Table of Contents
Important Telephone Numbers

General Policies

Circulation and Access
Requirements for Borrowing
Loan Periods for Graduate Students
End of Semester Return and Renewal
Renewals during the Course of the Semester
Overdues and Fines

Course Reserve and Other Aids for Teaching and Research

Putting Items on Course Reserve
Faculty Permission for Research & Graduate Assistants for Proxy Borrowing
Photocopying

Finding and Getting Material

Reference Contacts
Obtaining NW Depository & Firelands Books, Searches & Recalls
OhioLINK Consortium
Traditional Interlibrary Loan
Online Article downloading and Research Citation databases

Managing Your Library Account

Keeping Track
PINS
Documentation
Lost Books, Billing and Account Reconciliation

Additional Information

Disability Services

Other Resources for Graduate Students

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General Policies

The holdings of the BGSU Libraries are a shared resource for the entire university community. The mission of academic libraries includes access to and circulation of materials. Another significant portion of the mission of academic libraries is the preservation of materials for future generations of researchers and scholars. The mission to preserve the collections and ensure equitable access to the entire scholarly community affects many of the BGSU Libraries' policies, including borrowing, renewal and return policies, assessment of overdue fines, and billing policies and procedures.

In general, all borrowers are expected to inform themselves of the BGSU-specific conditions under which they borrow materials and adhere to those conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to:  

• Recognizing that these materials are a shared resource that individual patrons have borrowed, and other people have the right to use them. All items may be recalled after a minimum two week loan period if another BGSU patron requests them. Items going on Reserve will be recalled immediately. The OhioLINK loan period is a state-wide agreed upon loan period based on a shared commitment to equitable access for all patrons within the consortium. Returning books promptly on or before their due date if they are no longer needed ensures that other patrons can browse and borrow those materials. 
• Keeping borrowed materials in good condition. Please do not allow books to be damaged by liquids or other foreign materials, do not write in or highlight books, do not fold or tear pages, remove sticky notes or other bookmarks from the books before returning them, and keep them away from dogs.  Items that have significant damage may be billed to the borrowing patron for the cost of repairs/replacement. 
• Understanding that items borrowed on your account are your responsibility. Any time that you lend books on your account to another person, you are assuming the risk of incurring overdue fines or lost book charges. Regrettably, charges incurred under the above circumstances cannot be waived, and we can only bill the account of the person who initially borrowed the material. TAs and GAs working for faculty should have the faculty member fill out and sign a Research Proxy Borrower Form, and submit it to the circulation desks of Science or Jerome library to minimize borrowing for your faculty member. 
• Tracking dates and times items are due. Main Stack, Interlibrary Loan (ILL) and OhioLINK Items have the date due stamped on them at the time of checkout. In addition, BGSU and OhioLINK due dates can be viewed online by checking the borrower's library account. ILL users can check due dates online through the ILLiad online interlibrary loan system. 
• Different items may be borrowed under different conditions. OhioLINK books can be checked out for three weeks and renewed four times unless "on hold" for another. Interlibrary Loan materials have different restrictions than regular BGSU main stacks items. Some specialized material may not leave the building.  Most materials checked out from the Music Library, Curriculum Resource Library, Reserve Room, or signed out from the Periodicals desk or the Reference Desk must be returned to those desks. Check the due date stamped on the material/check your library account/ask at the service desk where you borrowed the material. 
• Fines are assessed for overdue materials.
• Long overdue, lost or damaged materials will be billed.

Circulation and access

Jerome and Science main collections are open stack collections; patrons are free to browse and select their own materials from the circulating collections and periodicals.

Music has some open stacks; items are checked out through the Jerome main circulation desk. Many more materials are in closed stacks; they are requested, checked out and returned only through the Music listening center window.

Curriculum Resource materials generally circulate through the main desk at Jerome, but certain teaching aids are a closed collection and must be requested and borrowed directly from the Curriculum service desk.

