Circulation Policies

Circulation Home

Borrowing Materials

All borrowers must present appropriate identification when borrowing library materials. Faculty, staff and students must present their University identification cards. Continuing Education cardholders will also be asked for supporting photo identification. Public Borrowers will be asked to show their library card and supporting photo identification. Delaware Technical and Community College and Delaware State University students will be asked to show their institution's ID card and their University of Delaware Library borrower card. All IDs must be currently valid in the Library's borrower database. Items checked out within the final thirty days that the borrower's card is valid will fall due on the date that the card expires. The individual associated with the ID or library card is solely responsible for all materials borrowed on his or her card and is liable for overdue fines and charges for lost and damaged materials. ID cards and library cards are non-transferable.

Loan Periods

ItemLoan Period
Books, Microforms, Maps, Government Documents 30 days*
Browsing Collection and Audio Cassettes 14 days
CD-ROMs 7 days
Bound and Microform Periodicals*** 3 days or 2 hours **

* Except UD faculty and professional staff who receive extended loan, UD PhD candidates who receive 120-day loans, and UD graduate students who receive 60-day loans.
** UD faculty, professional, and salaried staff receive three-day loans. Matriculated graduate students and PhD candidates receive two-hour loans.
***Items in microformat may not be renewed online or by telephone, but can be brought in to the Library for renewal.

Recalls

Library users interested in obtaining material that is currently checked out should request a recall card at the Circulation Desk or use the online form. Circulating books are subject to recall if they are needed by other users.

Users who have items that have been recalled are sent notice of revised due dates. Borrowers are assured use of material for 14 days, except when items are needed for Reserve Room use.

Reserve Room recalls must be rushed to serve course requirements; they are due immediately, even when library users have just borrowed the material that day.

If a recalled item is not returned by the recall due date, borrowing privileges are suspended until the needed item is returned and overdue recall fines may be charged.

Renewals

Library material not requested by other individuals may be renewed as often as needed. Items may be brought to the Morris Library Circulation Desk or Branch Libraries for renewal. University of Delaware students, faculty, and staff may use "Books I Have Checked Out" to view their library account information and to renew library books online.

To use "Books I Have Checked Out," go to DELCAT. Click on "Sign In" and enter your UDelNet ID and password. Then click on "Books I Have Checked Out" to view your library account information. When you are done, please click on "End Session" to sign out and maintain the confidentiality of your account information. If you're having trouble logging in to "Books I Have Checked Out" click here.

The following items cannot be renewed: Secured Area material; Reserve Room material; items on extended loan due in June; and items which are not circulated through DELCAT (these items typically have pink date due slips.)

If you have any questions about the material currently checked out on your account and their due dates, or want to renew your books by telephone, please contact the Morris Library Circulation Desk at (302) 831-2455 when the library is open.

Overdue Library Materials

Borrowers are individually responsible for keeping track of due dates and for returning or renewing library material by the date due. Overdue fines will not be waived on the basis of a failure to receive an overdue notice. Recalled items are due on the recall due date. Borrowing privileges are suspended if ten or more items are overdue or if a recalled item is not returned by the recall due date.

If library material is not returned or renewed promptly, an overdue fine of 25 cents per day to a maximum of $15 is charged. If library material is not returned or renewed by the sixtieth day after the due date, the borrower is charged a replacement fee and an invoice processing fee in addition to the overdue fine. Fees and fines are assessed consistently and are not waived.

Fees are payable at Room 116, Student Services Building, 30 Lovett Avenue. No money is collected at the Circulation Desk. If a billed item is returned undamaged, the replacement fee is waived. Processing fees are not waived, since the library has already incurred the cost of processing. Borrowers will be billed for damaged library materials. This fee is applied toward repair or, if necessary, replacement of the damaged item.

Library Material Replacement Costs
Minimum replacement Fee (Refundable if the item is promptly returned.)$60.00
Non-refundable Invoice Processing Fee$10.00
Non-refundable Overdue Fine$15.00
Total Minimum Replacement charge$85.00

If you have any questions concerning your library account, please contact Library Account Services via email at libacct@winsor.lib.udel.edu or by telephone at (302) 831-2456. Office hours are Monday through Friday, 8:00 AM to 5:00 PM.

Library Hours

Hours for all University of Delaware libraries are always available by calling (302) 831-BOOK. Hours for the Morris Library are posted at the entrance of the building and on the Library web page under Hours. Hours vary for holidays, intersessions, and semester breaks.

Inspection of Possessions

To prevent theft of library materials, library personnel inspect possessions of all users as they exit the library. Entering a University of Delaware Library implies consent that this inspection may occur. If a library user steals, mutilates, or attempts to steal or mutilate any library materials or property, University Public Safety Officers will be contacted. If you find mutilated materials on library shelves, bring them to the Circulation Desk.

