returned those charges will be billed to your card for payment later.

Late charges may be paid at any library or online.

Library users whose library card records include their e-mail addresses can participate in e-mail notification of overdues. These notices will list each overdue item with author, title, date due, and library from which it was borrowed. Library users may visit any public library in Jefferson County to update their records with their e-mail addresses and become a part of this service.

Library users can also sign up at 205-358-4149 and follow instructions to receive text message notifications.

Library users may renew their overdue materials by telephoning the Renewals Hotline at 226-3790. Telephone renewals are available to all BPL cardholders during library hours and are suitable for most materials, including those that are already overdue. Online renewals at https://vulcan.bham.lib.al.us/patroninfo/ are accessible 24 hours a day, but the online service may be used only for materials that are not overdue.

For those without e-mail, printed reminders of overdue materials will be mailed.

All library patron information is confidential. Employees must, therefore, treat all patron matters accordingly as stated by the Privacy Act (Code of Alabama 41-8-10). No patron information, including home address, phone number, and materials checked out, may be revealed to anyone, except by the patron him or herself, with proper identification.

The content of patron records may not be disclosed to anyone except under subpoena. Employees will be subject to appropriate disciplinary action, up to and including dismissal, for improperly revealing information of a confidential nature.

(Code of Alabama 41-8-10)