Access Privileges

The Library is open to scholars for in-house consultation of all materials.

Borrowing privileges are extended to all registered Boston University students, and to all Boston University faculty and employees identified through internal computer records.

Boston University alumni are eligible to borrow if they have identification issued by the Alumni Office.

Patrons from Boston Theological Institute schools need proper identification issued by the school, and patrons from the Boston Library Consortium need a BLC-issued card issued by their home library to be eligible for borrowing privilieges.

Visiting Scholars may be granted borrowing privileges only with the authorization of the Dean, while other visitors will need approval of the Head Librarian.

School of Theology students may have borrowing priviliges at BTI libraries, but first must obtain a BTI Borrower's card from the School of Theology Library.

School of Theology students may have borrowing privileges at BLC libraries, but first must obtain a BLC card from the Reference Desk at Mugar Memorial Library.


Circulation Policy

Some collections, like Reference, Periodicals, Microforms, and Research Collections, are non-circulating.

Open stack books circulate for 4 months to faculty, staff, and graduate students and 28 days to undergraduates and authorized visitors. Books may be renewed twice before they must be returned to the library.

Books that are in circulation may have a HOLD placed, which prevents renewal and holds the book for a new patron, or books may be RECALLED, which will set a new due date. The current borrower will received a notice of the recall and new due date. Recalls allow at least a two-week loan from the original checkout date, or after that, allow one week to return the book.

Notices for overdues or recalls are mailed to the address on file, or may be emailed if you provide an email address in your patron record. A library staff member can add that field to your record. Notices are to remind you to renew books, or to notify you of a recall with a new due date because someone else has requested the book. Overdue notices are a courtesy and failure to receive one is not grounds for waiving fines. Please make sure the library has the correct address and/or e-mail for you.

Renewals may be done online by the patron if you get a PIN that will allow you to access your own circulation record. Ask a library staff member to add a PIN to your record. Once an item is overdue, you CANNOT renew it online but must call or visit the library for assistance.

Reserve books circulate at shorter periods, as requested by the Professor. These are: two-hour room use, overnight, 3-day or 7-day loans. Two-hour items are not to leave the library. Overnight books are for two-hour room use until 6pm (3pm Friday), when they will be due at 10am the following day. Saturday overnight loans will be due on the following Monday unless there is a holiday. In those cases, books will be due at 10am on Tuesday. Reserves cannot be renewed nor can holds be placed.


Fines

If you fail to renew books on time, or return them beyond the due date, fines are charged.

For open stack books, fines are $.50 per day. If RECALLED, fines for overdues are $2.00 per day.

Reserve books that circulate by the HOUR, are charged $1.00 per hour overdue; Reserve books that circulate for 3 or 7 days are charged at $5.00 per day. It is wise to make certain reserve items are checked-in when you return them.

Notices of fines charges are mailed to the address on file, or may be emailed if you have an email address in your patron record. Fines may be paid at circulation desk at any time.

NOTE: We have a two-day "grace period" at the Theology Library. If a book is renewed in the first two days after the due date (not counting Saturday or Sunday) there will be no fine assessed. On the third day, however, fines will be charged from the due date, so a three-day fine will be assessed. Fines are calculated by the system only after a book is renewed or returned, so do not look for daily postings of charges.


Unreturned Items

If books are unreturned after 30-days, a $100 replacement fee is posted to your library account and may prevent further borrowing. If the book is subsequently returned, the charge is reduced to $30, which is accumulated fines and charges for notices. If you provide a suitable replacement copy for a lost book, the charge is still $30 for processing. Patrons with unreturned reserve items will be charged a fee of $150.00.


Billing

Charges to a student library account that remain unpaid for over one month are billed to your Student Account.