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Borrowing Materials from the VCU Libraries

VCU Libraries advances the academic success of students, faculty, staff, and health professionals through one of Virginia's most outstanding academic library collections. The borrowing privileges of the VCU Libraries strive to offer the university community fair and expeditious access to research materials while protecting materials for future scholars and students. We constantly seek new and innovative ways to improve access to our collections.

If you have comments, questions, or recommendations, please feel free to contact us directly, or use our Library Suggestion blog.

Borrowing Categories

Faculty, Staff and Graduate Students

Includes VCU faculty, preceptors, members of the VCU Board of Visitors, members of the State Council of Higher Education of Virginia, postdoctoral students, VCU faculty spouses/partners, and faculty at OCLC institutions, as well as graduate students, undergraduate honors students, and university staff and health system employees. View borrowing privileges | definitions

Undergraduate Students and Community Borrowers

Includes undergraduate students, VCU Friends of the Library, staff at the Virginia BioTechnology Research Park (BioTech Park), members of Richmond Academic Library Consortium, high school students in the greater Richmond area, and conference attendees. View borrowing privileges | definitions

Goals

  • To establish loan and renewal periods so that borrowers have the opportunity to use library resources away from library property.
  • To establish item loan limits so that borrowers have sufficient materials to complete their research and studies without unduly affecting the needs of other borrowers.
  • To establish terms under which persons not directly associated with VCU have an opportunity to borrow library materials without unduly compromising the ability of VCU faculty, staff and students to complete their research and studies.
  • To restrict loans of valuable, fragile, or high use materials to preserve the collections and to guarantee adequate resources for all.

Scope of Circulating Collection

  • Monographs in the open stacks and in the documents collection circulate to all registered borrowers.
  • Newspapers, journals, and microforms do not circulate.
  • Most materials in TML Multimedia and Cabell Media & Reserve Services (MRS) circulate to all registered borrowers. Certain media collections circulate only to VCU users and are available for others on-site use only. These restrictions may be due to license restrictions, core curricular support, replacement cost and availability, and high use.
  • Material designated for 2 and 4 hour circulation periods are for use within the building only.
  • Reference materials (including reference materials held by departments other than Reference Services) do not circulate. Exceptions may be made on a case-by-case basis.
  • Course Reserve material loan periods vary - 2 hours, 4 hours, 1 day, 3 days, and 7 days. Library-owned materials that are placed on reserve can be checked out to community borrowers for on-site use only.
  • Special Collections and Archives materials do not circulate, unless circulation is specified as part of the condition of a gift or loan.
  • Further restrictions may be placed on some items that are fragile or in high demand.