Borrowing Privileges
To borrow books, audiovisual materials, or course reserve materials from the UNM University Libraries, patrons must have be currently enrolled students, at a UNM campus, employees currently on the payroll, adjunct or visiting faculty, or retirees.
Community Borrowers
Community Borrowers Cards may be purchased at the Circulation Desk of any of the UNM University Libraries branch locations for a $35.00 annual fee. Purchasers of cards must present a valid government or work issued ID card at the Circulation Desk when acquiring a card. Alumni with proper authorization from the UNM Alumni Office can receive a $10.00 discount on the price of a Community Borrower's Card. The cards enable the holder to borrow materials from the UNM University Libraries, and the UNM Law Library. Community Borrowers are limited to 10 items checked out at a time. Please inquire about the use of materials at the UNM Health Sciences Library and Informatics Center by calling 277-5450. Community Borrower's Privileges do not include borrowing laptops or ereaders, borrowing through Interlibrary Loan, remote (off campus) access to our electronic resources, access to study rooms, or access to University Libraries Extended Hours services.
Loan Periods and Fines
| Undergraduates, Special Borrowers, and CNM Gateway students | Graduate and University Honors Students, Faculty, Staff | Community Borrowers, UNM Affiliates(KUNM) |
Fine if Overdue | Item Limits | |
| Books and Government Publications | 60 days (2 renewals) | 1 semester (6 renewals) | 14 days (2 renewals) | None | 200 items for UNM faculty, student and staff 10 items for Community Borrowers and UNM Affiliates |
| Periodicals | Non-Circulating | Non-Circulating | Non-Circulating | Not Applicable | Not applicable |
| Sound Recordings** | 1 week ( 1 renewal) | 14 days (2 renewals) | one week (1 renewal) | None | 14 items for UNM undergraduates 10 items for Community Borrowers and UNM Affiliates(KUNM) up to 200 items for UNM faculty, graduate students and staff |
DVD and Video Recordings** |
5 days (2 renewals) | 5 days (2 renewals) | 5 days (2 renewals) | None | 5 items for any library patrons |
| Recalled Items | return within 5 days of notice | return within 5 days of notice | return within 5 days of notice | 25.00 max. | not applicable |
| Interlibrary Loan Items | 2 - 3 weeks | 2 - 3 weeks | not available | see ILL page | not applicable |
| 2 Hour Reserve Items | 2 hours | 2 hours | 2 hours | none |
3 reserve items of any type |
| 1 or 3 day Reserve Items | 1 or 3 days | 1 or 3 days | 1 or 3 days | none. | 3 reserve items of any type |
** Most of University Libraries Sound Recordings, Videos and DVDs are housed at the Fine Arts and Design Library. These items circulate as specified above. Similar items held at other locations may have different loan periods.
Billing
An item is considered lost and eligible to be billed if not returned or renewed in a timely fashion. The overdue notices for any item will explain a patrons options .Charges include the average price for a replacement copy or for a comparable item, and any applicable fines (a $25.00 fine is added to billed items that have been recalled). Once these charges have been billed to a patron account, all library privileges will be suspended. If the item is returned, library privileges will be reinstated and the replacement cost will be removed from the patron's account. Any fines for a billed recall must be paid. If the item is not returned, but the charges are paid in full, library privileges will be reinstated. If an item is returned after a statement has been paid, the replacement cost of the item will be refunded to the patron's account at University Cashiers.
All charges are payable to the University Cashiers or through your on-line student account at myUNM. Unpaid charges may result in the university withholding student's grades and transcripts or the faculty and staff member's final paycheck.
Recalls
Patrons may request the recall of books that are currently checked-out. Patrons may also utilize Library Express to acquire a copy of books that are currently checked out from University Libraries. All patrons have an assured minimum loan period of 30 days, unless the book is being recalled for Course Reserves. UL library patrons can place online recalls using the LIBROS Catalog. The new recall due date supersedes the original due date. Patrons who have requested a recall will be notified when the book has been returned.
Item Limits
Each patron is permitted to have up to two hundred items checked out at any given time from the UNM University Libraries. We do also ask that patrons check out no more than 3 reserve items at any given time or 5 videos or DVDs from the Fine Arts and Design Library at any given time. In addition , we ask undergraduate students to stay within a limit of 14 sound recording at any given time. These limits may be exceeded for a short time upon approval from the University Libraries Access Services Coordinator or a Circulation Supervisor at any UL library.
Returning Items
The prompt return of library materials is in the best interest of all UNM library users. Borrowed materials may be returned at the Circulation Desks where patrons may request a receipt for the items that are being returned, or at outside book depositories located near the main entrance of each of the campus libraries. Materials borrowed from any of the main campus libraries may be returned at any of those facilities. Patrons are encouraged to return materials that have been borrowed from the Law or Health Science Center Libraries to those same libraries. Material borrowed from the main UNM campus may not be returned to branch campuses.
Reminder Notices
Reminder notices for overdue and recalled library materials are sent via e-mail as a courtesy. University Libraries sends notices to University patrons' UNM e-mail address by preference or to a street address if no UNM e-mail address is available. We encourage patrons who do not regularly monitor their UNM e-mail account to arrange to forward mail from this account to their preferred account. Community Borrowers may choose to receive courtesy notices at any e-mail account or to a street address.
Suspension of Borrowing Privileges
Borrowing privileges will be suspended when a patron fails to comply with the loan policies of the UNM University Libraries. The library will make all reasonable efforts to notify the borrower in person, by mail, or by e-mail that the borrowers privileges are in jeopardy because of overdue materials or unpaid bills. All patrons have the opportunity to appeal a library bill by contacting the University Libraries Access Services Coordinator. Borrowing privileges can be suspended for failure to:
Proxy Authorization
Faculty members may authorize a teaching or research assistant to check out items on their behalf. A "Proxy Authorization Form" must be obtained at the circulation desk and completed by the faculty member. The faculty member need not be present when the completed form is returned to the circulation desk if he/she is registered in the library computer. However, the form is not valid unless presented with the faculty member's valid Lobo Card. The teaching or research assistant is then issued a library card with the faculty member's library account number on the back. The proxy authorization is valid only until the end of the current semester and must be renewed for each semester the privileges are desired. The faculty member assumes responsibility for all materials borrowed by the proxy when using the proxy authorization library card