Borrowing Policy

Eligible borrowers

Faculty, staff and currently registered students of UMass Dartmouth are eligible upon presentation of a valid UMass Pass. Part-time faculty, staff and students must obtain a UMass Pass in order to check out materials. They are not eligible for Special Borrowers' cards.

Non-registered students finishing an incomplete are also eligible. They must provide a written or e-mailed approval of the professor under whose guidance the work is being done, along with the presentation of a UMass Pass.

UMD alumni with current Alumni Association cards, issued by the Alumni Office.

Registered students, faculty and staff of member institutions of cooperating consortia: BLC (Boston Library Consortium) upon presentation of a current BLC card; SACHEM (Southeastern Association for Cooperating Higher Education Institutions in Massachusetts); SMCL (Southeastern Massachusetts Cooperating Libraries); WILL (Walk-In InterLibrary Loan -- includes all MA state colleges and universities.) Patrons must present current ID cards from their respective institutions or a picture ID, such as a driver's license, and a current printed class schedule. If someone wishes to borrow library materials but is not on the list, he/she may apply for a Special Borrower's card as a Massachusetts resident. For a complete list of eligible schools, please refer to Appendix I at the end of this document.

Registered students, faculty and staff of UMass Dartmouth-affiliated institutions such as BUSSW (Boston University School of Social Work) or the Southern New England School of Law, or SEMLS (SouthEastern Massachusetts Library System). Patrons must present current ID cards from their respective institutions or a UMass Pass (BUSSW only).

Individuals from out of state or Massachusetts residents who need to borrow more than the usual limit of 5 books may join the UMD Library Associates for an annual fee of $20.00. This entitles the patron to borrow up to 20 items.

Residents of Massachusetts 18 years and older may obtain a Special Borrower's card with proper identification, such as a driver's license or other form of photo ID. If neither is available, two forms of identification are required, such as a public library card, Social Security card and some other form of identification, such as a copy of a bill with their name and address on it.

All Special Borrowers must be individuals, not organizations or groups.

High school students in grades 9-12 may also obtain a Special Borrowers' card with proper identification as listed above.  However, in order to borrow materials, they need to return a completed application with a parent's or guardian's signature and understand that he/she is responsible for overdues, fines, lost materials, etc.

ALL library patrons, no matter what their status, must not have any overdue library materials/equipment or outstanding fines in order to have borrowing privileges.

Types of material which may be borrowed

• Annual reports
• Audio books
• Books from the general collection
• Browsing books
• CD-ROM's
• Compact discs
• DVD’s
• Government publications from the pamphet file
• Maps
• Slide sets
• UMD theses (copy 2 only)
• Videotapes

Several types of materials are for Library use only, including Reference books, periodicals, and Archives & Special Collections materials.

Types of Audio/Visual equipment which may be borrowed

AV equipment is available for use by current UMD faculty, staff, students and student organizations.  Requests may be made at the Circulation Desk on a first come, first served basis.  Valid identification (UMass Pass) is required.  This service is not available to any Special Borrowers or organizations.  The types of AV equipment are:

• Audiocassette recorders
• Camcorders - Digital and VHS
• DVD players
• Extension cords
• Headphones
• Laser pointers
• MAC adaptors
• Microphones for classroom use
• Opaque projectors
• Overhead projectors
• Radio/Compact disc players
• Portable videotape players (VTP's)
• Screens
• Slide projectors
• Tripods
• VCR and monitor on a cart

Please refer to MCLP: Mobile Computing Lending Program section of the Library web site for information on the loaning of laptop computers and data/video projectors.

Item limit

All borrowers are limited to a maximum of five (5) of any type of AV materials, i.e., five videotapes plus five music CD's plus five audiocassettes, etc.

• UMass Dartmouth community: All UMD students, whether undergraduate or graduate, may borrow up to thirty (30) items. Faculty and staff may borrow up to fifty (50) items.
• Other colleges and universities: Any student from one of the member institutions listed in Appendix I may take out up to ten (10) items. Students from the Southern New England School of Law and the Boston University School of Social Work may borrow up to thirty (30) items.
• UMass Dartmouth Alumni: Alumni from the UMass Dartmouth Alumni Association have a limit of twenty (20) items.
• Claire T. Carney Library Associates: Members of the Library Associates have a limit of twenty (20) items.
• Massachusetts Residents/Special Programs: All residents of Massachusetts and any participants in UMass Dartmouth special programs have a limit of five (5) items.

Length of loan

• Students/Claire T. Carney Library Associates/Special Borrowers/Alumni: Books should be returned as soon as they are no longer needed and are due thirty days after they are borrowed. Participants in special programs are limited by the length of the program.
• Faculty/Staff/Graduate Students: Books should be returned as soon as they are no longer needed and are due the last day of the semester in which they are borrowed or one hundred fifty days, whichever comes first.

