CUL Gateway: Faculty and Staff Policies

Services : Circulation : Faculty and Staff Policies

Circulation is the library’s name for lending and borrowing material from the Cornell collections. The purpose of the Cornell University Library’s circulation policies is to encourage timely and equitable access by Cornell faculty, students, and staff to books, journals, and other items which they need for teaching, learning, and research.

Circulation Loan Periods

Books: the regular loan period for Faculty is indefinite (no due date). The regular loan period for Staff is 180 days. In all cases, borrowed books must be returned if they are requested (recalled) by another user or if the borrower leaves the university.
Other materials: special materials such as journals, videos, or reserve items, may be loaned for short periods of time such as hours or days. Check with individual libraries for specific loan periods.

Notices

Courtesy Notices are sent four days before a book is due, and Overdue Notices are sent the second day after a book is due. Available Notices are sent the day after a requested book is received at the designated pick-up library. Recall Notices are sent the day after a book is recalled by another user, and Fine/Fee Notices are sent the day after the fine or replacement charge is incurred.

Library notices are sent by e-mail to the borrower's net id address (netid@cornell.edu). If another type of e-mail address is the preferred address (such as you@department.cornell.edu), the borrower will need to configure their mail preferences so that netid mail is routed to the preferred address. Please go to http://whoiam.cornell.edu and follow the instructions for routing mail. Note that failure to receive a courtesy or overdue notice does not relieve the borrower of responsibility to return or renew borrowed materials by the due date.

Overdue Fines

Loan Type	Fine Rates
Regular	No charge*
Hourly	$.04/minute or $2.40/hour
Short Term	$2.00/day
Recalls	$3.00/day

*Late fees are not charged for materials provided they are renewed or returned before a bill is written.

Replacement Billing

A replacement bill is created 27 days after the due date if an item has not been renewed or returned.

Lost Item Replacement Cost	$75.00**
Overdue Fine	$25.00
Recalled Item Fine	$60.00
Short Term Loan Fine	$35.00

** This amount may be more if an item is of greater value.

If the material is returned after a bill is sent, the cost of the item will be credited, IF not already replaced or reordered. The fines may NOT be refunded.
Unpaid bills or fines are sent to Cornell Collections 60 days after the bill date.
Questions and appeals regarding bills and fines should be directed to the circulation staff of the lending library.

Borrowing Privileges

Cornell University identification cards serve as library cards. The privilege of borrowing is a personal one and may not be transferred.
A patron’s ID will be blocked and borrowing privileges will be suspended if the borrower:
1. owes library bills of $300 or more.
2. fails to respond to one recall request.
3. has more than 100 overdue items.

Proxy Borrowers

Faculty members may authorize other individuals to borrow books in their name. The faculty member remains responsible for all items checked out by his or her proxy. To designate a proxy, contact the Access Services office, 116 Olin Library, 255-5069, or the Mann Library Access Services offices, 255-7965.

Recalls

Any item may be recalled at any time for Course Reserve use or after two weeks if requested by another Cornell patron.

General Circulation Policies

All library material must be properly charged out and its prompt and safe return is the personal responsibility of the individual to whom it is loaned.
Overdue notices are sent as a courtesy to remind borrowers that an item should be renewed or returned, but failure to receive a notice does not absolve the borrower of the responsibility to renew or return the item to the library in a timely manner.
The borrower is responsible for notifying the library immediately if library material is damaged, missing, or lost.
Address Changes: Faculty and staff should make campus address changes through their departmental Human Resources representative. Home address updates can be entered through Bear Access/Employee Essentials. E-mail forwarding can be configured through http://whoiam.cornell.edu. Please be aware that address updates may take a week or longer to transfer to the library database.