Maine Reciprocal Borrowing Program: Information

Reciprocal borrowing is a program that allows anyone with a valid library card from one of the participating libraries to visit any of the other participating libraries and check out materials in person. It's referred to as "walk-in" borrowing because it essentially turns your local library card into a library card that can be used when you walk into dozens of other libraries across the state!

Not all libraries in Maine are eligible to participate at this time because the computer systems currently required to allow participation are not used by all libraries. The Maine State Library and Maine InfoNet are continuously seeking ways to increase participation by finding solutions that eliminate these systematic and technical barriers.

There are two major reciprocal borrowing groups: the Maine Reciprocal Borrowing group and the Minerva Shared Borrowing group. To know if your library is a part of either of these groups, we have provided a list of the participating libraries from each group. Some libraries (seen in bold) are part of both!

Maine Reciprocal Borrowing members:
Auburn Public Library, Bangor Public Library, Belfast Free Library, Berwick Public Library, Bethel Library Association, Blake Library (UMFK), Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Brewer Public Library, Calais Free Library, Camden Public Library, Central Maine Community College, Charlotte Hobbs Memorial Library, D.A. Hurd Library, Edythe Dyer Community Library, Fogler Library (UMO), Friend Memorial Public Library, Husson University, Jesup Memorial Library, Kennebec Valley Community College, Kennebunk Free Library, Lewiston Public Library, Libby Memorial Library, Liberty Library, Lisbon Library, Goodall Memorial Library, Ludden Memorial Library, Lyman Community Library, Nutting Memorial Library (MMA), Maine State Law & Legislative Library, Maine State Library, Mantor Library (UMF), McArthur Public Library, Mechanic Falls Public Library, Merrill Library (UMM), Millinocket Memorial Library, Northeast Harbor Library, Norway Memorial Library, Ogunquit Memorial Library, Orono Public Library, Paris Public Library, Parsons Memorial Library, Pittsfield Public Library, Portland Public Library, Prince Memorial Library, Ricker Memorial Library, Rockland Public Library, Rockport Public Library, Scarborough Public Library, Skidompha Public Library, South Berwick Public Library, Southern Maine Community College, Southwest Harbor Public Library, Springvale Public Library, Stonington Public Library, Thomas College Library, Thomas Memorial Library, Thomaston Public Library, Topsham Public Library, UM Presque Isle Library, Vose Library, Walker Memorial Library, Wells Public Library, Windham Public Library, Wiscasset Public Library, York Public Library.

The most up-to-date list of Maine Reciprocal Borrowing member libraries can be found here.

Minerva Shared Borrowing members:
Auburn Public Library, Baxter Memorial Library, Belfast Free Library, Boothbay Harbor Memorial Library, Brewer Public Library, Central Maine Community College, Edythe Dyer Community, Falmouth Memorial Library, Freeport Community Library, Friend Memorial Public Library, Gray Public Library, Husson University, Jesup Memorial Library, Kennebunk Free Library, Ludden Memorial Library, McArthur Library, Merrill Memorial Library, Northeast Harbor Library, Northern Maine Community College, Norway Memorial Library, Old Town Public Library, Orono Public Library, Pittsfield Public Library, Prince Memorial Library, Rice Public Library, Saint Joseph's College, Scarborough Public Library, South Portland Public Library, Southern Maine Community College, Southwest Harbor Public Library, Thomas College Library, Thomas Memorial Library, Topsham Public Library, Walker Memorial Library, Wells Public Library, Windham Public Library, York Public Library.

The most up-to-date list of Minerva Shared Borrowing member libraries can be found here.

In most cases, yes. Think of this program like the inter-library lending program where you can request an item from another library that your own library may not have. Each participating library reserves the right to limit what can be borrowed through this program. Generally, however, if an item is available to borrow through inter-library loan, then it is most likely available to borrow through this program.

This program includes “physical” items only – not digital content available via a library’s website.

Yes! Please make sure your local card is up-to-date, hasn't expired, and has no fees or fines. It must be in good standing to use it at a participating library. Staff at participating libraries may ask that you contact your "home" library directly to resolve any issue with your card or account because the staff at the library you are visiting may not have all of your account information available to them.

Patrons may return materials borrowed through any borrowing program to any other participating member of that program.

As is currently the practice with interlibrary lending, you the borrower assume the responsibility for the replacement costs of any lost or damaged materials. All notices and bills will be generated by the "home" local library and will be sent to you - the same way they are currently - should an item get lost or damaged

Yes, that's correct! There are public libraries, academic and specialty libraries. Maine libraries are unique in the nation for their ability to collaborate and share their resources with each other. You have access to many of them through reciprocal borrowing.

Talk to your local librarians about any issues and to share your thoughts! Receiving feedback about this program is very important, and we want to make improvements where we can.

If checking out items to a visiting patron, please see the reciprocal borrowing instructions. The short answer is that you will look up the patron's library on the registry to confirm their participation and what system they're part of. Then, if the patron is from a library within your local system, you'll check out just like normal.  If they're from another MaineCat library, then you'll use the "Visiting Patron" function and check out that way.

If checking in items, check in just the same as any other item returned if they scan. If they don't scan, see the next FAQ.

If you have an item returned to your library that doesn't show any info when you scan the barcode, simply send it back to the owning library.  You can identify the home library either by stamps, text on the barcode, or by looking up the unique barcode leader on the barcode registry.

The system recognizes and prevents checkouts from patrons who have expired accounts or patron blocks on their accounts. Within your system, it will show you the blocks the same as your own patrons. Through "visiting patron," it will give a message saying that the patron is unable to check out that item and to check with their home library (similar to the message you would get when requesting through MaineCat catalog).

Once the item is checked out, walk-in transactions will look exactly the same as if the item had gone through delivery to the patron.  In fact, they are indistinguishable once the check-out has happened.

Walk-in transactions use the same loan rules as items sent through delivery.

Since they're coming from the same loan rules, notices and bills are generated and sent to the patron the same as if they had been send through delivery.

Charging for lost/unreturned items will be exactly the same as if the item was borrowed through delivery. In fact, walk-in billed items will be indistinguishable from items borrowed through delivery.

The program is for “physical” items only – not digital content available via a library’s website.