Browne Popular Culture is a closed collection; you may request material through the Popular Culture service desk and they will locate it for you; these materials may not leave the Popular Culture reading room.

Archives: These are closed collections. Contact the Center for Archival Collections and the Historical Collections for the Great Lakes directly to discuss access to their collections.

Hayes Presidential Center materials appear in the BGSU online catalog but arrangements to see the material must be made through the Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio. This Center is not part of the BGSU library system and sets its own policies regarding access to the collection.

Requirements for Borrowing

One needs an account in the library's patron database, a BGSU photo ID, and fees paid for the current semester to borrow materials.  (During the first few weeks of the semester, bring your BGSU ID to one of the circulation desks and we will temporarily update your account.) Before that temporary expiration date, you must show proof of payment at the circulation desk and have your record updated by circulation desk staff. Once your record is updated, you are responsible for renewing your materials

You must have your BGSU ID with you every time you wish to conduct business in the library. You are responsible for notifying us of any address changes each semester.

At the end of the semester: All BGSU books need to be returned or physically presented for renewal at the end of every semester. Any overdue OhioLINK book must be returned or renewed.

Loan Periods for Graduate Students

Graduate students receive an end of semester due for general collection materials housed in Jerome, Science, Firelands and Government Documents. Special collections (Music, Curriculum) have differing loan periods depending on the type of material. Loan periods       for Reserve items are 2 hours, 1 day and 3 days depending on the specific item.

OhioLINK books from another university can be borrowed for 21 days and renewed four times unless "on hold" for another person. OhioLINK non-book items can be borrowed for 7 days with no renewals and no grace period.  OhioLINK books will be held for pick up for 10 days. OhioLINK media will be held for pick up for five days.

All borrowed materials may be recalled at any time.

Due dates may shorten for recalled material. You will receive an email notice if a book has been recalled from you. Items that are going on Course Reserve are subject to immediate recall without the usual 14 day minimum leading period. Items which have been recalled are subject to $1.00 per day fines after the recall due date has passed.
 

End of Semester Return and Renewal

At the end of the semester, you must renew your materials in person by bringing them to the library -- there are no online renewals or phone renewals allowed past the end of the semester.

At the end of each semester, your account privileges will expire in our database until you physically present all borrowed materials for return or renewal at either Science or Jerome. This expiration of privileges block you from access to some online functions, including OhioLINK requests and remote access to research databases, as well as self-renewal and telephone renewals.

 If materials are still due from the current semester when you check out more or renew materials, and you are marked "unpaid" or do not have proof of payment of fees, you will be given a temporary due date.  Your account expiration date will remain the end of Fall Semester. You will not be able to request OhioLINK items or authenticate to databases from off-campus until your account is cleared of all items due from Fall Semester.

When your account is clear of items due from the current Semester, and your account is marked paid or show proof of payment of fees, your library account expiration date will be moved forward to the end of the next semester.  You must renew the items on or before the temporary due date.  They will not be renewed for you.

You do not have to bring the material in again to renew, as long as you cleared your account of all items due on or before the preceding semester. You can call 419-372-2133 to renew or renew your items online before the due date.

If you do not return or renew your material, at a certain point you will be billed for lost books

Renewals during the Course of the Semester

If the material is not yet overdue, self-renew online. Choose the "My Library Account" option on the BGSU Libraries home page and login.  Choose which items you want to renew, click the "renew selected items" button, and make a note of the new due date that the system assigns. Double check the due date the system assigns and make sure that the system accepted your renewal -- some items cannot be renewed, e.g. items on hold or recall and OhioLINK items that have been renewed once already. It is an excellent idea to frequently check your account using My Library Account.

If the material is already overdue, call the telephone renewal line, 419-372-2133.  We strongly suggest you have the materials with you when you call. At a minimum, you must know the barcode (each item has a label with a computer code) and title of each item you want to renew in order to renew by telephone. Follow the directions of the circulation staff with regard to documenting renewal dates.

