SERVICE POLICY
The Louttit Library serves its primary patron base, the people of West Greenwich, without regard for age, sex, religious or ethnic background, political affiliation, educational ability, or economic status.
The Library also extends full access to its materials and services at no charge to the people of the state of Rhode Island, through its membership in the Ocean State Libraries Consortium, (OSL). Louttit Library offers Local Use Only cards to residents of other states and reserves the right to charge an annual fee.
The Louttit Library’s resources are chosen for people of all ages and reading/learning abilities and include books, periodicals, audiobooks, DVDs, Blu-rays, digital materials, and online databases.
The Library’s services include reader’s advisory, reference, and computer assistance either in-house by telephone, or e-mail. Notary Public, exam proctoring, faxing, scanning, and photocopying services are available during library open hours.
The library supports public access computing including; general online applications such as word processing, spreadsheet applications, online database searching, social media, and email access within an open wireless network.
The library webpage provides access to the OSL online catalog, selected online databases, a schedule of library program offerings, and numerous links to recommended resources.
In addition, the Library offers events for general audiences and programming geared especially for children, young adults, adults, and senior citizens.
Louttit Library maintains meeting rooms for use by the West Greenwich and/or nonprofit communities. Preference is given to West Greenwich residents in cases of library program registration and scheduling of meeting spaces.
INTERLIBARY LOAN (ILL) POLICY
Louttit Library is a member of the Ocean State Libraries consortium (OSL) and follows the standards and policies set forth by the Library of Rhode Island, (LORI). Patrons with a full-service library card in good standing as defined by OSL, (with no fines or blocks,) may request materials from all LORI member libraries in the state, and from outside Rhode Island via a
state clearinghouse maintained by LORI.
Library staff will attempt to locate and borrow the requested materials. An owning library occasionally imposes a fee for the loan or for the photocopying of an article. If there is an associated charge, the patron will be notified before any material is requested on their behalf. In such cases, the fee would be passed along to the patron making the request. If a patron incurs overdue fines from the owning library or the borrowed material is damaged and a replacement fee is charged, those costs will be the responsibility of the patron. Louttit Library does not charge patrons for the shipping costs associated with interlibrary loans.
Louttit Library will lend via ILL all regularly circulating materials to both OSL and other libraries outside the consortium. Materials not available via ILL include: archival items, special collections, e-readers and other items which are designated “Library Use Only.”
