University Library
Central Circulation and Bookstacks Department
Circulation Policies

Valid Library Identification Cards

A valid identification card is required to obtain services at the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library. The following ID cards are accepted:

A current University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign I-Card
A University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign Library Courtesy Borrowing Card or Guest ID
A current ID card from another I-Share Member Library
University Laboratory High School ID Card

UIUC BORROWING PRIVILEGES BY TYPE OF BORROWER

* Exceptions are occasionally made for children (aged 16-17) of UIUC faculty members upon approval of the Circulation Librarian. The faculty parent will be required to sign a form accepting financial responsibility.
** Most unbound periodicals are Building Use Only.
*** The renewal limit is 10 times, with the exceptions of the courtesy cards LL (5 times) and LB(BUO) (no renewals). When the renewal limit is reached, the patron must bring the item(s) to the library. A library staff member will check the items in, and if the patron wants to take them out again, the staff member can re-check them out.
**** A non-refundable late return fee of $10.00 is assessed when an item reaches 40 days overdue. At 40 days overdue the borrower is also billed an average replacement cost of $125.00 minimum for books and $300.00 minimum for bound serials. Overdue recalls = $5.00/day, maximum $25.00/item. Reserve room fines vary by unit. ALL borrowers are subject to fines of $1.00/day for overdue videos, DVDs/CDs, audiobooks and other media from the Undergraduate Library. ALL UIUC borrowers are subject to the fining policies of other I-Share libraries.

Click here for more information on the circulation policies of specific UIUC departmental libraries.

RENEWING LIBRARY MATERIALS

Library materials from all UIUC Libraries and from other I-Share Libraries can be renewed by several methods:

• ONLINE: UIUC Library materials can be renewed over the online catalog if the borrower's account is in good standing. Account problems that may prevent an online renewal include:

  • 1 overdue recalled item;

  • reaching a renewal threshold set for a particular item;

  • fines and other library charges charges in excess of $3,000;

  • a block initiated by another I-Share library because of an unpaid bill or other account problem;

  • an upcoming expiration date in your borrower record--This can occur if you are no longer employed at the University or enrolled here as a student.

  • 10 lost items

• CLICK HERE TO RENEW USING MY ACCOUNT

• BY TELEPHONE: Call the Library Telephone Center at (217) 333-8400
• IN PERSON: At any circulation desk.

The following items CANNOT be renewed:

• Items that have been recalled by another patron. These items should be returned immediately to the Library.
• Items that are normally non-circulating, but were loaned to you on an exception basis.
• Reserve room items.
• Some bound journals.
• Overdue items borrowed from other I-Share libraries, depending upon the policy of the individual library.
• Non-I-Share items borrowed via Interlibrary Loan.

BOOKSTACKS ACCESS (Policy revised August 29, 2005)

In the interest of preserving an environment conducive for scholarship and research, the UIUC Library limits entrance to its Main Bookstacks primarily to faculty, staff, and students currently employed by or enrolled in the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign. UIUC faculty, graduate students, and staff are granted entrance upon presentation of a valid I-Card; UIUC undergraduate students should request a Bookstacks pass at the Main Circulation Desk or in Room 203 Main Library.

The following types of unaffiliated users with research needs, upon presentation of appropriate identification, may be issued a pass to enter the Main Bookstacks:

• Visiting U.S. or international scholars who are being hosted by a unit of the University of Illinois at Urbana-Champaign.
• UIUC emeritus faculty.
• Members of the University of Illinois President’s Council and the University Librarian’s Council.
• UIUC doctoral students who are currently not enrolled in classes.
• Faculty of other CARLI libraries in the state of Illinois.

Written requests for temporary exceptions to this policy should be addressed to Mary Burkee, Interim Head, Central Access Services, at burkee@illinois.edu. 

Please note that upon presentation of valid identification any resident of the state of Illinois, as well as many unaffiliated users not mentioned above, may request to have materials retrieved from the Bookstacks for them.  Please inquire about this service at the Main Circulation Desk or in Room 203 Main Library.

OVERDUE NOTICES, OVERDUE FINES, AND BILLING

Overdue notices are issued as a courtesy to all library users. However, non-receipt of an overdue notice does not exempt a borrower from applicable fines or billings. To avoid overdue notices, fines, and bills please renew your materials before the due date stamped in each item or return an item by the recall due date if the item has been requested by another borrower.

• The first overdue notice is issued on the 7th day following the due date.
• The second overdue notice is issued on the 21th day following the due date.