All materials may be renewed at the circulation desks where the item was borrowed by bringing the materials in person.

Items that have been recalled or are on hold for another patron cannot be renewed.

You cannot renew items yourself online on an expired account! At the end of each semester you must clear your account in our database by physically presenting items for return or renewal on or before the date at which items become due.

You are responsible for keeping track of the due dates of your material. Initially, each item has a due date stamped on it--in the event of any uncertainty, check your own account or ask a circulation staff member to do it for you.

In case of telephone renewals, you are responsible for noting the new due date for each item and following the instructions of the staff regarding documentation of the renewal.

If you choose to self-renew online, you are responsible for making sure that the system accepted your renewal, and for notifying us as soon as possible if there is a problem.

Overdues and Fines

BGSU open-stack materials will be assessed $0.25 per day for each item.

OhioLINK materials are assessed a $0.50 per day fine for each item. Statewide policy dictates these fines and BGSU Libraries may not waive them.

• Recalls: Due dates may shorten for recalled material. Materials that have been recalled from you and not returned on the receipt of the recall notice by the new due date accrue fines at $1.00 per day per item. Make sure you respond as quickly as possible to all library notices.  
• Reserve: Materials that are on Reserve will accrue fines at $0.25 per hour per item.

Generally, for a few days after an overdue book is returned, you can pay fines at the Jerome or Firelands Library.  After that, charges are sent your bursar account. Everyone is assessed charges for long overdue/lost materials. Charges include the replacement cost of an item and a processing charge plus accrued fines if applicable.  Lost material charges are sent to your bursar account.

If you locate a billed item within two years of the actual billing, please return the item for a substantial credit to your account.

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Course Reserve and Other Aids for Teaching and Research

These policies apply to placing items on Reserve in Jerome Library, Science Library, Music, and Curriculum. Please contact the special collections for additional policies and guidelines. In order to ensure timely placement of materials on reserve for your courses, please follow these guidelines and policies. Contact Jerome Reserve staff (419-372-7908), or the Special Collection staff involved, as soon as possible if you have any questions about the process.  

Putting Items on Course Reserve

Photocopies may be placed on electronic reserve. Stop in, email or call (419-372-7908) the Head of Reserves for more information.

Collect all materials or photocopy all materials that you need for your courses well in advance, and bring them to the Reserve desk 3-5 days in advance of when they will be needed by your students. BGSU libraries cannot pull material for you and cannot photocopy material for you. Materials are processed for courses in the order in which they are received--at the beginning of the semester - you may find yourself at the end of a long queue if you wait until the minimum 3 days before the material will be assigned.

A timeline for submission of materials is available in Reserve (email or call 419-372-7908).  

Complete and sign a Reserve form.   All photocopies must include complete citation information.

Personal materials or non-library materials will be handled on a case by case request. Security of personal materials is not guaranteed. All such materials will be returned to the course instructor at the end of the semester.

Copyrighted material cannot be placed on “permanent” reserve. Contact the Head of reserve for any clarification.

The following items may not be placed on Main Reserve: OhioLINK items, Reference materials, Interlibrary Loan materials, closed stack materials, and Library copies of periodicals. Specific Reserve units may also restrict additional items.  Check with the individual collections if you have any question about their materials.

Photocopies must be submitted with a completed, signed Reserve form. All photocopied material must comply with the requirements of U.S. copyright law. It is the instructor's responsibility to insure copyright compliance.

Faculty Permission for Research & Graduate Assistants for Proxy Borrowing

For conducting proxy borrowing, print the online Research Proxy Form available on the library web site or pick up a proxy borrowing form at the Jerome or Science Library circulation desks. Once the form is completed, signed by the faculty member, and returned to either circulation desk, the person so designated may borrow books, place holds, and make OhioLINK requests on the faculty member's account.  

