Circulation Policy

As amended November 16, 2016

Objectives

  • To encourage circulation of materials based on the assumed term of need. Employees and seniors often have longer needs, underclass students and guests usually have shorter-term needs.
  • To maximize availability of materials to users through browsing. A book on our shelves is more likely to be identified as a good source.
  • To take advantage of Interlibrary Loan (ILL) as a faster and less disruptive alternative to recalling books which are in use and acquiring materials not owned.

Loan Periods and Renewals

The following chart describes the length of loan periods (L) and number of allowed renewals (R). Unless otherwise noted, the renewal period is the same as the loan period.

Employees Seniors Other

Students

Alumni & Visitors
Books L: 1 yr

R: 20

L: 1 sem

R: 2

L: 4 wks

R: 2

L: 4 wks

R: 0

Reference special permission special permission special permission noncirc
Faculty Development L: 30 days

R: 1

special permission special permission special permission
Special Books L: 4 wks

R: 2

L: 4 wks

R: 2

L: 4 wks

R: 2

L: 4 wks

R: 0

Journals special permission special permission special permission noncirc
Film

(lower floor)

L: 1 wk

R: 1

L: 1 wk

R: 1

L: 3 days

R: 1

noncirc
Film (Access Services area) L: 1 wk

R: 1

L: 3 hrs

R: 0

L: 3 hrs

R: 0

noncirc
Equipment (general) L: 3 days

R: 2 days

L: 3 days

R: 2 days

L: 3 days

R: 2 days

noncirc
Equipment

(departmental)

Rules are set by the owning department
Laptops L: 1 wk

R: 1

L: 1 wk

R: 0

L: 1 wk

R: 0

noncirc
Reserve Videos L: 3 hours

R: 1

L: 3 hours

R: 1

L: 3 hours

R: 1

noncirc
Course Reserve Loan periods and renewals vary, depending on faculty instructions
ILLiad L: 8 weeks

R:0

L: 8 weeks

R: 0

L: 8 wks

R: 0

noncirc
EZBorrow L: 4 wks

R: 1

L: 4 wks

R: 1

L: 4 wks

R: 1

noncirc
Microform noncirc noncirc noncirc noncirc

Notes

  • Employees: Books due annually on February 15th.
  • Seniors: Books due at the end of the semester/summer
  • Renewals are not allowed if another patron has requested the material.
  • Recalls can cut loan periods short if another patron needs the material.
  • Interlibrary loan periods may be limited by the lending library.
  • Summer borrowing rules are the same as regular rules.
  • Senior privileges begin at the end of classes in their Junior year.

Checkout Limits

  • Checkouts to employees and students will be unlimited.
  • Checkouts to retired employees, employee children and spouses, and alumni will be limited to 20 items at one time.
  • Checkouts to guests, students or faculty from other colleges, and other special users will be limited to 2 items at one time.

Holds

When a patron (except a visitor or alum) needs material that is already checked out, they will be asked to use ILL as the preferred way to obtain it.  If it is not available through ILL they may contact staff and ask that a hold be placed on the item.  Holds on materials reserve that item for a patron as soon as it is returned to the library at the end of its normal loan period.  Holds prevent the current borrower from renewing.  Holds may be placed with or without recalls.

Recalls

Any patron who places a hold for a checked out item can ask for the item to be recalled.  The original patron is guaranteed exclusive use for the first 4 weeks of a loan.  After that recalls will be issued only if unavailable through ILL.  Patrons are expected to return recalled materials within 2 days of the notice, which will be delivered by email.

Notices

Notices will be delivered by email except in unusual circumstances.  The patron is responsible for reading and acting on emails.   

Journal Circulation

Employees can take out periodicals without special permission. Bound journals can go out for 3 days. Non-bound, individual periodicals can go out for a week (these will need barcoded on the fly). If they require either of these longer, they will need special permission. Students need special permission to take out any periodicals, the circumstance will need to be evaluated.

Fines

College employees are charged fines only on recalled items and ILL items.  Other patrons are charged as follows:

Material Overdue week 1 Overdue week 2-3 Recalled
Book $.25 per day $1 per day $1 per day
Video/DVD $.25 per day $1 per day $3 per day
Equipment (major) $10 per day $10 per day $10 per day
Equipment (headphones, etc.) $1 per day $1 per day $1 per day
Reserve* $1 per hr $1 per hr $1 per hr
ILL/EZBorrow $1 per day $1per day $1 per day
Laptop $5 per day $5 per day $5 per day   

*Reserve fines will be charged for 72 hours, after which the book will be declared lost and billed.

The following time-table will be used to alert patrons to overdues and assess fines:

  • A few days before the due date, we will send a courtesy notice alerting the patron
  • The first 3 days after the due date will be a grace period, and no fines will be charged if the material is returned during that grace period.  If it is returned after the grace period, fines will be charged for those days.  The grace period for reserves is 15 minutes.
  • After that initial fine period, all fines will be increased for succeeding days/hours until the material is declared “lost”.

Lost and long-overdue materials

If material is not returned in a reasonable amount of time, we will assume the material is lost and the patron will receive a replacement bill.

If material which is billed as lost is returned, replacement and processing fees will be waived, and the patron will be charged the total overdue fine.

Anyone who loses library or ILL materials will be charged

  • The true cost of replacement or, in the case of ILL, the lending library’s cost
  • Processing and billing fees
  • Any accumulated overdue or recall fines

If a student has not paid their bills by the end of the semester, the bill will be sent to Student Accounts and a $5 processing fee will be added.

Visitors
Visitors who consistently have overdue or lost books will lose their borrowing privileges.