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Services and Assistance > Circulation Policies, Loan Periods, and Fines

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Borrowing Privileges
To borrow books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, or course reserve materials from the UNM University Libraries, you must have either a valid Lobo Card or a UNM University Libraries "Community Borrower" card. All borrowers must also present a Photo ID. Lobo Cards are issued to students enrolled in credit classes, faculty, and permanent staff. Free borrowing privileges are also extended to:

• Continuing Education students with proof of enrollment at Continuing Education (you will be issued a "Temporary ID" card for the duration of your class).
• Students working on incompletes during a time when they are not registered for regular classes (upon presentation of a letter from your department you will be issued a "Temporary ID" card for the duration of your work).
• Graduate students who have completed course work but who are doing research for a thesis or dissertation (upon presentation of a letter from your department you will be issued a "Temporary ID" card for the duration of your research).
• Volunteers and individuals, with valid documentation, temporarily connected with the University in a research or consulting capacity (you will be issued a "Community Borrower" card).
• Members of the UNM Board of Regents (you will be issued an annual card).
• Members of the immediate family of faculty, staff and the Board of Regents (you will be issued an annual card).
• High School students on the Presidential Scholars List (you will be issued an annual card).
• Members of the New Mexico Legislature and the Commission on Higher Education (you will be issued an annual card).
• Members of the Popejoy Society (you will be issued a "Community Borrower" card).
• Faculty, staff and students with a current ID from a member of the New Mexico Consortium of Academic Libraries (NMCAL) who have a valid "Library Passport Certificate." Students must obtain a "Passport Certificate" from their "home" Library and present the certificate with a photo ID at the Circulation Desk in a UNMGL Branch Library (you will be issued a "Community Borrower" card valid for one semester).
• Faculty, with proper identification and an "Online Computer Library Center, Inc. Reciprocal Borrowers Card" issued by an institution that is a member of the OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program.
• Individuals with a valid Albuquerque Public Library Access Agreement Form (you will be issued a CBC card valid for one month).
• TVI students who are eligible for a "Community Borrower" card by presenting a signed Library Passport Certificate form and verification of enrollment at TVI to a staff person at the Circulation Desk (you will be issued a "Community Borrower" card valid for one semester).
• Students enrolled at branch campuses of UNM (you may use the validated identification cards issued by your school to check out materials).

Community Borrowers
Community Borrower Cards are available to individuals who do not fit the categories listed above. These cards, good for one year, may be purchased at the Circulation Desk of any of the UNM University Libraries branch locations for $35.00. 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, not the Law or Health Sciences Libraries. They also do not include Interlibrary Loan borrowing privileges. Information on in-house use of materials at the Law Library may be obtained by calling 277-6236, and the Health Sciences Center Library at 277-5450.

Loan Periods for Undergraduates and Special Borrowers
Books and Government Publications - 30 days (2 renewals)
Periodicals* - 1 week (no renewals)
Sound Recordings** - non-circulating
Video Recordings** - 5 days
Recalled Items - return within 5 days of notice
Interlibrary Loan Items - 2 - 3 weeks
2 Hour Reserve Items - 2 hours
1 or 3 day Reserve Items - 1 or 3 days

Loan Periods for Graduate Students, Faculty, and Staff
Books and Government Publications - 1 semester (2 renewals)
Periodicals* - 1 week (no renewals)
Sound Recordings** - 14 days
Video Recordings** - 5 days
Recalled Items - return within 5 days of notice
Interlibrary Loan Items - 2 - 3 weeks
2 Hour Reserve Items - 2 hours
1 or 3 day Reserve Items - 1 or 3 days

Loan Periods for Community Borrowers
Books and Government Publications - 14 days (2 renewals)
Periodicals* - 1 week (no renewals)
Sound Recordings** - non-circulating
Video Recordings** - non-circulating
Recalled Items - return within 5 days of notice
Interlibrary Loan Items - not available
2 Hour Reserve Items - 2 hours
1 or 3 day Reserve Items - 1 or 3 days

*Periodicals published within the last 3 years do not circulate. The periodical collection at CSEL (Centennial Science and Engineering Library) is non-circulating, however under special circumstances two-day loans for journals older than three years will be permitted for photocopying outside the Library or for classroom use.

**Access to audio cassettes, audio tapes, video tapes, DVD cassettes, and slide collections can be obtained by acquiring the call number in the LIBROS Online Catalog, and requesting the item at the Circulation Desk at the Fine Arts Library.

An item is considered lost if not returned or renewed within 42 days after the due date or within 12 days of being recalled. Periodicals are considered lost if not returned within 12 days after the due date. Charges include the average price for a replacement copy or for a comparable item, a $10.00 processing fee, and any applicable fines (a $25.00 fine is added to lost 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 and processing fee will be removed from the patron's account, however the remaining processing fees and overdue fines must still 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, only the replacement cost of the item will be refunded. A borrower may avoid overdue fines by reporting lost items immediately.

All charges are payable to the University Cashiers Office at the Student Services Center. 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. All patrons have an assured minimum loan period of two weeks (1 month for faculty), unless the book is being recalled for Course Reserves. UNMGL 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
You are not permitted to check out more than two hundred items at any given time from the UNM University Libraries. No more than fifty of those items may be checked out from Centennial Science and Engineering Library. No more than 3 reserve items may be checked out at any given time. These limits may be exceeded for a short time upon approval from the Dean or Associate Dean of the UNM University Libraries or from the appropriate Library Director, or Branch Head of Circulation.

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
Hardcopy reminder notices are mailed as a courtesy. You are responsible for renewing or returning all items by the due date stamped in the item or given to you with the renewal verification code when you renew the item. Also, you are responsible for informing the library of any changes in your mailing and/or legal address.

You also have the option of receiving courtesy notification of overdue materials, recalled materials and holds pickup notices by e-mail. You can sign up to receive library courtesy notices by e-mail at the circulation desk of any UNM University Libraries branch locations. If you select the E-mail option, your signature on the "E-mail Authorization Form" will indicate that you will now receive all notices (with the exception of billing notices) exclusively by e-mail. You must also acknowledge that you will access your e-mail on a daily basis to keep informed of any notices that you may have received from the Library. You are also responsible for informing the library of any changes in your e-mail 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 Library Dean. Borrowing privileges can be suspended for failure to:

• return a recalled item.
  
• renew library materials.
  
• return billed materials or to pay for billed items.
  
• return materials borrowed via Interlibrary Loan.
  
• return materials after they have been renewed twice.
  
• pay outstanding overdue fines in excess of $100.00.

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.

For comments or additional information: libinfo@unm.edu
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Revised: 10 March, 2003