Present your own ID and tell the staff member that you need to borrow the materials on the faculty member's account. An OhioLINK book can only be borrowed on the account from which the request was made.

The proxy borrowing service is only available to contracted assistants.  It is not available for family members or friends.

We strongly recommend you neither ask others to borrow items on their accounts for you, nor lend items that are on your circulation account to other people.  If it is necessary for us to bill for lost, overdue or damaged items, we can only bill the person who borrowed the item, not another party, unless another person signs to accept the billing.

Photocopying

BGSU libraries provides self-service copiers for our patrons. The photocopiers on the main campus use the BG1 Card. There is a machine to add value to your BG1 Card in the Jerome Library and in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

For departmental copying, talk to your department representative.

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Finding and Getting Material

Reference Contacts

Reference faculty and staff at the Jerome and Firelands Libraries and in the Special Collections are invaluable contacts for learning about BGSU's many citation and full-text article databases, e-journals, the OhioLINK central catalog, and other research resources.

Contact the main research and information desk at 419-372-6943, chat or email via Ask-a-Librarian or stop by the reference desks of Jerome or Firelands Libraries.

Obtaining NW Depository & Firelands Books, Searches & Recalls

BGSU materials housed in Northwest Depository and Firelands materials will appear as request-able in the BGSU online catalog. Questions? Contact the Circulation Desk in person or by email.

• Firelands material is delivered to Jerome Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays;
• NW Depository materials are usually available the next business day.

Searches

If the material you want is listed as available in the online catalog but is not on the shelf, notify the circulation desk at the appropriate library and they will initiate a search. You must do this in person or via email using your BGSU email account; we cannot take searches over the phone. You can then request the material through OhioLINK if you need it quickly. The majority of items are found -- however, since items on search are by definition out of place, it is difficult to say when or even if they will be found. If the material is found, you will receive a notice to pick up the material at the appropriate circulation desk.

Recalls

If the material is checked out to another person, ask the circulation staff to process a recall. You must do this in person or via your BGSU email account; we cannot process recalls over the phone. We will put a hold on the item for you and recall it from the patron who currently has it, as long as they have had it for a minimum of 2 weeks. (The exception is a BGSU owned-item that is going on course reserve. You must fill out and sign a course reserve form and the Reserve staff will recall the material immediately).

Materials can also be requested through OhioLINK if you need it quickly--patrons do not always return recalled material on time. You can do this online without recourse to the circulation staff. Once the recalled material is returned, you will receive a notice directing you to the appropriate circulation desk. We are not able to recall BGSU items that are checked out to OhioLINK patrons.

OhioLINK Consortium

OhioLINK is a consortium of colleges and universities in Ohio that share their resources. You can request any circulating materials online through the OhioLINK online catalog and have it delivered to Jerome or Firelands Libraries for pick-up.

OhioLINK resources effectively increase BGSU's holdings by millions of volumes. There are currently more than 86 colleges, universities and public libraries participating in OhioLINK, among them Ohio State University, Ohio University, University of Toledo, Medical College of Ohio, and Oberlin College. In addition, you may borrow directly at any OhioLINK university when you present your valid BGSU ID.

Requesting

You can search the OhioLINK Central Catalog for needed materials. Request items online by following the directions on the screen. You will be asked for your name and P# (university ID number) and the desired pickup location. The system will send your request to the lending institution. If there are multiple copies, the system decides which one to request, generally.

Tracking the status of your OhioLINK requests

We will send an email pick up or cancellation notice to you.  Check the “My Library Account” option via the BGSU Library web pages.  

• The “Items currently checked out” link will show the OhioLINK requests you have checked out.
• OhioLINK requests being processed have a status of “Requested.”
• OhioLINK items that have been processed and sent from the lending institution have a status of “In transit.”  
• OhioLINK items which have been received and are ready for you to pick up have a status of “Rcv'd.”

