Teacher Card Policy
The public library is a community institution serving a wide range of organizations, interests, and age groups. Schools and students are an important segment of the community. With a goal of making contact between educators and the public library more effective, the Portsmouth Public Library will provide a card to teachers which provides an extended loan period and increased borrowing limit for classroom collections.
In order for the library’s collection to reach the maximum number of students the following policy has been implemented:
- Teacher cards will be issued to certified teachers in a public, private or parochial school or an instructor in a licensed day care or preschool center. Letters of employment, confirmation from school office by telephone or school identification tag will serve as proof of eligibility. Student teachers must use his/her supervising teacher’s card. Teacher cards will not be issued to college/university students enrolled in a teaching degree program. Homeschool educators must present a copy of the registration letter received from the appropriate school district superintendent. A correspondence including overdue notices will be sent to the home school address.
- Teacher cards are kept at the Youth Services Reference Desk at the Main library and at the Circulation Desks in the branches. Only one teacher card will be issued system-wide. The teacher must possess a personal Portsmouth Public Library card in good standing. Teachers will not be permitted to use their teacher card until fines/fees are below the $5.00 limit on their personal card. Teacher cards are issued for one year and expire on July 31st of each year. The teacher card will be renewed if the teacher provides proof of teaching assignment for the new school year and makes payment of all fines or damaged material.
- A teacher may borrow a maximum of twenty-five (25) books or other item relating to the curriculum. Videotapes may not be checked out on a teacher card. Materials checked out on a teacher card must be for classroom use only and not for personal borrowing such as current fiction and best sellers. The number of items checked out from certain subject areas may be limited due to high demand at the library’s discretion. Materials with a different circulation date (2-7 days) will be due on the regular due date. Payment of overdue fines and reimbursement of lost or damaged materials are the responsibility of the teacher.