Overdue fines:

• Daily overdue fines are assessed for the following types of materials:
  
  • Overdue reserves: $2.00 for each hour, or any portion of an hour, overdue.
  • Videos, DVDs/CDs, audiobooks, and other media items from the Undergraduate Library:  $1.00/day up to a maximum of $30.00.
  • Overdue recalled items:  $5.00/day up to a maximum of $25.00

Processing Fees:

• The following borrowers are assessed a processing fee of $10.00 once an item has become 40 days overdue.

  Graduate students (including graduate and teaching assistants)
  Undergraduate students
  Courtesy card borrowers--Type PH
  Courtesy card borrowers--Type PL
  Courtesy card borrowers--Type LL
  Alumni
  "Building Use Only" permit holders
  All of the above types of borrowers affiliated with other I-Share schools

• Failure to return reserve materials on time will result in an overdue fine of $2.00/hour.

"Assumed lost" billing:

• All items that are not returned or renewed by the 40th day following the due date will be "assumed lost" and the borrower will be billed for the average replacement cost for books in the subject area, usually a minimum of $125.00 for books and a minimum of $300.00 for bound periodicals. The Library may assess a higher replacement cost in special instances. The replacement amount will be credited if the overdue item is returned in good condition. However, the processing fee (see above) will not be refunded.

Bills should be paid at the Campus Accounting Division, 100 Administration Building. If you have questions about an overdue notice, contact the library from which you borrowed the item. If you have a question about a bill, consult the staff of the Library Billing Office in Room 202 Main Library or call them at 333-8288. Outstanding library charges in excess of $3,000.00 will automatically block your borrowing privileges; if you are a student, outstanding library bills may also prevent your registration for classes, your graduation, or requests for transcripts. Please pay your library bills promptly.

Fines and bills from other I-Share libraries:

UIUC Library borrowers are subject to the loan and fine policies of the institution from which they have borrowed the material. All UIUC faculty, graduate students, staff, undergraduate and courtesy card borrowers may be charged overdue fines, processing fees, and lost book charges by the lending library for failure to return or renew material by the due date.

As a member of the I-Share Library Consortium, the University of Illinois Library adheres to the I-Share Library Resource Sharing Code. This code obligates us to assist the lending library in securing the return of overdue materials and the fines and/or processing fees associated with late renewals or returns. Lending libraries may request that we block the borrowing privileges of UIUC patrons who fail to return or renew materials when due, who fail to return recalled material promptly, or who do not pay invoices received for overdue fines, billing fees, or lost book charges promptly. It is the policy of the UIUC library to notify the borrower in question that a problem exists and to block the borrower's borrowing privileges if the problem is not resolved within 2 weeks.

Invoices: Patrons who receive an invoice from another I-Share library for overdue fines, processing fees, and or lost book charges, should bring the invoice, a check for the balance due made out to the lending institution, and the item in question to the Library Billing Office, Room 202 Main Library, immediately to prevent their borrowing privileges from being blocked at the request of the lending library.

RECALLS

Recalling an item from another borrower: While borrowers cannot initiate recalls online, they may request to have a UIUC item recalled from another borrower by inquiring at any library public service point or by calling the Library Telephone Center at 333-8400. Library staff can only recall a UIUC item from another borrower if there are no other available copies anywhere in the statewide online catalog. Items owned by other I-Share Libraries cannot be recalled without prior permission of the owning library.

If another borrower recalls an item that you have checked out, you will receive a "recall notice" in the mail. This notice informs you that the loan period for the item has been shortened and that the material must be returned by a certain date. This date is usually 15 days from the date the item was recalled. The Library's recall policy insures that library materials are equitably available. FAILURE TO RESPOND TO A RECALL WILL RESULT IN A $5.00/DAY (maximum $25.00/item) FINE. This fine applies to ALL borrowers, even those--such as faculty and staff--who are not charged processing fees. One day after the recall due date, your borrowing privileges will be automatically blocked until the recalled item is returned.

RETURNING LIBRARY MATERIALS

Borrowers may return UIUC and I-Share library materials to any public service point in the library regardless of where the item was originally charged out. Because library materials are discharged from the borrower's account at the location to which they are returned and prior to being shipped back to the owning library, borrowers are not held responsible for items that are lost in shipping. Library materials can also be returned to the bookdrop on the southwest corner of the Main Library. Return receipts are available upon request at any circulation desk.

Library materials CANNOT be returned through campus mail.

Please return non-I-Share interlibrary loan materials directly to the Circulation Desk on the second floor of the Main Library.

POLICY ON BORROWING PRIVILEGES FOR OUT-OF-STATE PATRONS

The Library is committed to providing access to collection of 10 million volumes to the University of Illinois faculty, staff, students, and community users in the state. As the stewards of the collection, the Library requires that library users return all library books before moving out of the state.

