Loan Periods, Renewals, Restrictions
Daily library overdue fees were eliminated in the FY21 Arlington County Budget. No new daily overdue fees will accrue after July 1, 2020. Overdue fees of $ .30 per day, with a maximum overdue fee of $9.00 per item, charged before July 1, 2020 will remain due on library accounts. Lost material fees and other service fees will still apply.
| Item | Loan | Renewals | Holds | Restrictions |
| Books, Books+CDs | 3 weeks | 3 | Yes | --- |
| Grab & Go | 2 weeks | --- | No | --- |
| DVDs | 1 week | 3 | Yes | --- |
| Magazines | 1 week | 1 | No | --- |
| Games | 1 week | 1 | Yes | --- |
| Interlibrary Loan | Variable | --- | NA | Yes |
| Doll Kits | 1 week | --- | Yes | --- |
| eCollection | ||||
| Overdrive eBooks | Up to 3 weeks | --- | Yes | --- |
| Overdrive eAudiobooks | Up to 3 weeks | --- | Yes | --- |
| Overdrive Grab & Go | Up to 2 weeks | --- | No | --- |
| Flipster Digital Magazines | Up to 7 days | Yes | --- | --- |
| OverDrive Digital Magazines | Up to 3 weeks | Yes | --- | --- |
| Energy Lending Library | ||||
| Electricity Usage Monitors | 1 week | 1 | Yes | --- |
| Thermal Cameras | 1 week | 1 | Yes | --- |
| LED Lightbulb Kit | 1 week | 1 | Yes | --- |
| The Shed | ||||
| Garden Tools | UNAVAILABLE FOR 2021 | 1 | No | Maximum 5 at a time |
| Tools/Equipment | ||||
| Wireless Hotspots | 1 week | --- | Yes | Yes |
- Borrow materials with your Arlington Public Library Card
- Items marked in the Catalog for "In-Library Use Only" cannot be borrowed and are currently unavailable. Examples: Some reference materials and consumer research periodicals, and materials in the Center for Local History collection.
- Some items have additional borrowing restrictions. See individual item information pages for more details.
Renew
- Materials will be due one full loan period from the date of renewal.
- Items on hold for another borrower cannot be renewed.
- Physical items auto-renew for one borrowing period 3 days before their due date. Auto-renewal occurs three times, as long as items are not on hold for other patrons. Borrowers may opt out of auto-renewal in their library account.
Return
- Return materials 24/7 in the book drop at any library location.
Lost and Damaged Materials
- Items that are overdue for 28 days or more are considered lost.
- Accounts with Lost items cannot borrow, renew, or place holds on materials, or log in to online Research and Learning Tools.
- The cost of lost or damaged items is billed to your library account. This is not an overdue fine.
- Paid fees for lost materials will not be reimbursed if those materials are later recovered.
- The Library cannot accept replacement copies of lost materials in lieu of fees.
Pay Fines and Fees
In person - Use cash or credit/debit at any open Library location.
Online - Log into your Library account and go to Fines and Messages.
By Mail - Send payment by check or money order (payable to Treasurer of Arlington County) and include library card number.
Address mail to:
Central Library
Attention: Circulation
1015 N. Quincy St
Arlington, VA 22201
Delinquent Accounts
- Have lost library materials and/or an account balance of $15 or more
- Cannot borrow, renew, or place holds on materials, or log in to premium sites
Collection Agency
- Library accounts may be submitted to Unique National Collections, Inc. for recovery when they have a balance of $25.00 or more, and a non-negotiable service charge of $10.00 is added to the account.
- Accounts submitted to collections cannot borrow, renew, or place holds on materials, log in to premium sites or use public computer stations
- Accounts with balances higher than $1000 in outstanding material or monies owing are submitted to the Arlington County Treasurer's Department for recovery.
