Chinook Arch Library Board Policies

Section 1: Board Governance Policies

1.1 Mission Statement

1.2 Vision Statement

1.3 Value Statement

1.4 Board Meetings

1.5 Committees & Committee Mandates

1.6 Executive Officers

1.7 Organizational Meeting

1.8 Bylaws

1.9 Rules of Order

Section 2: Committee Mandates and Timelines

2.1 Finance & Personnel Committee Mandate

2.2 Finance & Personnel Annual Timeline / Work Plan

2.3 Marketing & Communications Committee Mandate

2.4 Marketing & Communications Committee Annual Timeline / Work Plan

2.5 Planning & Facilities Committee Mandate

2.6 Planning & Facilities Annual Timeline / Work Plan

Section 3: Services and Policies

3.1 Confidentiality of Patron Records

3.2 Direct Loans

3.3 Information Technology Services

3.4 Library Outlets

3.5 Materials Selection & Acquisition

3.6 Library Services to System Members that do not have a Library Board

3.7 Resource Sharing

3.8 Services for the Print Impaired

Section 4: Finance Policies

4.1 Accounting

4.2 Backup of Financial Data

4.3 Borrowing

4.4 Capital Assets

4.5 Cheque Signing

4.6 Credit Cards

4.7 Expenses

4.8 Fiscal Year

4.9 Gifts in Kind

4.10 Management of System Funds

4.11 Petty Cash

4.12 Purchasing Supplies & Services

4.13 Records Retention

• Schedule A

4.14 Relocation Expenses for New Employees

Section 5: Personnel Policies

5.1 Annual Vacation

5.2 Continuing Education, Board Members

5.3 Continuing Education, Staff

5.4 Employee Benefits Package

5.5 Employee Health and Safety

5.6 Employee Leave

5.7 Grievance Procedures

5.8 Holidays

5.9 Hours of Work & Overtime

5.10 Memberships

5.11 Performance Management

5.12 Personal Use of Equipment

5.13 Personnel Files

5.14 Personnel

5.15 New Employee Orientation

5.16 Salary Increments

5.17 Working Alone

5.18 Workplace Violence & Harassment

5.19 Drugs, Alcohol, and Medication

5.20 Working Remotely

Section 6: Marketing Communications Policies

6.1 Corporate Image

6.2 Communications

Chinook Arch System Agreement (Revised 2021)

Chinook Arch Regional Library System serves 33 libraries in 41 member municipalities across Southern Alberta, on traditional Blackfoot territory. 

If you are a resident of a Chinook Arch member municipality and are 18 years of age or older, you can sign up for an eCard. 

If you already have a Library card, you do not need an eCard. Your current library card can be used to access online resources and place holds. If your existing card needs to be renewed, please choose one of the following options:

1. Renew your library card
2. Visit any Chinook Arch member library
3. Email ecard@chinookarch.ca

If you live outside of the Chinook Arch region, review these options to see how you can use the library.

Have questions about signing up? Visit our eCard FAQs page.

Ready to sign up? Complete our eCard Registration Form.

Chinook Arch member libraries have varying membership fees, and set their own loan periods, renewal limits, and overdue fines for library materials. Your home library is assigned based on your home address. Find your library from this list and visit their website for more information.Chinook Arch Regional Library System serves 33 public libraries in 41 member municipalities across Southern Alberta. You must be a resident of a Chinook Arch member municipality and 18 years of age or older to apply for an eCard.Fill out the eCard Registration form.You will have instant access to all library resources including ebooks, audiobooks, magazines, online courses and research databases. You can also place holds online.Yes. To start borrowing physical items, visit your nearest Chinook Arch member library and present your eCard number and ID to a staff member. You can get a physical library card by visiting your nearest Chinook Arch member library and presenting your eCard number and ID to a staff member. Your original eCard number that was assigned to you online will change to a physical card number.  If you change your eCard to a physical library card at a Chinook Arch member library, your accounts will need to be merged to retain access to your holds, borrowed items, and online services. To merge your accounts, contact membersupport@chinookarch.caSome of the possible reasons for an error are an already existing account, misspelt street names, etc. Please visit your nearest Chinook Arch member library and talk to staff, or email ecard@chinookarch.ca for help registering online.Some addresses cannot be verified. If this is the case, visit your nearest Chinook Arch member library and talk to staff, or email ecard@chinookarch.ca for help registering online.Your security settings may be blocking the email. Please check your spam/junk mail folder.No. Please contact your library immediately to report your lost or stolen card. You will need to replace it in person at your Chinook Arch member library.Yes, you can! Please visit our Renew Your Library Card page.

Interlibrary Loan

Can’t find what you want in our catalogue? Search the collections of public libraries across Alberta using the Alberta Public Libraries Resource Sharing System.

Find and request items from other libraries, and they will be delivered to your library for checkout.

Getting Started with the Resource Sharing System

Still can’t find what you’re looking for? Contact Public Library Services Branch

If the item you’re looking for is newly published, suggest that your library buy it by using Suggest for Purchase.

