FARQ: Recalled Books (& Office Hours update)

I am going to make a last minute decision about office hours this afternoon (Thursday, November 4):  after reading all of the information about tonight's evening game, I have decided to cancel office hours in Wallace 342-A from 3-5 p.m.  If you'd like to talk with me, I invite you to make an appointment; I can come to you or you can come to me, here in Newman Library.  I apologize for any inconvenience this may cause.


Next, it's time for another installment of Frequently Asked Reference Questions!  

We've gotten to the point in the semester where certain books are in high demand.  Some of these books are textbooks (like An Introduction to Statistical Methods and Data Analysis, which currently has 4 patrons waiting for it) and some are pleasure-reading books (like Eat, Pray, Love with 6 patrons waiting for it).  Regardless of the type of book, everyone wants to know:


If I request a book (place a hold on it), how long will it take before I actually receive it?

There are actually a wide variety of answers to this question.  Most of all, it just depends on various factors.  Eat, Pray, Love, for example, won't be available for some time, for that sixth person on the list, simply because all five people before the sixth person must get their allotted 21 days, which is the minimum amount of time anyone gets to keep a book he/she has checked out.  Generally, though, the basic rules are as follows:

The patron who currently has the booked checked out gets to keep it for a minimum of 21 days. A patron who recently checked out the book will have the due date changed to 21 days from the initial check out date. A patron who checked out a book more than 21 days ago has their due date changed immediately.

In either case, the patron has a few grace days to return the book. This allows time for the recall notice to go out and for books checked out to distance education patrons time to be mailed back.

After this grace period, the patron is fines $1/day for each day the item is not returned. Patrons have been known to accept these fines and keep the book well over the new due date; we have no ability beyond fines and notices to the patron to return the book in question.

As soon as the item is returned and checked in, you will receive an email noting the book is now ready for you to check out. If you login to My Library Account, you will see the status of all your requests. Look for a status of ON HOLDSHELF; that indicates a book is waiting at the Circulation Desk to be checked out. If there are no further HOLDS indicated; it should be waiting for you.

If additional holds are indicated, you may need to wait your turn before checking out this book as other people have also requested it ahead of you. Questions?  As always, just let me know!