Borrowing Services Policy

Policy Information

Issuing Office

Jerry Falwell Library

 

Affected Parties

Library Customers (Faculty, Staff, Students, and Community)

 

Policy Language

The Learning Commons Department facilitates physical access to library materials from the book tower, Caudell Reading Room, Automated Storage Retrieval System, and the reserve room through the Customer Service Center. Library customers must use their own card when checking out library materials; however, faculty members may send pre-designated individuals (proxy patrons) to check out items on their behalf.

Library users are responsible to return physical items in a similar condition in which they were checked out. Library users will be billed for overdue, damaged, or lost items. Charges for overdue fines, damaged materials, and lost items are posted to the Liberty account of students, faculty, and staff. Community and alumni users may pay charges at the Curriculum Library via credit card. See the chart in this policy’s procedures for checkout period allowances and fines/fees.

 

Policy Rationale

The Learning Commons Department’s Borrowing Services policy outlines the parameters for accessing physical library materials through the Customer Service Center and reserve areas in addition to managing the circulation of InterLibrary Loan (ILL) materials at the Customer Service Center.

 

Definition of Glossary Terms

Library Card: Students, faculty, and staff must use their Flames Pass as their library card. Alumni must obtain an alumni card through Card Services which will serve as their library card. Community members may purchase a community library card using their credit card at the Customer Service Center for an annual $10 fee. Community members must be 18 years or older to hold a membership or provide written consent from a responsible guardian.

Damaged Material: A damaged material is an item that is not returned in a similar condition in which it was checked out. Damages include but are not limited to liquid damage, burns, torn pages or covers, soiling, excessive marginalia or other markings, removed labels, spine damage, and severely creased pages.

Lost Items: A book is considered lost 45 days past the due date. A 3-hour reserve item is considered lost after 24 hours. All other reserve items, including DVDs, are considered lost 10 days past the due date.

Overdue Item: An item not returned to the library or book drop by the designated due date is considered overdue.

 

Procedural Information

Procedures

As library employees charge and discharge physical materials, they will assess the condition of the items. Once an item has become overdue, library personnel will contact the customer to inform him or her of the overdue and/or lost status. Items returned during closed hours will be backdated to the previous day that the library was open. Faculty members can complete a Checkout Permissions Form and email it to the Borrowing Services Supervisor (borrowingservices@liberty.edu) to authorize a designated individual (proxy patron) who can borrow library materials on their behalf. In the instance an item is lost while on loan, the library user will be billed for the replacement cost of the item as well as a $10 processing fee.

Material	Undergraduate	Graduate	Alumni	Community	Staff	Faculty	Renewal	Considered Lost after:
	Checkout Maximum Items and Period
General Collections	25 items for 30 days	35 items for 30 days	10 items for 30 days		25 items for 30 days	50 items for 60 days	1	45 days
Fines	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum
DVDs	3 items for 7 days						1	10 days
Fines	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum	$0.20 per item per day; $10 item maximum
Teacher Resource Materials	3 items for 30 days						0	1 day
Fines	$5.00 per item per day; $50.00 item maximum
Curriculum Text Books	3 items for 3 days						0	1 day
Fines	$5.00 per item per day; $50.00 item maximum
Reserve Materials	3 items for 3 hours, 1 day, or 3 days		Reserve materials may only be checked out by Liberty University students, faculty, and staff.		3 items for 3 hours, 1 day, or 3 days		0	1 day
Fines	3 hours: $1/hour; 24 hours: $10/day; $50 max

 

Sanctions

Items not returned by the due date are subject to fines and/or fees. Students, faculty, and staff are not allowed to borrow materials if fines/fees exceed $50.00. Community members and alumni lose borrowing privileges as soon as a fine/fee has accrued and until the fine/fee is paid in full.

 

Exceptions

None

 

Initial Approval Date

7/21/2014

 

Date of Last Review

8/04/2021

 

Date for Review

8/04/2026