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Circulation & Fines

Do bound/unbound journals circulate?

Unbound journals do not circulate to anyone; they are available only for use in the library reading room. Bound journals, however, may be checked out overnight by mathematics graduate students and faculty only.

How do new books circulate? Is the policy different than for regular books?

Yes, new books circulate differently than regular books do. When a new book arrives, it is set out for display on the New Book Shelf (Map A-3) for 2 weeks before anyone is allowed to check it out. There is a sheet in each book on which you may sign up to charge out the book. Once the display period ends, the first person on the list will be notified by campus mail or e-mail that the book is being held for him/her at the Mathematics Library Circulation Desk for 1 week. If the person has not claimed the book by the end of that period, it will be circulated to the next person on the sheet. The loan period for new books with more than one name on the sign-up sheet is 1 week.

Can I have books sent to my campus address?

University of Illinois staff, faculty, and graduate students with a valid campus office address may have library materials delivered to their office by campus mail. To receive items this way, place a request by logging into My Library Account (for University of Illinois materials only) or I-Share and selecting "UIUC Campus Mail" from the "Choose pick-up library" dropdown menu. Patrons cannnot, however, receive library materials at campus housing addresses or United States Postal Service addresses.

The book that I need is currently checked out to someone else. Can you tell me who has it? What are my options for getting this book?

We cannot tell you who has checked out a particular item or what items a particular person has checked out. According to the Illnois Library Confidentiality Act, P.A. 83-179, effective January 1, 1984, "The registration and circulation records of a library are confidential informatin. Except pursuant to a court order, no person shall publish or make any informatino contained in such records available to the public." We can only give release information about your library account to you. However, because mathematics faculty and students often need to check citations in materials that other members of the department have checked out, some Mathematics faculty and students have signed waivers allowing library staff to release their names when someone is looking seeking a book they have checked out. We are happy to check the item record and then see if the patron who has the item has signed a waiver. If you are interested in signing a waiver, please ask for one at the circulation desk.

When all copies of a particular item are checked out from the University libraries, check to see if the item is available through the I-Share catalog. We cannot place a recall on a book within the University of Illinois Library system unless all copies in the I-Share catalog are unavailable. Furthermore, it almost always faster to request a copy through I-Share than to recall it - a matter of 4 to 7 days versus 4 or more weeks. For more information on how and when books are recalled, see the UIUC Circulation policy on recalls.

For comments on this page contact: Math Library

Last modified by: Megan Hayes on 7/1/09