Circulation/Reserve policies
Lost/Paid For Books | Change in status | Renewals | Group viewing | Email notification | Group viewing
Lost/Paid For Books Policy (Refunds)
Patrons who lose University Libraries materials have the option to either pay the replacement price or purchase a replacement copy themselves (same title and author, same or newer edition and in good condition) and pay only the $20.00 processing fee.
If a patron subsequently finds the lost item within six months of the payment date and returns it in good condition, the University Libraries will give a refund of the replacement price minus the $20.00 processing fee. For example, if a patron paid the default replacement price of $95.00 ($75.00 replacement fee and $20.00 processing fee), the library would issue a refund of the $75.00. The $20.00 processing fee is non-refundable.
If a patron subsequently finds and returns a lost item after purchasing a replacement copy and paying the $20.00 processing fee, the original lost item will be kept by the library. No refunds will be made for the $20.00 processing fee, nor will the purchased replacement item be returned to the patron.
Change in patron status: loan periods and renewals
If a patron changes patron types in the middle of a checkout period, the original loan period at the time of checkout applies to the item, even for subsequent renewals, until its return.
For example, Joe checks out a book while an undergraduate student and his loan period is 30 days. If Joe becomes a graduate student after initially checking out the book, the loan period remains 30 days for his renewals, not 90 days, which is the loan period for graduate students. If Joe as a graduate student wishes to have the item's loan period set for 90 days, along with any renewals, then he will have to visit the Circulation Desk with the book in question and have it rechecked out to his account.
Additionally any other policies relating to the initial checkout loan period applies until the item is returned; this includes fine rates.
Group Viewing Policy
Copyright laws prevent group viewing of most of the Library's videos, laserdiscs, and DVDs. However, group viewing is allowed for educational purposes and for members of the same family. The Library does have "Public Performance Rights" for some titles and these specific titles are exempt from the above restrictions. Inquire at the Circulation/Reserve Desk for the specific titles to which this applies.
Renewal Policy
The Library places a limit on the number of times a book may be renewed for a couple of reasons. The policy encourages borrowers to return books that they are no longer actively using. Having more books on the Library's shelves increases the ability of borrowers to browse the collection and provides more immediate access to materials than our recall system provides. We can also ensure a controlled physical environment for our books, thus aiding in their preservation. As a result of periodic review of loan records, we have fewer missing books when borrowers leave the University.
Email Nofication Policy
Virginia Tech undergraduate and graduate students, faculty and staff must use the vt.edu e-mail addresses assigned to them by the University for all courtesy library notices. If you are using a commercial account (such as hotmail.com, gmail.com, etc.) or an alternative server on campus (such as math.vt.edu or phys.vt.edu), you need to forward your vt.edu account by using the PID Tool.
Virginia residents who do not have a vt.edu account will receive courtesy notices by U.S. mail to the address on file for them. If you wish to have e-mail notices sent to you, please contact the Circulation Desk at 540-231-6340 to have your email address added.
