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Library Policies

.Updated 03/05/25

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Circulation Policies

CIRCULATION POLICIES AND LIBRARY USE

A.  MATERIAL LOAN PERIODS

  • Books: 2 weeks, unlimited renewals for enrolled students and current staff, unless item is requested.
  • Journals: 2 weeks, unlimited renewals for enrolled students and current staff, unless item is requested.
  • Current Journals: No circulation, no renewals.
  • Media: 2 weeks, unlimited renewals for enrolled students and current staff, unless item is requested.
  • Reserves: As indicated on item, no renewals.
  • Equipment: As indicated on item, no renewals.

B.  MATERIALS THAT DO NOT CHECK OUT

2-Hour Reserve items and current issues of journals do not check out of the Library except by special permission.

C.  RENEWALS

Most library materials can be renewed unlimited number of times for enrolled students and current employees. If a hold has been placed on the item, it cannot be renewed.

D. RESERVE MATERIALS

Loan Periods

Reserve materials are available on a first come, first serve basis, and may not be reserved in advance.  Some of these items are often in demand by a large number of students and have a short loan period to ensure the greatest access. There are no renewal periods. Items with a loan period of two hours are restricted to In-Library-Use only. Items with a loan period of overnight are due back by 12 p.m. the following day that the Library is open. Items with loan periods of 3 days, 1 week, 2 weeks and the end of the quarter, are due back at any hour of the day on the due date.

Fines and Fees

If a Reserve item is not returned by the time and/or date specified on the item, a Fines and Fees notice will be mailed to the borrower the following day. The notice will include the replacement cost of the item and a non-refundable processing fee of $50.00. If the overdue item is returned to the Library, the replacement cost will be removed from the borrower’s account. However, if the Library has had to repurchase the item due to demand from other students, then the borrower will be responsible for the replacement cost including tax and shipping and may keep the item.

E. HOLDS

Holds may be placed on any regularly circulating materials that are checked out. Students may not place holds on Reserve items. If needed for teaching purposes, faculty can place holds on the Reserve collection. Items will be held at the Information Desk for five days. After that time, if items are not picked up, they will be returned to the collection for circulation. Members of the public may not place holds on any Library materials.

F.  RECALLS

Library materials may be recalled at any time if there is a need by an instructor.

G.  OVERDUE FINES AND REPLACEMENT COSTS

  • There are no overdue fines, but if the item is not returned the patron will be billed for the replacement cost of the item and a $50.00 processing fee. Library borrowing privileges will be suspended until an account returns to good standing. If the patron has no previous waivers on record, the billed amount will be forgiven (one-time exception).
  • Accounts will be sent to the College’s collection agency according to the institution’s guidelines and policies.
  • Regularly circulating items will be replaced 14 days after the item is due, and reserve items will be replaced the day after they are due.

 H. CLAIMS RETURNED

  • If a patron claims to have returned an item for which they have received an overdue and/or fines and fees notice, the Library will renew the item for 30 days in order to give the patron and the Library time to look for the material.
  • The staff person who receives the claim will create a dated pop-up note on the patron’s account and print out a copy of the notice to give to the person who handles fines & fees, who will assume responsibility for looking for the item and for updating the patron’s account. 
  • If the item is not returned by the end of 30 days, the item will be processed as if it were a lost item.
  • If the patron has no previous claims returned items on account, the billed amount will be forgiven (one-time exception).
  • If a patron has previous claims returned items on account, the item will be processed as a lost item and the patron will be billed accordingly.

I.  PUBLIC (NON-STUDENT) CHECKOUT OF MATERIALS

Members of the public who are 16 and older with a driver’s license or government issued picture I.D. may check out regular circulating material at the Library. Proof of current address is needed before checking out materials. No more than two items can be checked out at a time.

  • Renewals: Members of the public can renew materials one time if there are no holds and the patron has no overdue material.
  • Holds: Members of the public may not place holds on library material.  
  • Reserves: Members of the public may check out Reserves items for two hours to use in the library.

J.  RECIPROCAL BORROWING AGREEMENTS

Western Washington University, Whatcom Community College, Northwest Indian College and Bellingham Technical College all have reciprocal borrowing agreements for their students. The two public library systems, Bellingham Public Library and Whatcom County Library System, welcome students to use their libraries, but will only loan to Whatcom County residents.  Students living outside Whatcom County need to request the BTC Library to interlibrary loan material from these two libraries. All the Washington state community and technical colleges also have reciprocal borrowing agreements. 

K.  CIRCULATION RESTRICTIONS WHEN A PATRON HAS OVERDUE LIBRARY MATERIALS

If a Bellingham Technical College patron has overdue material that is not marked as lost, it can be renewed. If the patron has lost material, no more items may be checked out until the item is returned or the fines and fees have been paid.  If a member of the public has overdue or lost material, the material needs to be returned or the fines and fees paid before any additional items may be checked out.

L.  INTERLIBRARY LOAN

Faculty, students and staff may request books, journal articles and other library materials to be borrowed from another library. The requests need to be program or BTC work related. The Library staff will process the request as quickly as possible depending on the need by date and the cost.

M.  SMALL GROUP STUDY ROOMS

  • Intended Use: The library has eight group study rooms that are intended to support academic work by individuals or groups of BTC students, staff and faculty. They are not intended for general-purpose classrooms.
  • Reservations: No reservations accepted at this time. Rooms are first-come, first-serve with three hours per day total usage allowed.
  • Food & Drink: Current food and drink policies apply to the use of group study rooms. Groups must leave study rooms in clean condition.
N.  STUDENT LAPTOPS

Laptops are available for students to check out for BTC students. Students must fill out an Equipment Borrower’s Contract available at the Information Desk.

O.  FOOD & BEVERAGES IN THE LIBRARY

Covered beverages and small snacks are allowed in the library. 

Updated 03/25