Bryn Mawr College

Circulation & Access Policies

ACCESS & BORROWING

Borrowing Policies

General Borrowing Privileges [PDF]

Visitors are welcome at the Bryn Mawr College Libraries on weekdays from 8am - 6pm. See this announcement for more details about after-hours access for visitors. 

Our first priority is to support the Bryn Mawr College community of students, faculty, staff and alumnae/i. The Library is open for U.S. depository access. Library or Public Safety staff may ask for ID at any time.

We do not offer borrowing privileges to visitors with no affiliation with Bryn Mawr College unless the patron is a faculty member at a PALCI member institution. For more information see: Faculty Reciprocal Borrowing.

 

Patrons with visitor cards from other Tri-College libraries (Swarthmore or Haverford) may not borrow materials from Bryn Mawr College Libraries. Correspondingly, patrons with Bryn Mawr Visitor Cards may not borrow from other Tri-College libraries.

The following people may borrow library materials:

• Current Tri-co students, faculty, and staff: present a valid college ID card/OneCard at the circulation desk. This card must be activated upon first use.
• Tri-co alumnae/i: obtain a borrowing card from a circulation supervisor at your alma mater's library.
• Tri-co faculty and staff partners/spouses: obtain a borrowing card from a circulation supervisor at your respective campus library.
  • Faculty affiliated with E-ZBorrow Libraries: obtain introduction papers from your home library.  This privilege may be renewed yearly with confirmation of faculty status. For more information see: Faculty Reciprocal Borrowing.

Patrons should be familiar with the Lending Policies for their specific patron type.

Patrons must show a valid Tri-college ID or Yellow Bryn Mawr Borrowing Card in order to borrow library materials or request information about their account.

 

RENEWALS

You may renew most library items by accessing your library record and following the on-screen directions.

ILL books may be renewed by filling out a form at the circulation desk or e-mailing the Interlibrary Loan Office. E-ZBorrow books and bound journals are only self-renewable once.

RECALLS

Any current student or faculty member may recall any item that is currently checked out by using the "Request Item" function.

• Any recalled item must be promptly returned, even if the borrower is using it to write a thesis. Keeping recalled items past their new due dates will cause your library account to blocked.
• The requesting borrower may not have the book until the original borrower has had it for a minimum of two weeks. After two weeks, a new recall due date is issued allowing the first patron five days to finish up with the book. If a book is already overdue, no additional time will be granted and the book will be due immediately.
• The requesting borrower may not have the video/CD until the original borrower has had it for a minimum of seven days. The original borrower cannot renew the video/CD, but can place a recall on the item, so that it is returned to the original borrower after the requesting borrower has had the video/CD for seven days.
• If you leave the Bryn Mawr area, you are still responsible for returning recalled books on time.  If you travel with library materials, watch for recall notices and be prepared to mail recalled items to the library. If you do not have e-mail access, do not keep library materials out on your account while traveling.
• Books needed for reserve and overdue books are subject to immediate recall. 
• Recalled books will be available for pickup at the Circulation Desk.
• If a book is recalled from you and you still need it, try E-ZBorrow. You can also place another hold on the book once you return it, and after the next patron has had it for two weeks, it'll go on hold for you again.

REQUESTING FROM OTHER TRI-CO LOCATIONS

Current Bryn Mawr students, faculty and staff may borrow books from Haverford and Swarthmore College libraries in person, or request items to be sent to Bryn Mawr. Use the "Request Item" function in Tripod to get items from these libraries. Requested items may be picked up at the Circulation desk, usually within 24 hours.

E-ZBORROW & INTERLIBRARY LOAN (ILL)

Material not in Tripod may be borrowed from another library. Reference librarians can help you identify the most useful and quickly obtainable resources. Submit requests via the InterLibrary Loan/E-ZBorrow webpage, or choose the "E-ZBorrow/ILL" function from the Tripod menu. 

ILL books may be renewed by filling out a form at the circulation desk or e-mailing the Interlibrary Loan Office. E-ZBorrow books are only self-renewable once.

Do not remove yellow/blue bands from books. A $1 fine will be assessed for each band removed.

RESERVES

Canaday, Carpenter and Collier reserve items are available at their Circulation Desks. Please look each item up in Tripod to find its call number.

Online reserves (e-reserves) are accessible on Blackboard and Moodle. Faculty wishing to place materials on reserve should consult the library's Reserves Procedures.

More information on viewing DVD/video reserves in Canaday

FINES & LOST BOOKS

Bryn Mawr College students should pay their library fines at the OneStop Desk in Guild Hall, Mon. - Fri., 9:00 am to 4:00 pm. Only cash and checks are accepted.

Fines are no longer sent to the Student Financial Services Office for collection. Students are responsible for all of their library charges, including charges less than $10.00.

Haverford and Swarthmore students should see the main libraries on their campuses to pay their library fines.

Library fines for faculty, staff, visitors & alumnae must be paid to the circulation desk. The circulation desk will only accept payment in the form of a check made out to Bryn Mawr College. Fine payments under $10 are accepted.

The library charges the following fines for overdue library items*:

• Reserve materials: $1 per hour or portion thereof
• Recalled materials: $2 per day
• Laptops and multimedia equipment: $25 per day or portion thereof
• E-ZBorrow and ILL (books borrowed from outside the Tri-colleges): $1 per day

Items returned with damages are also subject to fines.

The library issues bills ($75 or more) for items so long overdue they are assumed to be lost.

• You are e-mailed at least three overdue notices before you are billed for an item. A non-refundable billing fee of $15 will be assessed even if the billed item is subsequently returned.

Borrowing privileges will be blocked if:

• Unpaid bills exceed the library's set limit
• You keep a recalled item past its new due date

If your library record is blocked, you will be able to borrow materials again when:

• Billed books are paid for or returned to the library
• Overdue recalled books are returned to the library

*Please be aware that some items from Haverford and Swarthmore may accrue fines where their Bryn Mawr counterparts do not. You will be responsible for paying these fines.

Did you get an overdue notice for something you think you've already returned to the library? Click here- We'll take a look for it and reply within one week with the results of our search. The item will remain checked out to you while we search.

MISSING ITEMS

Did you look something up in Tripod only to go to the shelf and find that it's not there?

1) Make sure you're looking in the right place!  All Bryn Mawr items have a location beginning with B, followed by the library: Canaday, Carpenter or Collier

2) Check the to-be-shelved area: an item that was recently used might be there

Not sure how to find your way around the library? Ask for help at the TECH Bar!

Need help finding an item? Click here - We will get back to you with the results of the search within one week.  If we find the item, we will hold it for you.

E-MAIL NOTICES

In an effort to conserve paper, the Bryn Mawr College libraries send all library notices (overdues, recalls, fines, bills, hold pickup and cancellations, etc.) via e-mail. These notices are sent to your Bryn Mawr e-mail address (yourname@brynmawr.edu). 

If you do not use your Bryn Mawr e-mail, it is your responsibility to set your Bryn Mawr e-mail account to forward to the address that you do use. You are also responsible for setting your spam filters on your Bryn Mawr and any other e-mail account to allow messages from the library. These messages are sent from the address circadm@tripod.brynmaw.edu.

 

CONTACT US

Canaday Library Circulation Desk: 610-526-5276 - e-mail: circulation

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Fines

Borrowing Privileges