Books-on-Tape Policies and Information

Books-on-Tape are available in the Hanford, Corcoran, and Lemoore Branch Libraries.

Requesting Books-on-Tape

Books-on-Tape may be requested by any Kings County Library patron from any Branch Library. Books-on-Tape are requested by placing a hold from the OPAC, or through the catalog.
Patrons visiting the Hanford Branch Library may place a hold on a checked out item or may check out titles which are available at the circulation desk.

Borrowing Books-on-Tape

You must have a valid library card.
The loan period is one week (7 days). Books-on-Tape may be renewed if there are no holds on the title.

Returning Books-on-Tape

Books-on-Tape may be returned to any branch of the Kings County Library.
Please rewind all cassettes.
Please do not return Books-on-Tape in the library book drops.

Charges

Effective July 1, 2003, Books-on-Tape circulate at a charge of $2.00 for one week.
There is no hold fee for Books-on-Tape.
Overdue fines are 25 cents per day.
The replacement charge for lost or damaged cassettes is $6.00 per cassette.

Frequently Asked Questions

Why do you charge for Books-on-Tape?
Like our Video Collection and Rental Book Collection, the Books-on-Tape Collection is a special service for which we have no funding. The fee is used to purchase additional titles. All money received from Books-on-Tape use is spent exclusively on new recordings and replacing damaged items.

Why don't you buy abridged Books-on-Tape?
The tapes the library purchases for the collection are special "heavy duty" tapes that can be replaced if damaged. This option is not available to us with most abridged editions. In addition, the library has traditionally not purchased abridged materials, and the collection has presently been approved only for unabridged editions.

How do you select the Books-on-Tape?
Circulation figures help us determine popular authors and popular types of titles. We have also completed two separate patron surveys. As much as possible, we attempt to purchase Books-on-Tape that reflect the preferences of the majority of our readers. However, there are three conditional factors. First, we must maintain a certain balance to the collection because we do have differing likes and dislikes among our readers. Second, cost is a factor, as some titles are more expensive than others. Third, funds are limited as titles are purchased using the rental fees paid by the readers. In every case, we try to get the best possible value.

Do you accept requests for titles to be purchased?
Yes. However, you must remember that not every book is available on tape. Indeed, some very popular authors have few or no titles available on tape (Michael Crichton is a good example).

Why don't you have some of the more recent novels by Tom Clancy and Robert Ludlum?
Some author's books are so large that they require multiple sets of tapes. Each set of tapes is priced as if it were a separate book. This doubles or even triples the price of these titles. Tom Clancy, Robert Ludlum, Larry Bond, James Michener, Stephen King and Jean Auel (among others) have produced many multi-tape sets that are presently beyond our purchasing power. Through a generous donation made specifically for this collection, we have been able to add a limited number of these longer titles--many costing more than $200. Adding titles of this type is still not cost-effective based on the size of our collection, but we will continue to add some of these titles as funds permit.