Circ Manual

Borrowing 

All members of the Swarthmore College community--faculty, staff, students, and spouses--are eligible for library borrowing privileges.

Some guest visitors, such as individuals who live within Swarthmore, professors of local colleges & universities, and visiting scholars, are also allowed to borrow materials. Since we are in a consortium with Haverford and Bryn Mawr colleges, their community members are extended borrowing as well. Please see the Visitor Borrowing Application for a list of who has borrowing privileges.

Loan periods are determined by patron type and the item classification. Only a staff person can override or allow for any exceptions.

Although you may be familiar with some of these exceptions, do not attempt to take on any of the decision making process. Staff always considers each request individually and decisions may vary due to circumstances. If any unusual requests occur when there is no staff person in the department, ask the person to return and let them know when a staff person will be available.

Check Out

When checking an item out to a patron, always be certain to:

Scan the patron barcode in order to access the patron’s record
Always verify that the correct patron record is on the screen
Insert the date due card that matches the date shown   
Create an On-the-Fly record for unbound periodicals    ~or~    any items without a barcode
Close the patron’s record when transactions are complete.

If the item says “on hold for another patron” or “Does not circulate”  tell the patron you can not check the item out to them at this time and refer them to a Staff person
Books on exhibit can be checked out, you will receive a pop-up message saying the item is currently checked out. Ask the patron if they found it on an exhibit shelf, and override if yes.