Circulation Services

Circulation Polices

Tarleton faculty, staff, students, area residents and others are welcome to utilize the resources of the Dick Smith Library.

User Types with Check-Out Privileges

Users are responsible for all materials borrowed on their Tarleton ID cards. The library will assess fees for overdue, lost and damaged materials.

User Types	Account Expiration Periods	Checkout Limit
Students	End of Semester	20 items
Staff	Length of Employment	20 items
Faculty	Length of Employment	50 items
Retirees	Lifetime	5 items
Alumni	Current TAA Membership (Dues paid to TAA)	5 items
Friends	Current Friends Membership (Dues paid in Dick Smith Library)	5 items
Upward Bound	Duration of Program	5 items
TexShare	Current TexShare Card (Expiration varies by issuing library)	5 items
Texas A&M Sys. Fac.	Current University ID (By semester)	5 items
Teacher Mentors	Duration of Program	5 items

• Check-out of library materials is permitted for currently enrolled students, faculty and staff, and individuals with valid TexShare cards or paid membership accounts.
• Most materials may be renewed if there is no need for the item by another user.
• Items overdue for one year are subject to full replacement charges.
• If you lose your Tarleton ID card, notify the Texan Card Office and the Library immediately to prevent misuse of your account.

Collections, Loan Periods and Fines Rates

Collection	Students/Staff	Faculty	Others	Fines Rate
General Stacks	28 days	Full Semester	28 days	$0.10/day
Government Documents (U.S./Texas)	28 days	Full Semester	28 days	$0.10/day
A/V Materials (Audiobooks/CDs/Slides)	28 days	Full Semester	28 days	$0.10/day
PreK-12 Textbooks	28 days	Full Semester	7 days	$0.10/day
Children’s Literature	7 days	Full Semester	7 days	$0.10/day
DVDs/BluRays	7 days	Full Semester	7 days	$0.10/day
Maker Spot items	7 days	7 Days	Library Use Only	$2.00/day
3D Models – (limit 2)	7 days	7 Days	7 days	$2.00/day
Reserve – In House Use Only*	2 hours – Library Use Only	With Permission	Library Use Only	$2.00/hour
Reserve – Overnight – 7 days*	Varies by item	With Permission	Library Use Only	$2.00/day
Limited	Library Use Only	With Permission	Library Use Only	$0.10/day
Reference	Library Use Only	With Permission	Library Use Only	N/A
Periodicals (Current Issues)	Library Use Only	24 hours – Current	Library Use Only	N/A
Periodicals (Bound Volumes)	Library Use Only	28 days – Bound	Library Use Only	N/A

*Due to high demand for reserve items, these materials have proportionately higher overdue fines. Loan periods for reserve material are determined by faculty and range from 2-hours/in-library use to 7 day loans.

Notifications

Courtesy and overdue notices will be emailed to students via [email protected] accounts. Faculty and Staff receive notifications via their assigned Tarleton email account. We encourage our users to return materials or renew eligible items before their due date. A courtesy notice is sent to users three (3) days before the due date to remind users to return or renew their items. Overdue notices start one day after the item due date. Late fees accrue according to the fine rate table and continue until the item is returned to the library. Fees must be cleared to maintain circulation privileges.

Renewals

If you want to renew your materials, email [email protected] or call 254-968-9450 before your due date and we will renew your eligible items for you.

Students, faculty and staff can also renew items online by selecting on the “Renew Items” link on the library homepage and then log in with their NTNET username and password.

Overdue, course reserve or materials on hold for others cannot be renewed.

Damaged and Lost Items

The borrower is responsible for all material checked out on his/her account and should point out any noticeable damage to circulation staff before checking them out. Borrowers who return library items that are damaged will be assessed a service charge based on the cost of repairing the item. If the item cannot be repaired, the “Lost Material” replacement charge will apply. Charges will vary and payment is the responsibility of the user.