ME Libraries

The ME Libraries service allows you to borrow materials in person at any public library in Alberta using your local library card. Sign up at melibraries.ca.

ME Account Terms and Conditions

Patrons using ME Libraries accounts to borrow items* from Chinook Arch member libraries agree to the following terms:

• Loan periods, renewals, and borrowing limits vary depending on the individual Chinook Arch library’s local policies. 
• In general, books have a loan period of 3 weeks, A/V materials have a loan period of 1 week. Some materials have extended loan periods including Book Club Kits which have a 6 week loan period.
• Most Chinook Arch libraries do not limit the number of items that can be checked out at a time. Some exceptions do exist for special collections and at some Chinook Arch libraries. 
• Holds placed by ME Libraries card users must be picked up by the user at a Chinook Arch library.
• CNIB materials may only be checked out by borrowers with print disabilities.

*ebooks and other electronic content are not available to ME Libraries card users due to licensing restrictions.

The Alberta Library Card – access to academic and special libraries

Request a TAL card at your home library to borrow materials in person from any participating TAL library, including academic and government libraries. You can return borrowed materials at any participating TAL library.

Note that certain special collections may not be available through the TAL program. Loan periods and overdue fines may vary by library – ask the borrowing library for more information about their policies.

There are currently two micro-libraries in the Chinook Arch region. These micro-libraries are an automated lending library, also known as a book locker. 

Piikani Micro-Library

Located at 1605 Hwy 786 in Brocket. In the same building as the Canada Post office.

Waterton Micro-Library

Located at 209 Foundatin Avenue in Waterton (south vestibule)

Can you use the Micro-Libraries? 

Anyone with a Chinook Arch library card can use the micro-libraries!

If you live in Waterton or Piikani for even part of the year, you qualify for Chinook Arch library membership.

• Sign up for a new card online here – eCard registration
• To renew an existing membership, go here – eRenew

Need Help? 

If you have trouble using the book locker, please contact Chinook Arch.

• 1-888-458-1500 toll free
• booklocker@chinookarch.ca

Staff is available to help Monday to Friday, 8:30-4:30, except on holidays. 

About the Micro-Libraries

• The content of the micro-libraries is refreshed on Mondays (except holiday Mondays)
• There is a small collection kept in the micro-library for you to browse and borrow
• Browse our collection online 
• If you place holds on titles in our online catalogue, select Waterton or Piikani as your pick-up location
• Interlibrary loans (items requested from outside the Chinook Arch region) can’t be delivered to the micro-library.  Those will have to be picked up at a Chinook Arch library location

Book Club Kits include everything you need to run a book club: 12 copies of a book (including one large print when available) and reading guides with author information, discussion questions, and read-alike suggestions. You’ll also find tips on starting and running a successful book club in each kit.

Anyone with a Chinook Arch member library card can check out Book Club Kits, by placing a hold in the catalogue or asking library staff for help. Book Club Kits can be checked out for 6 weeks, and renewed once. 

Patrons with print disabilities can access books for book clubs through CELA - the Centre for Equitable Library Access.

Titles for Book Club Kits are selected by a committee of librarians from Chinook Arch Regional Library System and Lethbridge Public Library. To learn more about our selection guidelines or to suggest a title for consideration, please contact us at arch@chinookarch.ca.

Search Available Book Club Kits

Oki. Tanshi. Hello.

Chinook Arch is located on lands of the Blackfoot people. Chinook Arch pays respect to the Blackfoot people past, present and future while recognizing and respecting their cultural heritage, beliefs and relationship to the land. This land is also home to the Metis Nation of Alberta, Region III.

Members of the Kainai and Piikani First Nations are eligible for full Chinook Arch library service. To get a library card, please visit our Get an e-Card page.    

eResources

Prairie Indigenous Ebook Collection

Voices of the Land

Image credit:
Grant Spotted Bull, Medicine Wheel Series, 2014, oil on canvas

Print Disabilities

If you have impairments of sight or hearing, the inability to hold or manipulate a book, or a disability relating to reading comprehension, you can ask your local library staff about being registered as a patron with print disabilities. Chinook Arch offers library patrons with print disabilities access to information in formats including:

• Large print books
• Audiobooks
• DAISY (Digital Accessible Information System) CDs
• ebooks with resizable text
• Descriptive video
• Braille

Additional materials can be accessed from the National Network of Equitable Library Service (NNELS) and the Centre for Equitable Library Access (CELA).

NNELS

The National Network of Equitable Library Service maintains an online collection of downloadable audiobooks and other accessible formats. Once you are registered with your library as a patron with print disabilities, you can download free content from the NNELS catalogue.

Getting Started with NNELS

CELA

The Centre for Equitable Library Access maintains a collection of books, magazines, newspapers, videos, audiobooks, and ebooks in accessible formats. To register as a CELA patron, ask for help at your home library or register here. Once you are registered, you can download titles to your computer or mobile device, download books to a DAISY player, or receive audio CDs, Braille books, or described movies through the mail.

Getting Started with CELA