Although participating libraries will make every effort, on behalf of borrowers enrolled withGateways to Learning, to source and lend the learning materials requested, the owning libraries are under no obligation to make all the resources at their disposal available via the Gateways scheme.
The owning library has sole discretion over which items (or classes of item) it will or will not lend. Its lending restrictions might, for example, affect the following items (or classes of item):
. Books that are in constant high demand by the library's own customers
. Books on limited loan periods (shorter than the six weeks needed to fulfil a Gateways loan)
. Reference materials, special collections, oversize books, etc.
. Items for which a charge is normally made (e.g., DVDs, CDs, videotapes, audio books)
This is not intended to be an exhaustive or prescriptive list, and each library is free to set (and change) its own policies on lending restrictions. In particular, Newport City Council Libraries do not normally lend fiction through the scheme.
Even in cases where a library is willing to lend a particular item, it is always possible that there may be a delay. Although the catalogue may indicate that an item is available, it may take time to locate.
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