AV materials have different loan periods for all borrowers

• Videotapes, compact discs, DVD’s, slides, and books and theses with media and audiocassette sets such as Books On Tape may be borrowed for thirty days.
• CD-ROM's that accompany library books may be loaned for the same length of time as the book, either 30 days or a semester loan, depending on the borrower's status.

Renewals

Materials may be renewed up to three times, either in person or by telephone, as long as no one else has requested them and the items are not overdue. For more information, refer to the fine section of this policy. At the end of the semester, students must be registered for the coming term in order to renew library materials.

Recalls

Materials may be recalled for use by UMD students, faculty and staff any time after the first fourteen days of the loan. All library materials needed for Reserve can be recalled at any time. After a recall notice has been sent, all patrons have one week to return the material or a fine of one dollar ($1.00) per day will commence, up to a maximum of $50.00. If a library borrower does not return the item within ten days, he/she will be sent a bill that includes the fine up to the date of the bill and a ten dollar ($10.00) non-refundable processing fee. If the item is not returned, the daily fine will continue to accrue up to the maximum of fifty dollars ($50.00).

Recall fees apply to all library patrons, including UMD faculty, staff and administrators.

Overdue notices

All library materials have a due date stamped inside the cover when they are checked out. AV equipment has a receipt attached which indicates the date and time due. Materials become overdue the first day after the due date and borrowing privileges are suspended. Two weeks after the material becomes overdue, a series of notices and bills is initiated. Non-receipt of an overdue notice does not remove responsibility for returning library materials.

• Courtesy notices are sent two days before the due date.
• First notices are sent one week from the due date.
• Second notices are sent five weeks from the due date.
• Third notices are sent nive weeks from the due date.
• Bills are sent six months from the due date, and yearly after that. When a bill is sent, the patron is charged for the replacement cost plus a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee.

Fines

• Books: A twenty-five cent ($.25) per day per item fine is charged, with a maximum of twenty-five dollars ($25.00) per book.
• AV Materials: A fine of twenty-five cents ($.25) per day per item is charged, with a maximum up to the replacement cost of the item.

Fines will be cut in half if they are paid when the items are returned and if they were due in the current semester for books and AV materials only.

• AV Equipment: A fine of five dollars ($5.00) per day per item is charged, with a maximum up to fifty dollars ($50.00) per item. **This fine cannot be cut in half.**
• Reserve materials are assessed a fine of one dollar ($1.00) per hour or part thereof, to a maximum of fifteen dollars ($15.00). The maximum Reserve fine is fifteen dollars ($15.00) and cannot be cut in half. If the item is not returned, the borrower will receive a bill for any replacement costs plus the fifteen dollar ($15.00) maximum fine.

There will be no waivers or amnesty periods.

Lost or Damaged Materials/Equipment

If library material is damaged beyond repair or is lost, the patron is billed for the replacement cost of the material plus any fines and fees. The Library will accept a copy of the same edition in good condition to replace a lost item, with approval from the Circulation Desk supervisor. Only original AV materials in their original packaging will be accepted. This is possible only if the item has not already been replaced. In either case, any fines and fees will still be paid. If anyone, no matter what his/her status, loses or damages library materials or audio/visual equipment, the Library will bill the patron for the replacement cost plus any processing or repair fees. If the lost material is found within sixty (60) days after the charges have been paid, a refund of the replacement cost only will be given. Refunds are not immediate. They will be generated through the University Business Office.

Replacement costs

Books

• Seventy-five dollars ($75.00)*  plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee

Government publications

• Eleven dollars ($11.00)*  plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee

* Based on the average cost of a government publication.

AV materials

• Fifteen dollars ($15.00)* for popular videotapes, plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee
• One hundred fifty dollars ($150.00)* for educational videotapes, plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee
• Fifteen dollars ($15.00)* for individual audiocassettes, plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee
• Fifteen dollars ($15.00)* for music CD's, plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee
• Fifteen dollars ($15.00) for DVD’s, plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee.
• Twenty-five dollars ($25.00) for CD-ROM's, plus any accrued fines and a twenty five dollars ($25.00) non-refundable processing fee

*Based on the Bowker Annual of Library & Book Trade Information average figures.

Audio/Visual Equipment

If audio/visual equipment is damaged or lost, the patron is billed for the replacement cost of the equipment and/or parts plus any fines and a twenty-five dollar ($25.00) non-refundable repair fee. If the patron returns the material or equipment, he/she is still responsible for any fines and fees accrued.

Borrowing privileges are suspended for all library patrons until any overdues have been returned and fees paid.

Penalties

The Library reserves the right to deny all borrowing privileges to borrowers with outstanding charges. It is the right of the Library to withhold degrees, transcripts and registrations until all financial obligations are met.