Using Your Card

For the most convenient service, always bring your card to check out materials. If you forget your library card, you may provide photo identification instead.

Use of your card signifies that you have read and agreed to the library’s current policies, detailed below.

Borrowing Rules

Checkouts & Returns

• Physical Items: Check out up to 100 items (including up to 10 DVDs and 10 Playaways) on your card at one time. Return material to any Nashville Public Library location or bookdrop.
• Digital Items: Checkout limits vary by platform. Material is automatically returned on the due date. 

Renewals

• Physical Items: Renewals are easy. We automatically renew eligible items, so you don’t have to. If items cannot be automatically renewed, you will receive a due date reminder by your chosen method (text, email or phone).
• Digital Items: Varies by platform. Auto renewals do not apply to digital material. 

Items will not be renewed when:

• The item is on hold for someone else.
• Your card is blocked for any reason.
• You have reached the maximum number of renewals allowed.
• Renewals are not allowed on the material (e.g., Lucky Day Collection titles, eBooks).

Holds

If an item you’re looking for is checked out to another customer or if the item is at another branch location, you may place a hold on the item and pick it up at your preferred branch. You will be notified by text, email or phone when the item is ready for pick up. 

• Physical Items: Holds are limited to 25 items per account at any given time. Holds are held for 7 days for pick up at the designated library location.
• Digital Items: Libby, by OverDrive, allows up to 10 holds. These do not count towards the 25 item limit on physical holds. OverDrive holds are held for 3 days.
• Freeze Holds: Use Freeze Hold to pause your hold, until you are ready to re-enter the queue. Freeze Hold saves your place in line, while you are away on vacation, and are unable to checkout books, for instance.

Overdue, Damaged, or Lost Items

There is no charge for items returned late. If you fail to return borrowed items, account limitations and fees may apply. 

• If your account has two or more billed items or you have fees over $9.99, you cannot borrow physical material.
• We accept replacement items if they are in new condition. Books must be the same or newer edition than the material that was lost or damaged. Non-book items must match the model or description in the catalog record. Please talk with a staff member to learn more about purchasing replacement materials before you buy.
• Our system will send accounts to an outside collection agency when the balance is $56 or more and at least one item is overdue by 52 days.

Loan Rules by Item Type

Account Management Tools

Approved User and Linked Accounts are two tools that allow you to manage another person's library account. They work in tandem to give you online and in-person access to your account.

Approved Users

You may add an Approved User to your account. An Approved User is an adult that can check out your holds, renew your materials, and pay fees on your account. You accept responsibility for all actions that occur as a result of this access.

• Visit any library location and ask for an Approved User form. 
• Contact any library location to remove an Approved User.

Linked Accounts

Easily maintain multiple accounts for the library so you can see all of your information in one place. Information from linked accounts will appear when you view your checkouts, holds, etc in the main account. A common use for linking accounts is to help families keep track of all borrowed library materials from one account.

Unlike Approved User, it does not allow you to check out physical items on another account at the library.

Please note:

• To link to an account you must have that person’s card number and PIN.
• When you link someone's account to yours, that person can see that the accounts are linked.
• All users, except MNPS elementary and middle school students, may unlink accounts and disable account linking by updating settings in their account.

Link your account to someone else's:

1. Log in to your library account.
2. Select your name in the menu bar to see account options. 
3. Select Linked Accounts.
4. Select Add an Account.
5. Type the library card number and PIN of the account to be linked.
6. Select Add Account.
7. The person whose account you are linking to will get an alert in their account letting them know their account is linked to yours. 

Unlink your account from someone else's: 

1. Log in to your library account.
2. Select your name in the menu bar to see account options. 
3. Select Linked Accounts.
4. You will see a list of all accounts that can view your account (all accounts that are linked to yours). In that list, click Remove next to the account link you want to remove.
5. Once you unlink all accounts you may disable account linking.