Borrowing Materials

What are the checkout periods for various items?

• Books – 3 weeks
• New Adult Books - 2 weeks
• Rental Books ($1.00) – 1 week
• Book Club in a Bag - 6 weeks
• CDs – 1 week
• Books on CD – 3 weeks
• DVDs/Blu-Rays – 1 week
• Rental DVDs/Blu-Rays ($1.00) – 1 day
• Magazines - 2 weeks
• Video Games - 1 week
• Children's Kits - 3 weeks

How do I renew a book or other item?

Two renewals (equal to the initial checkout period) are allowed on all materials, with the following exceptions:

• rental items (books, videos or video games) cannot be renewed;
• magazines cannot be renewed;
• iPods cannot be renewed;
• items which are on hold cannot be renewed.

Click here to renew online.

Telephone renewal voice mail: 949-720-7424.

You can place holds:

• In person at the library or from home through the online catalog or with the assistance of a librarian.
• By telephone. Call Telephone Reference at 949-717-3800, extension 2.
• On the Web site by going to the Library Catalog.

The maximum number of holds is 25.

Placing a hold

After doing a search, you may want to see if a particular item is available for checkout. The item record in the library catalog will tell you if the item is "checked in" at a particular branch. If the item is checked in and you want to pick it up the same day, call Telephone Reference at 949-717-3800 extension 2 to request the item.

If the item is not available, you can make a hold request online. The library will then hold the item for you when it becomes available. To request a specific volume of a multi-volume work, call Telephone Reference at 949-717-3800, extension 2.

To request a hold on a library item through the online catalog:

• Search for a library item.
• Click the Place Hold button next to the item that you want.
• Log in to your user account. Type in your last name and the 14 digit NBPL card barcode.
  • The catalog displays the Request Confirmation page. You can see the number of your hold position (or the order in which requests for this item will be filled).
• Choose a pickup location from the drop-down list.
• Click Place Hold.
  • The catalog displays a message saying that your request has been placed successfully.
• Do one of these options:
  • Click Regular Display to return to your search results.
  • Click Logout and Start Over to log out of your account and continue searching

What is Inter-library Loan?

Books and some materials (not audiovisual) from other library systems can be requested for a fee.

• The book or article requested must be at least 6 months old to be eligible for ILL, and the requests can take an estimated 2 to 6 weeks to fill. In some cases, the request may prove impossible to fill.
• Customers who use this service must have a Newport Beach Public Library in good standing in accordance with circulation policies.
• The fee for inter-library loans is $5.00 per item, cash or check, paid at the time of the request.  This fee applies to Newport Beach residents and non-residents alike.  Credit cards may be used with a $5.00 minimum at the Customer Service desk on the first floor.  There are no refunds for unfilled requests.  If the request is for a multi-volume set, the charge applies to each volume.  $5.00/reel is usual for microfilm, but this may vary.
• A limit of 5 requests per calendar month, with no more than 5 unfilled requests at any one time, may be accepted from a customer.  (Unfilled requests are considered “in processing” until the request is filled.)
• If it is a “reference use/in library use only” item (microforms, rare or fragile books, for example) it will be kept at the Reference desk.

Does the library offer home delivery of library materials?

NBPL's free homebound delivery service is available to Newport Beach residents who are unable to come to the library due to temporary or long-term illness or disability.

How it works:

• Once accepted for the service, Homebound Delivery Service customers receive a preferences form to fill out, to help librarians select materials that will meet their needs.
• A trained volunteer will talk about reading and entertainment preferences with the customer and will serve as a liaison with library staff.
• Librarians will make every effort to select the kinds of materials the homebound customer will enjoy.
• After materials are selected, the volunteer will deliver them to the customer and pick up items that were delivered on a previous visit.

If you'd like to receive Homebound Delivery Service, or if you want to participate as a volunteer in the program, please call 949-717-3824.