Picking Up, Borrowing and Renewing

OhioLINK materials are held at the circulation desks of Jerome or Firelands (depending on which location you chose) and are borrowed like BGSU materials. OhioLINK material usually arrives within 2-4 business days. However, because it is a statewide system, speed can depend on the lending institution's processing speed, the delivery schedule of the carrier and the weather. Most material can be borrowed for a 21 day loan period and can be renewed four times.

If material is not overdue, you can renew it online through the "My Library Account" option available on the Libraries' web pages.  If the material is already overdue, call the telephone renewal line (419-372-2133) at Jerome to renew it over the phone or present the materials for renewal at the Circulation Desks. Return OhioLINK material at the main circulation desks of Jerome, Science or Firelands.

OhioLINK non-book media (sound recordings, CDs, videos, etc.) have a special loan status. These items can be borrowed for one week only, no renewals are possible and no grace period applies. We only keep items on the hold shelf for five days. Check your account frequently to avoid disappointment.

Fines

Fines will be assessed overdue for all BGSU and OhioLINK items.  BGSU fines accrue at $.25 per day and OhioLINK fines accrue at $.50 per day per item and cannot be waived. Periodically checking your library account online for due dates is an excellent idea.

Traditional Interlibrary Loan

If needed material is not in the BGSU or OhioLINK catalog, or it does not circulate through OhioLINK, request it through Interlibrary Loan. For articles, check the electronic journals or full text databases available through the BGSU and OhioLINK menus -- you may be able to print a full text version of the article directly to your desktop. If the article is not available in full text, request the item via the University Libraries on-line Interlibrary Loan system (ILLIAD). 

For help, Ask-a Librarian or ask for help at any of the reference desks in the Libraries. Although similar in some ways to OhioLINK, Interlibrary Loan has separate policies and loan periods and is a much larger international library consortium.

Some of the key differences for traditional ILL borrowing are:

• Materials that BGSU owns may not be requested (even if someone else has them checked out or they are non-circulating);
• Borrowed items may be restricted to use within the library only; loan periods are different depending on the lending institution;
• Items may not be renewable.

ILLiad is BGSU Libraries' online interlibrary loan request system. You can create a personal account, submit requests online, track the status of your requests, and receive email notification of arrival. Please read the ILLiad FAQ for more information.

ILL materials can take from 2-4 weeks to arrive and sometimes take longer, depending on the lending institution. You can track the progress of your requests via ILLiad. There is a description of the meaning of ILLiad statuses in the ILLiad FAQ.

Online Article Downloading and Research Databases

You can print full text articles from many Research Databases and Electronic Journals. For more information, consult the staff at one of the reference desks or Ask-a-Librarian online.

These full text articles print directly or download directly to the desktop. If you are trying to connect to these databases from off-campus and are having difficulties, call Jerome Reference at 419-372-6943 or Jerome Main Circulation at 419-372-2051.  

You may need large capacity removable storage media in order to download in the Libraries.

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Managing Your Library Account

Keeping Track

You can view your library account online via the Libraries web pages. You will need to input your Name, BGSU Id number and create a PIN the first time you enter your account. Questions or problems? Call 419-372-2051 (fastest service) or email the Circulation desk.

• Click on “# items currently checked out” to see a list of your current borrowed items and due dates, with the option to renew.
•  “# of requests outstanding” will list items that you have requested through OhioLINK and their status, as well as any items that you have recalled or searched. 
• Recalled, “on search” or Northwest Book Depository/Firelands items that you have requested show “Ready for Pickup” if they have been returned, found or delivered.
  
• OhioLINK requests have various statuses -- when the status is “OhioLINK Rcv'd,” the item has arrived locally and you can pick it up. See “OhioLINK consortium” in this document for more information.

PIN Numbers

To insure the privacy of your library account, the University Libraries has implemented a PIN program. You select your own PIN to use when accessing your library account. The use of this PIN will insure that you and only you have access to the information maintained in your library account.