This policy affects the following groups:

• Dissertating graduate students (not enrolled in classes, but working on dissertation)
• Emeritus/retired faculty and staff
• Former faculty and staff
• Former students
• University of Illinois alumni/ae

Patrons in these categories will only be eligible to check out materials for use in the building during the Library’s hours. Emeritus and retired faculty with dual residency (both Illinois and outside of Illinois) will abide with the standard borrowing privileges and policies. For further information, please contact us at 217-333-2079, 1-866-262-1510 (toll free) or circlib@library.uiuc.edu.

The only groups exempted from this policy are University of Illinois distance education students and faculty who are on sabbatical. Individuals in these categories need to consult Take Us With You! to find information on how to request and return books as well as learn about other services available to them. Exceptions are also made for CIC or OCLC card holders (from other institutions) and members of the University of Illinois President's Council or University Librarian's Council.

Approved by the Administrative Council, March 19, 2007

POLICY ON CONFIDENTIALITY OF LIBRARY RECORDS

In consideration of:

• Council of the American Library Association's strong recommendation that the responsible officers of each library formally adopt a policy with regard to confidentiality of library patron records;
• ALA Policy Manual 54.15--Code of Ethics, point 3, which states "Librarians must protect each user's right to privacy with respect to information sought or received, and to materials consulted, borrowed or acquired;"
• Family Education Rights and Privacy Act of 1974, which prevents schools from distributing students educational records to third parties without a student's consent; and
• Illinois Library Records Confidentiality Act, P.A. 83-179, effective January 1, 1984 which states: "The registration and circulation records of a library are confidential information. Except pursuant to a court order, no person shall publish or make any information contained in such records available to the public."

The UIUC Library formally recognizes:

• That all records identifying the names, social security numbers, or I.D. number of library patrons are confidential in nature;
• That such records are not to be revealed to anyone other than the patron in question without either the express written permission of the patron in question or the adherence to proper legal and University procedures regarding required access to such information;
• That library employees are encouraged not to keep records with personally identifiable information, unless that information is necessary, and to destroy such records as soon as possible.
• That the confidentiality of patron records requires that such records should be consulted by library employees only for LEGITIMATE purposes such as locating or recalling library materials, processing overdue notices and fines, adding or deleting names to the database,  making collection development decisions, resolving billing matters, or investigating violations of Library circulation policies, including but not limited to, the following:
  
  • expired I.D. number with overdue items still charged
  • patrons who repeatedly claim to have returned books
  • patrons who have manipulated the system to set their own due dates outside the Library's established patron loan periods
  • patrons with outstanding Library accounts who have been referred to collection

  Library employees may not be view patron records for such purposes as idle curiosity, personal interest, or general monitoring.

  Special requests for confidential information to be used for research purposes shall be addressed to the University Librarian.

  EXAMPLES OF REQUESTS FOR LIBRARY INFORMATION THAT IS CONFIDENTIAL AND MUST NOT BE HONORED. This list is intended to provide examples of possible violations of confidentiality of library information and is by no means inclusive.  Any request for confidential information from patron records coming from a law enforcement officer or investigative agent of the state or federal governments, MUST be referred to the University Librarian.

  CIRCULATION AND PATRON RECORDS

  • A request for the circulation records of a faculty, student, staff or other library card holder by someone else.

  • A request by a faculty member for the identity of students who borrowed reserve items.

  • A request to review the circulation records of a student suspected of plagiarism.

  • A request to see interlibrary loan borrowing records.

  • A request for addresses, phone numbers, I.D. numbers or other personal information contained in the borrower database.

  • A request to see a list of individuals who are not members of the university community but who have been granted library borrowing privileges.

  • A request by a parent for information such as fines or other fees by the library to Students Accounts Receivable without the student's permission.

  OTHER EXAMPLES

  • A request for the name of the person who has signed out a particular item.

  • A request to review the identity of persons who have used a study room, listening room, study carrel or CD-ROM workstation.

  • A request to reveal the nature of a library user's reference request or database search.

  • A request for the names of persons who have used audio-visual materials.

  • A request for a list of items photocopied for or faxed to a particular Library user.

  • A request for a list of suggested acquisitions submitted by a particular Library user.

  • A request from law enforcement authorities for the identity of anyone conducting research on a particular subject.

[Directive No. 13; Issued by the Library Administrative Council; Effective date: October 1992]

Library Policy on the Use of Social Security Numbers

In compliance with campus directives on the privacy of the social security numbers (SSNs) of faculty, staff, and students, the library is no longer using social security numbers. Library users' SSNs will not be entered into the library's integrated library system, and library staff will use other search options, such as the Library Borrower ID Number (14-digit number) or faculty/staff/student 7-digit ID number, to identify a borrower's record. Library users should never be asked to provide their SSN in order to receive any library service.

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Contact Us: circlib@library.uiuc.edu
Last updated 05.10.07