For material not returned, the user will be billed the current replacement cost plus a $10.50 nonrefundable processing fee for each item. Materials reported lost and paid for and subsequently recovered and returned to the library within thirty (30) days are eligible for a refund. The processing fee and any overdue fines will be retained in all cases. Refund checks will be mailed to the user within 14 business days.

Fine & Replacement Fee Payments

Students

Once overdue item(s) are returned, the fine will be processed and loaded on the Texan Bill Pay website within 24 hours. Once the bills are loaded, you may make payments online through Texan Bill Pay.

Faculty, staff and affiliate members

Make fine payments in person at the Circulation Desk. We accept cash or check payments.

Fine Appeal

 If a patron wishes to appeal a library fine, they must stop by the Circulation Desk and speak with a supervisor.  If an agreeable resolution cannot be reached, the user may officially appeal the fine by submitting an Appeal Form to Manager of Access Services at 254-968-9450 or [email protected]. The written appeal must include the student’s name, Tarleton ID number, telephone, email, and current mailing address. In addition, the user must explain why they believe the charge(s) should be reduced or waived as well as why the resolution of the Circulation Manager or Evening Supervisor was unsatisfactory. The user will receive the appeal decision determined by the Coordinator for Access Service in writing via their official university email account within 7 days of receipt.

If unresolved, the user may request that their appeal be forwarded to the Dean of Libraries at Library Administration. The decision of the Dean will be final. A full explanation of the final decision will be provide in writing via their official university email account within 7 days of receipt.
Possible outcomes:

• It is decided that the user is in error and the charges must be paid;
• It is decided that the library is in error and the charges will be withdrawn; or
• It is decided that the patron is in error but charges should be reduced or waived due to special circumstances.

Appeals are handled on a case-by-case basis. The following are not generally regarded as valid reasons for canceling or reducing library charges:

• lack of knowledge of library rules or the amount of charges
• being too busy to return items
• allowing others to borrow materials on your account which are returned late or lost
• being out of town
• uncertainty about the due date
• failing to receive an overdue notice
• failing to read e-mail notifications

Holds

If needed material is on loan, a “hold” may be placed on the item online or at the circulation desk. When requested material is returned, the requester will be notified and has five (5) days from notification to claim it.

Texan Pick-up: Running short on time? Let us get library materials for you! When you find items in the library catalog that you wish to use, click the “Place Hold” button. You will need to log into your library account using your Tarleton NTNET ID.

Lockers

There is no charge for using the public lockers located on the third floor. Keys are available at the circulation desk for checkout and renewal. Keys are due the last class day of the semester. The charge for a lost locker key is $15.00.

Texan Cards

Texan cards are issued to all Students, Faculty, and Staff and can be used in the library to checkout items. Cardholders with Texan Bucks can use funds to pay for fines, copies, transparencies laminations, or Maker Spot items.Texan Card Kiosk

A Texan Card kiosk is located on the main level of the Dick Smith Library. The Kiosk also dispenses guest copy cards for a $1.00 minimum purchase. Additional funds may be added to the copy cards at the Kiosk or online at the Texan Card Website.

Photocopy Services

• A Photocopier is available in the Dick Smith Library at $.05 per copy. You must use a Texan Card to pay for copies.
• Microfilm/fiche printers require a Guest or Texan card to print.
• Color copies are available at the Circulation Desk for $.50 per copy.
• Blank transparencies suitable for use in library copiers may be purchased for $.50 each.

Fax Services

• Available to all library users.
• All faxing will be done by library staff. Users can bring items to be faxed to the Circulation Desk.
• Faxes need to be provide to staff single-sided.
• Customers provide coversheet. Coversheets do count as 1 page.
• Users will be able to receive faxes, only if prior arrangements have been made with the circulation staff. Due to the sensitive nature of documents being faxed, materials will not be held past the end of each business day.
• Cost: $1.00/ up to 5 pages and $.25 each additional page (per fax)

Lost and Found

Lost items are usually kept at the Circulation Desk. Unclaimed items are turned over to the Tarleton Police Department weekly.