Security

To avoid theft, do not leave possessions unattended in the Library. Red security phones--located throughout the Morris Library--directly connect to Public Safety. Use these security phones or contact library staff at any service desk for assistance with security concerns. Lost and found material should be submitted to the Library Circulation Desk. There is an electronic security control system at the Morris Library exit gate to protect the collection for the benefit of all users. Library users are subject to the inspection of all materials at the exit gate prior to leaving the building. Theft and mutilation of library materials is, and will be treated as, a serious offense. Building access cards, computer cables and coiled wire may set off the security gate and should be passed around the security screen to avoid delays while exiting. Inline skating, skateboarding, or other disruptive activities are not permitted in or around the library.

Refreshments

In order to protect library materials and to provide an atmosphere conducive to learning, no food, smoking or pets are permitted in the libraries. Beverages in resealable containers (such as bottles with screw tops, and mugs or cups with lids) are the only refreshments that may be consumed in the library. Users need to keep these containers closed when not in use to avoid accidental spills. Library staff or Public Safety staff may ask you to dispose of beverages in open containers or to remove food and will confiscate items not removed immediately. Refreshments may be bought and consumed in the Commons, located near the Morris Library entrance. Bleecker Street Cafe is administered by University Dining Services. Your cooperation preserves the Library as a pleasant place for research and study by protecting its valuable contents. Eating and drinking inside a library contribute to problems with litter, cause damage to library materials and furniture, and promote insect and vermin infestation. Smoking is permitted only on the Commons terrace which is outside the Morris Library.

Noise

The library is for study and research, not social activities. Library users will be asked to leave if they exhibit disruptive or inappropriate behavior, including loud talking that interferes with others' use of the library and its resources. Department of Public Safety officers will be contacted immediately in the event a library user engages in illegal behavior that harasses or endangers library users or library staff or threatens University property.

Public Borrower Information

The University of Delaware Library consists of the:

Morris Library Main Library Newark
Agriculture Library Townsend Hall Newark
Chemistry Library Brown Lab Newark
Marine Studies Library Cannon Lab Lewes
Physics Library Sharp Lab Newark

The Library has collections of 2.7 million books and periodicals, 3.4 million microforms including U.S. patents, more than 437,000 government documents, more than 125,000 maps, and more than 15,000 videocassettes, films and DVDs. The Library has specialized databases in CD-ROM and multimedia format, and more than 240 networked databases which can be used while visiting the Library. The Morris Library has seating for 3,000 individuals.

Electronic Access to the Library

DELCAT, the online catalog of materials in the University of Delaware Library, is accessible within the Library and also from outside the Library via the Web.

Users with Web access may reach the University of Delaware Library Web at www.lib.udel.edu to access DELCAT and other information resources. Library Database access outside the University of Delaware is available only to University of Delaware students, faculty, and staff due to license restrictions.

Walk-in Access

Anyone may enter the University of Delaware Library and use books, periodicals, government documents, and electronic resources such as DELCAT within the Library without any type of borrower card.

How Can I Borrow Library Books? What is a Public Borrower Card?

A Public Borrower Card makes it possible for individuals who are not currently students, faculty, or staff at the University of Delaware to borrow books. A Public Borrower is an individual with a Public Borrower Card.

Delaware or out-of-state residents who are 18 years of age or older may purchase a Public Borrower Card for their use. Each time a book is borrowed or renewed within the Library the individual borrowing the materials presents his or her Public Borrower Card as well as photo identification such as a driver's license. A Public Borrower Card may not be loaned to another individual for borrowing.

Public Borrower Card Purchase

To purchase (or renew) a Public Borrower Card, stop at the Morris Library Circulation desk at any time the Library is open. (Call 302-831-BOOK for Library hours.) Photo identification and proof of residency such as a driver's license is required to purchase a card.

The annual non-refundable fee for a Public Borrower Card covers 12 months of borrowing privileges beginning with the date the card is purchased:

Delaware residents$ 25 annual fee
Out-of-state residents$ 60 annual fee

Personal checks can be accepted for payment at any time. (Cash purchases of cards are available only when the register at the Student Multimedia Design Center is open.)

Students and faculty from Delaware State University and Delaware Technical and Community College have borrowing privileges at the University of Delaware Library at no cost, as part of a reciprocal agreement, and must present their institution's ID card and proof of current registration to receive a borrower card at the Morris Library Circulation Desk.

Public Borrower Circulation Policies

A Public Borrower may borrow most library materials for 30 days. All items are subject to recall by other users. Public Borrowers are unable to use authenticated online forms such as "Books I Have Checked Out" because they are not eligible to receive the UDelNet IDs these services require.

Book Renewal

Items may be renewed as long as the Public Borrower Card is valid (unless another user has recalled the book.) Public Borrowers may call the Morris Library Circulation Desk at (302) 831-2455 when the library is open to have a library staff member renew their books. If you have any questions about the material currently checked out on your account and their due dates, please contact the Morris Library Circulation Desk when the library is open.

Public Borrower Responsibilities

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