To set your PIN the first time:

• Go to your library account
• leave the PIN field blank on the first screen and click the "Submit" button;
• on the following screen enter your chosen PIN twice to confirm the number. Your PIN must consist of any combination of alpha-numeric characters. Please use at least 6-8 characters for your PIN. Remember your PIN.

You are the only with access to your PIN. Remember what you selected. If you cannot remember the PIN you may contact any Circulation desk in person, by telephone or from a BGSU email account. We will delete the old PIN so a new PIN can be created.

Documentation

On occasion, it can be helpful to print out of the items borrowed on your account (before returning material at the end of the semester for example, to ensure that everything you turned in (or thought you turned in) comes off your account in the library's database). This documentation also helps if you want to re-request a book you once had and cannot remember the citation. Once an item has been returned or checked in, we cannot recover the title or call number. Use “My Library Account” to print the items checked out to you or ask the circulation staff to provide you with a print of your current account. If you see any anomalies while viewing your account, please let circulation staff know immediately so we can correct or investigate the problem.

Lost Books, Billing and Account Reconciliations

As soon as you know there is a problem with a library item, please contact the circulation.  Fines stop accumulating when you tell us of a problem.

We encourage you to respond to all library notices as quickly as possible. If you do not respond when the first overdue notices are sent and you are subsequently billed, even if the item is later returned, you will still be charged a portion of the processing fee, although a substantial proportion of the charge will be credited to your bursar's account.

Local items billed as lost include a charge for the replacement cost of the item, a $36.00 processing fee, and any applicable overdue fines.

OhioLINK items billed as lost include a $75.00 replacement fee, a $35.00 processing charge, and any applicable late fines.

Questions or problems?  Email the Circulation desk from your BGSU email account  or call 419-372-2051. 

If you have lost an item borrowed from any Special Collection, contact the staff where the material was borrowed.

OhioLINK

You will be responsible for all accumulated fines until you notify us that there is a problem. If you think you returned an OhioLINK item and it is still appearing on your account, contact us immediately so we can stop the fines accruing and ask the lending institution to check its shelves. The item will stay on your account, however, until the item is either found, billed and returned.

Billing and refunds for lost material

An item will be billed as lost if it becomes long overdue.  If an item is returned within two years of the billing date, a substantial credit will be made to your Bursar account.

OhioLINK items that are declared lost are billed at $75 for each book, a $35.00 processing fee and any overdue fines accrued before you notify us of the problem. If the item is returned within two years, a credit will be transmitted to the Bursar for $75. Per OhioLINK statewide agreements, no refund will be given for the processing fee or any overdue fines. 

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Additional Information

Services for patrons with disabilities

A variety of services are available to disabled patrons including but not limited to photocopying and material retrieval services. Please consult the "Library Services for Those with Disabilities" page for details. The guide is also available in a display rack near the Research and Information Desk at Jerome Library or call 419-372-6943 or 419-372-2051.

Other Resources for Graduate Students

Graduate students may apply for a lokmobile - a wheeled, lockable cart in which you can store checked out materials, etc. for use in Jerome Library. Application forms are available at Jerome circulation desk.

Laptops are available for borrowing (for short periods of time and for in-library use only) in the  Jerome Reserve Room.

The Electronic Reading Room (ERR) and the lobby computers in Jerome Library are for general use with a variety of software. These workstations are for research and curricular needs only. The ERR is open to the public when it is not in use for Library instruction sessions.

The Reserve Room in Jerome has typewriters, televisions with video and DVD players, streaming video capabilities, and closed circuit television access for general use.

Although each floor has study areas, the 7^th floor is available for group and individual study.  The eighth floor is available for quiet study only.

Lockers are available for temporary storage in Jerome while the library is open. Ask at the main circulation desk.

Each special collection has resources available specific to its collection. Please consult the appropriate staff for information.

Have a Question? Contact the Circulation Desk by email or 419-372-2051.