Circulation Policies

Updated February 2012

Lavery Library strives to make shared resources readily available to the St. John Fisher College Community. Circulation policies are intended to provide access to borrowers requiring library materials for academic success.

Eligible Borrowers

• St. John Fisher Students, Faculty, and Staff
• St. John Fisher Alumni(with membership card) and Emeriti
• Immediate Family Members of SJFC Faculty and Staff
• Nazareth Undergraduate Students and Faculty
• Empire College Students
• RRLC Access Card Holders

Borrower Confidentiality

Library patron records are confidential. Lavery Library will not disclose information concerning patron circulation activity in accordance with the New York State Civil Practice Law & Rules 4508, Chapter 112, Laws of 1988.

Table of Contents

• Loan Periods and Policies
• Fines Summary
• In Library Use Only
• Course Reserves
• Overdue Notices
• Long-Overdue Items
• Renewing Library Material
• Holds and Recalls
• Borrowers' Responsibilities
• Contact Us

Loan Periods and Policies

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Fines Summary

• Overdue Books: First 27 days overdue, no fines -- $45 replacement cost and $25 billing fee after 28 days overdue
• Overdue AV items - $1.00 per day, maximum fine $10.00 -- replacement cost and billing fee after 16 days overdue
• Special Curriculum items (puppets, textbooks, realia, special ed. assessment kits) - $1.00 per day, maximum fine $10.00 -- replacement cost and billing fee after 16 days overdue
• Overdue Reserve items - $.50 per hour, maximum fine $4.00 -- replacement cost and billing fee after 2 days overdue
• Damaged Books --$15 damaged fee --$45 replacement cost if damage is so extensive book needs to be replaced

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In Library Use Only

Current periodicals, bound journals, microforms, items from the Reference Collection, Special Collections, and Archives are non-circulating. Patrons may use these items in the library only.

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Course Reserves

Course instructors may place important course items on Reserve for their students. Loan periods for these items are set by the instructor and may vary in length, depending on the particular need. As availability of these items is often crucial for the effective completion of assignments, due times are strictly enforced. Late return of Reserve material will result in $.50 per hour/$1.00 per day fees. Please be considerate of classmates by returning Reserve material on time.

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Overdue Notices

Overdue notices are issued as a courtesy to all library patrons. It remains the responsibility of the borrower to return materials promptly; therefore, non-receipt of notices does not excuse the borrower from fees or replacement costs. Please be sure to maintain an accessible SJFC email account to ensure prompt delivery of notices. Borrowers unaffiliated with SJFC may submit an email address for the delivery of notices (please contact the Information and Checkout Desk at 585-385-8165).

A reminder notice is sent 1-2 days before an item is due. Periodic overdue notices will be sent to patron email accounts.

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Long-Overdue Items

Long-overdue items are billed to the borrower for replacement cost ($45) and a non-refundable $25 billing fee to cover expenses incurred in our attempt to recover or replace, and reprocess, severely overdue material.

Replacement fees will be forgiven upon material return; however, borrowers will be responsible for a $25 non-refundable billing fee per incident. Replacement fees will be refunded if patron returns material within 1 year. Bills over $10 will result in a hold on students' campus accounts. Holds will be removed once a bill is paid in total.

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Renewing Library Material

Borrowers may often renew materials they continue to need (please refer to the Loan Periods and Policies chart above) provided another patron has not placed a hold on the item. To renew materials online, logon to My Record from the Classic Catalog using your customary SJFC webmail username and password. Click the Renew All button to renew all items checked out, or click in the box beside an individual item, and then click the Renew Selected button. The new due date will appear in your library account. For help with renewing library material, please contact the Information and Checkout Desk (585-385-8165).

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Holds and Recalls

St. John Fisher College students, faculty, and staff may place holds on items that are checked out. When locating an item in the Classic Catalog that is currently checked out, click on the Request button to place the item on hold. Log in to My Record by using your customary SJFC webmail username and password. Please indicate a date by which the requested item will no longer be needed. You will be notified by email when the item has been returned to the library. Please pick up your on-hold item at the Information and Checkout Desk within 7 days. After 7 days, the items will be returned to the shelf. Please note: patrons may not place a hold on items listed "available" in the catalog. For help with holds, ask at the Information and Checkout Desk at (585)385-8165.

Lavery Library utilizes an automated system that triggers a recall when a patron requests a book that is checked-out to another patron. All library users have a minimum of 7 days to use a book. If a patron requires a checked out book, a notice of recall will be sent to the patron holding the book. The original borrower's due date may be changed to allow a total of 7 days use from the original check-out date, and 7 days to return the item after receiving the recall notice. Please comply with the adjusted due date, as there is a $1 per day penalty for returning the book late. Thank you for your assistance in helping us to meet the needs of the entire Fisher Community.

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Borrowers' Responsibilities

• Borrowers must present a valid ID card when checking out material -- SJFC ID, RRLC Access Card, SJFC Alumni Card, Nazareth Student ID, or a Lavery Library-Issued Card.
• Library privileges apply to the person named on the card, and are not transferable.
• Since library notices are sent via email, library patrons are responsible for keeping email accounts maintained and accessible.
• Library patrons are responsible for the care of library material charged to his/her library account and will pay for the repair or replacement of lost/damaged material.
• Patrons are responsible for the on-time return or renewal of library material.
• Borrowers are responsible for the payment of overdue fees.
• Library patrons are responsible for billing fees assessed for long overdue items.

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Contact Us

Please contact us with any questions or concerns regarding your library account! Let us know if you have any questions, comments, or suggestions (585-385-8165). If you feel your library account reflects an error, please contact the Information and Checkout Desk as soon as possible.

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