SWPL has a collection of 142,600 physical items available to use in the building or check out and take home. This includes books, audiobooks, DVDs, periodicals, graphic novels, museum passes, and more. If you are looking for something that the library does not own or has already been checked out, SWPL can borrow it from another library on your behalf and notify you when it is ready to be picked up. Alternately, you can request that the library purchase the item.
Beyond the physical collection, South Windsor residents have access to approximately one million items in our downloadable collection. That collection is largely made up of ebooks and audiobooks, but includes magazines, comics, videos, and music as well. There are no late fees charged on 99.9% of items that the library circulates.
View our full Circulation Policy on the Policies page.
| Print materials (hardback and paperback books, magazines, and pamphlets) | 3 weeks |
| Audiobooks, music cds, multi-media kits, realia, foreign language courses | 3 weeks |
| Entertainment DVDs | 1 week |
| Multi-disc television series DVDs | 2 weeks |
| Non-fiction DVDs | 3 weeks |
| Loans to teachers for classroom use | 6 weeks |
| eBooks and downloadable materials | As specified by platform |
| Museum passes |
2 days, or as specified by the pass. “Print on Demand” museum passes include information on when they may be used and are not returned to the Library |
Most materials will automatically renew for an additional loan period a few days before their due date so long as no other library patrons are waiting for them. Additional renewal request may be made and will be honored on a case-by-case basis.
Items returned in the book drop at the Library’s opening time will be considered to have been returned on the last day open. Thereafter, items returned in the book drop will be considered returned on the day received. Non-book items should not be returned in the book drop because of the increased risk of damage to the item.
The South Windsor Public Library no longer charges overdue fines on most items loaned, with certain exceptions: fines of $10.00 per day will be charged for physical (not print-on-demand) museum passes that are returned after the date due. Fines will not be charged for days when the Library is not open. Fines on museum passes may accumulate to a maximum of $30.
If overdue fines are charged by a library that has provided materials through Interlibrary Loan, those fines will be passed on to the South Windsor patron. Likewise, fines incurred by a South Windsor cardholder on materials borrowed and returned in person at another CT library that charges fines will be unaffected by this policy.
The Library will notify patrons of outstanding overdue items by mail or e-mail regularly. Final notices sent will include the replacement cost of the items should they not be returned.
Patrons who have listed email addresses on their registrations will receive the following notifications:
Patrons will be charged replacement costs for items not returned or damaged beyond the Library’s use. Damaged items paid for by a patron may be kept by the patron after the Library removes the item from the collection.