Borrowing information

Library membership

• All UOW staff and students are members of the Library.
• Student membership is activated approximately 24 hours after completion of enrolment.
• Staff need to bring their current UOW ID card to the Loans Desk to activate their membership.
• Membership options are also available to UOW Alumni, and community and visitors. For more information, contact Loans staff in the Library or call 02 4221 3545.

Borrowing

• To borrow, bring your UOW ID card to the Loans Desk on the ground floor. Our staff will check out your items.

Borrowing period

• Borrowing period varies according to your borrower category and collection type.

Help with locating missing items

1. Check the Catalogue to confirm the status of the item. Is it already on loan?
2. Check that you have recorded the correct location and call number.
3. Check that the item is not on the sorting shelves or shelving trolleys, Level 1.
4. If you still have trouble finding the item, contact the Loans Desk.

Returning

Returning items in person

• Avoid late fines - return items within Library opening hours by the due date.
• Main Library - during opening hours: return items through the returns chute located in the entry foyer.
• Main Library - after hours: return items through the after hours chute at the back of the Library (at the back of Building 17/Student Central, across from the Post Office boxes, and close to the car park).
• CRC: items borrowed from the CRC must be returned to the CRC in Building 22.
• Libraries at other locations: items borrowed from other Library locations must be returned to the library from which they were borrowed.

Returning items via the post

• If you are unable to return books in person, they may be posted to:
  Loans Services
  University of Wollongong Library
  Locked Bag No 8813
  South Coast Mail Centre
  NSW 2521

Late return of items

• Items borrowed must be returned during opening hours on the due date.
• You will be liable to pay fines or costs incurred for materials which are returned late, lost or damaged.
• The University of Wollongong reserves the right to withdraw borrowing privileges. You will be blocked from borrowing if you have exceeded the fine limit or have overdue items. 
• Visitors may also be subject to sanctions at their home institution if they have overdue items or are in debt to the University of Wollongong Library.
• Accrued fines of $10 for visitors and $60 for all other borrowers will result in the blocking of borrowing privileges until the fines are paid.
• Academic results will be withheld for students owing more than $10 in fines.
• Blocking is the suspension of ALL borrowing privileges including Short Loans borrowing, renewing, placing a hold, and use of group study rooms.
• Fines on overdues are listed under the collection type. If an item is not returned after thirty days it will be considered to be lost and replacement charges will be levied as outlined below.

Lost or damaged items

• Contact Lending Services staff to discuss the loss of or damage to an item.
• A replacement charge of $90 per item (minimum), or the full replacement cost for items marked as expensive, will be charged for lost or irreparably damaged materials.
• Laptop computers will incur a replacement charge of $2,000.

Library notices

• Library notices include notification of fines, overdue items, recalls and holds.
• All notices are sent to you by email. It is your responsibility to check your email account regularly for Library notices.
• Student and staff notices are sent to UOW email accounts. If you wish to redirect email to a different account you need to do so via University Webmail.
• Alumni, community and visitor member notices are sent to your nominated email account.

Reporting a lost card

• UOW staff and students:
  • if you lose your Library card, notify Loans staff immediately. You are responsible for all items borrowed on your card.
  • To replace your card, contact the Student Central (for students) or Personnel (for staff) to organise a replacement card. An administration charge may apply for replacement cards.
• Alumni, community and visitor members: lost cards will be replaced by Loans Services.

Reporting a change of details

• If your personal details have changed (e.g. postal address), please contact Loans staff to have your record updated.

Renewals

An item can be renewed if:

• it has not already been renewed twice (Note: session loans can only be renewed once)
• it is not overdue
• it has not been placed on hold by another borrower
• it is not in a restricted collection

The item is renewed with your usual borrowing period starting from the day of renewal. For more details, see Borrowing summary by collection type.

Renew items online

• Use the Renew and check loans link, under Borrowing on the Library homepage.

Renew items via telephone

• Telephone 02 4221 3545 to renew items during Library opening hours.

Renew items in person

• Ask our Loans staff to renew your items.
• It is not necessary to have the items with you.

Holds

• Holds can only be placed on items already on loan. Items on loan are identified by the due date listed in the Catalogue record.
• The number of holds you can place is dependent on your borrower category.

Place a hold in 3 steps:

1. Locate the Catalogue record for the item which you would like to place on hold. Select Hold from the menu at the top of the page.
2. Enter your name and Library barcode number. Your barcode is located on your UOW ID card or Library card, and should be entered without any spaces.
3. Select the Submit button at the bottom of the page to finalise your hold.

An email notice will be sent to you once the item is ready for collection. The item will be kept at the Loans Desk for you for 4 days. After this time, the item will be re-shelved or made available to another borrower with a hold on that item.

Recalls

• Any item on loan may be recalled if a hold is placed by another borrower, or if it has been selected for inclusion in the Short Loans Collection.
• If you receive a recall notice, it will indicate a new due date. The new due date replaces the original due date by which the item must be returned to the Library. In most cases, recalls only affect staff and students with a loan period greater than 2 weeks. A minimum 14 day loan to the first borrower is guaranteed.
• Recall notices are emailed to you. It is your responsibility to check your email account regularly for Library notices.
• Act quickly to return the recalled item to avoid fines. A fine of $2 per day applies to each overdue (recalled) item.

Library charges

• To find out what fines or fees you owe, view your borrowing record.

Paying Library fines and fees in person

• At the Library Loans Desk via EFTPOS.
• At the campus Post Office, Mon-Fri, 8.30am to 5pm.
• At Wollongong University Union Retail Centre (UniShop) on Saturdays between 10am and 2pm during session. These hours may vary during session breaks.

Paying Library fines and fees via telephone

• Telephone the Library Loans Desk on 02 4221 3545 or the Campus Post Office on 02 4221 8070 and provide your credit card details.

Paying Library fines via mail

• Postal payments can be made via cheque or money order only. Your cheque must be made payable to UniCentre. Mail your payment, name, student/staff number and invoice details to:
  Library Fines
  PO Box U500
  Wollongong NSW 2500

Borrowing summary by borrower category:

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Borrowing summary by collection type:

For full details of specific membership conditions, select your borrower category from the Library membership menu.

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Last reviewed: 8 February, 2008