Loan Periods & Policies

Regular Materials

After you’ve collected the items that you would like to check out from the Library shelves, bring them to the circulation desk at the entrance to the Library. Present your Library card (student ID) to the staff member on duty (feel free to ring the bell if no one is at the desk), and then we’ll take it from there. Here’s how long materials check out, and what we charge if they’re turned in late.

Books, Audio, Video

  • 4-week loan

  • 2 manual renewals (4 weeks each)

  • 15¢ per day overdue

  • An additional 15¢ per day overdue charge applies to items that have been recalled

MOBIUS Books

The MOBIUS loan policy has been temporarily changed to allow for additional development around the handling of renewals.

  • 4-week loan 40-day loan

  • 2 manual renewals (4 weeks each) no renewals

  • No overdue charges (but note the large replacement and billing fees below)

Limits

The total number of items you can check out depends on your relation to the Seminary. The Library does not have separate limits for the various material types (e.g., books, videos, CDs, etc.).

  • Covenant Seminary Students: 25

  • Covenant Seminary Faculty/Staff: 100

  • Covenant Seminary Alumni: 20

  • PCA/EPC/OPC Ministers: 15

  • PCA/EPC/OPC Church Members: 15

  • General Community Members: 15

Billing for Replacement

When items have been overdue for more than 4 weeks, the Library considers them lost and a bill for replacement and processing will be sent. The bill will include:

  • The actual replacement cost for the item(s).

  • A processing fee of $10 per item from Covenant, or $25 per item from MOBIUS.

Please note that we do not accept replacement copies.

If an item is returned within a reasonable time after it has been billed, the replacement charge will be removed. In addition:

  • For Covenant materials, the processing fee will be removed and the accumulated overdue charges will be due instead.

  • For MOBIUS materials, the $25 processing fee will remain per MOBIUS policy.

Reserve Materials

Course reserves comprise many of the required and optional readings for the current semester’s classes. In order to ensure that every student in a class has access to the necessary materials, items on course reserve only check out for short periods of time—a couple hours, overnight, or perhaps a few days.

Items that are on reserve are marked as such in the Library catalog. The catalog also contains a list of items on reserve for each class. You can search for reserve lists by class name or number, or by the name of your instructor.

The course reserves are shelved behind the circulation desk at the entrance to the Library. A Library staff member will be glad to help you get the materials that you need. Make sure that you bring your student ID when coming to the Library to use reserve materials. Even if you don’t plan on leaving the Library, items on reserve cannot leave the circulation desk without being checked out.

Hourly Reserves

  • Due back 3 hours after being checked out

  • 1 renewal for an additional hour

  • 50¢ per hour (or part thereof) overdue

  • If the loan period extends past the Library’s closing time, the loan is automatically extended to 1 hour after the Library opens the next day

Overnight Reserve

  • Due back 16 hours after being checked out, or 1 hour after the Library opens the next day, whichever is later.

  • No renewals

  • 50¢ per hour (or part thereof) overdue

Multi-day Reserves

  • Due back 2 days, 3 days, or 1 week after being checked out

  • No renewals

  • $2 per day overdue

 

Limits

Please note that you may only check out up to 2 reserve items of the same duration at a time.

Billing for Replacement

Hourly and overnight reserves are billed for replacement after they have been overdue for 24 hours. Multi-day reserves are billed for replacement after they have been overdue for 7 days. Billing and processing fees are the same as regular materials listed above.

Other Materials

Small Lockers

4-week loan, no renewals, 15¢ per day overdue.

Large (Rental) Lockers

Rented on a semester-by-semester basis. Rental fees are prorated according to time left in the semester. See Library staff for full details and current prices.

Digital Audio/Voice Recorders

Loaned as a 3-day reserve (see details above).

SD Cards

Loaned as a 2-day reserve (see details above). SD card readers are also available as a 3-hour reserve.

Collection Development Policy

The Collection Development Policy establishes the philosophies that shape the collections of the Buswell Library through the selection, acquisition, evaluation, and deaccession of library materials. This policy also indicates objectives for the Library’s collections and describes the means of carrying out collection development activities towards those objectives.