Printer FriendlyCirculation Policies for Hood College Students, Staff and Faculty
Borrowing privileges are extended to currently enrolled Hood students, faculty, staff, members of the board of trustees and the board of associates as outlined below.
In addition to the books in the library at Hood, books may also be borrowed from our consortium partners in MIC (Maryland Interlibrary Consortium), Columbia Union, Loyola-Notre Dame, Mount St. Mary's and Villa Julie. Click here for directions on borrowing from our consortium partner libraries.
Library Barcode
A library barcode is required to borrow books from Hood or from our consortium partners. To register for a library barcode, visit the circulation desk on the 1st floor of the library. Please bring a Hood ID or proof of class registration with you. Loan period for books: students, staff and board members: 28 days; faculty: 120 days.A library barcode is also needed when accessing databases from off-campus.
Item Limits:
There is a 25-item limit for undergraduate students; 50-item limit for graduate students; and a 200-item limit for faculty.Loan Periods for Videos and DVDs
Faculty and staff may check out videos and DVDs for seven days from the Hood library. Faculty may request up to five videos or DVDs at a time from our consortium partner libraries, provided that the lending library permits them to circulate.Students may check out two videos or DVDs from the Hood library (for weekend use only) on Fridays before 4:30 p.m. The items must be returned before the library closes the following Monday.
Videos and DVDs may also be viewed using the A/V stations located on 2nd and 3rd floors of the library.
Music CDs do not circulate.
Renewals
Hood and consortium books may be renewed one time for 28 days on or before the due date. A renewal may be placed online by going to SHARC, the online catalog, and selecting the "Patron" button near the top of the page. Hood and consortium books may also be renewed by phone at (301) 696-3709, by e-mail or in person at the circulation desk.Books that are 30 days or more overdue cannot be renewed. "Best Sellers" may not be renewed.
Holds
If a book you need is checked out, a "Hold" can be placed on it at the Circulation Desk. The item will be set aside when it is returned and you will be notified when it is ready to be picked up. The current borrower cannot renew a book if a "Hold" has been placed on it.Recalls
Occasionally, the library may need to recall a book and will contact the borrower with a new due date. If the book is not returned by the new due date, a fine of $1 per day will accrue until the book is returned.Fines and Overdue Books
Fines are not charged on overdue books, except for recalls, reserve items and reference books. Borrowing privileges and access to the library databases will be suspended if a patron has five or more overdue books. Privileges will be reinstated when all the items have been returned.Unreturned Books
A book is declared "Unreturned" if it is not returned by 30 days after the due date. A borrower having an "Unreturned Book" may not check out or renew any other books. For each "Unreturned Book," the borrower will be billed a $40 Unreturned Book Fee, plus a $25 Processing Fee. If an "Unreturned Book" is later returned, the Unreturned Book Fee will be refunded, but not the Processing Fee. Fees for consortium-owned "Unreturned Books" are as above.Reserve Items
Professors place books, journal articles and other items "On Reserve" at the circulation desk in the library for the shared use of students in a specific class.A Reserve item must be returned directly to a staff member at the circulation desk. Do not place a Reserve item in the outside book drop. Overdue fines will accrue at $1 per hour for each hour or fraction thereof until the Reserve item is discharged from the borrower's record.
In-Library and Overnight Reserves
At the discretion of a professor, "In-Library Reserves" may be taken out one-half hour before the library closes. Reserves are due promptly at 9 a.m. the next day. Reserves checked out on Saturday are due by 7 p.m. Sunday. Overdue fines accrue at $1 per hour, or fraction thereof, until the reserves are discharged from the borrower's record.24-Hour Reserves and 72-Hour Reserves may be checked out anytime the library is open. The circulation period begins when the item is charged to the borrower and ends after the specified period (24 or 72 hours).
Overnight Reference Books Policy: At the discretion of the evening reference librarian, a reference book will be allowed to circulate one hour before the library closes. The book must be returned one hour after the library opens.
The following restrictions apply:
- "Ready-reference" titles kept at the reference desk do not circulate.
- Materials that are being heavily used for a class assignment do not circulate.
- Individual volumes from sets of reference books do not circulate.
- Students may borrow only one reference book at a time.
These books must be returned directly to a staff member at the reference desk. Do not place them in the outside book drop. Overdue fines will accrue at the rate of $1 per hour for each hour or fraction thereof until the books are returned.