Circulation and General Policy Information

 Circulation Information for Students

Please note:  Due to the ongoing COVID-19 pandemic crisis, certain resources and services may be altered or suspended, including checkout of headphones and study rooms.  We regret this inconvenience and hope to resume our full suite of services as soon as possible.
 

Students are defined as persons currently enrolled at Trinity University taking one or more courses offered in the undergraduate or graduate Course of Study Bulletin. In order to borrow library materials students must present a current, valid Trinity ID card.

Borrower’s Responsibility

Borrowers assume total liability for items checked out from the Coates Library or borrowed on interlibrary loan. This includes responsibility for payment for lost, damaged, or mutilated items. Borrowers are responsible for making sure that items are properly returned for discharge from the library’s circulation system. The responsibility and liability remain with the borrower until the item is properly discharged.

All library materials are subject to recall at which time due dates are shortened to 4 days from the date of recall, and overdue fines apply. The student should comply promptly with any request to bring back borrowed items that have been recalled.

Loan Period and Renewals

Books, government documents, and printed music may be checked out for the duration of the semester or summer term and can be renewed electronically 2 times if there are no holds or recalls placed on the items.  See Renewing Items for instructions on how to do this.

Interlibrary loan materials are assigned the due date set by the lending institution. Any renewal requests must be made through the Interlibrary Loan office.

Bound periodicals circulate for 1 day, with no electronic renewals permitted.

Most reserves at the main circulation desk can be checked out for 2 hours with no electronic renewals.  Some items, such as Chromebooks and headphones, circulate for 4 hours. (Peripheral CD/DVD drives for Chromebooks can be checked out through ITS, on the library's first floor.)

Media materials circulate for 14 days with 2 electronic renewals.

Materials in Special Collections must be used in Special Collections.

Unbound (current) periodical issues may not generally be checked out, unless special permission is granted by Reference staff.  In such a case, the student may have a one-day, non-renewable loan only.

Other materials that do not circulate are Reference books, microforms, and stacks books and scores marked "Non-Circulating."

Lockers on the 2nd floor and 4th floor are available for student checkout. The lockers are checked out for one term and can be renewed electronically 3 times. Keys can be checked out at the main circulation desk.

Study rooms are available for checkout for a period of 2 hours. The keys to the study rooms are checked out at the main circulation desk.  Reservations may be made up to a week in advance using the online study room reservation interface.  (No more than one reservation per day per student, and no more than two reservations per student in any one-week period.)

Fines and Replacement Charges

Below is the grace period and overdue fine structure for different categories of material in the library.  The maximum fine for overdue materials is $10.00 per item.  Charges for lost or damaged materials include the cost of the item (usually $50.00; $20.00 for Media items) plus a $20.00 processing fee.  A borrowing block will be placed on a student's library account when the balance of fines owed reaches $25.00 or more.

Books, government documents, and printed music:

• Grace Period: 8 days
• Fine rate if overdue or recalled and overdue: $1.00 per day

2- or 4-hour reserves (including laptops, study room keys, and headphones):

• Grace period: 15 minutes
• Fine: $5.00 per hour (not pro-rated)

1-day reserves, 3-day reserves, and Bound Periodicals:

• Grace period: 15 minutes
• Fine: $5.00 per day

Media and Interlibrary Loan (ILL) materials:

• Grace period: 1 day
• Fine: $1.00 per day

Lockers:

• Grace period: 4 days
• Fine: $10.00 per day

Renewals and Holds

Through the Library Catalog and information gateway, students can renew items electronically from home unless a hold or recall has been placed on the item. See "RENEWING ITEMS".

Materials that are brought in to the library for renewal will be discharged and charged back to the student unless holds or recalls have been placed. The maximum electronic renewals are then available.

Another useful feature of the Library Catalog is the "Request" button shown in an individual item record.  When requested items are available, they will be retrieved from the collection by library staff, checked out to the student's account, and held at the circulation desk for pick-up, for no more than 14 days.  When requested items are currently checked out to another borrower, they will be flagged for hold upon their return.

Checking Materials Out From Other Area Libraries

Trinity students may check out items from certain area libraries through the TexShare program.  A valid Trinity ID card is required, along with a valid TexShare card (granted as needed by staff at the Library circulation desk).  For a list of institutions participating in the TexShare program, see the TexShare website.

Feel free to call the Circulation Desk at (210) 999-8127 for assistance.