Borrowing

On this page

• What you can borrow and for how long
• Renewing your items on loan
• Returning your items on loan
• Library notices
• Items missing from library shelves

Your library account shows the status of your loans, requests, and any library account fees or blocks.

Standard loan items

You can have up to 100 items on loan.

The standard loan period applies to most books, serials and theses within the libraries.

The loan period and conditions for students, staff and Associate members with borrowing privileges are:

• 60 day standard loan period
• 5 day loan period if there is a waiting list
• Renew to a maximum loan period of 180 days

This includes the following groups:

• Undergraduate and graduate students
• Doctoral candidates
• Current staff, retired staff, UniServices contractors
• Academic visitors and academic contractors (with borrowing privileges)
• Associate members (with borrowing privileges)

Requests for your loans

If someone requests an item you have on loan, we will email you to let you know that the due date has changed. Please return the requested item by the new date to avoid having your borrowing privileges suspended.

Short loan items

Short loan collections contain high-demand items from course reading lists. A limited number of copies of textbooks are available.

Short loan lending periods are:
Two hours

• Return to the helpdesk after two hours

Three hours

• For high-demand audiovisual items
• Return to the helpdesk after three hours

Same day

• Return to the helpdesk before the library closes
• Not renewable
• Can be requested if on loan
• Requested items are held for one day
• Pick up at specified library. Not available for requests.

Three day

• Return to the library where it was borrowed
• Renewable to a maximum of six days
• Can be requested if on loan
• Requested items are held for one day
• Pick up at specified library. Not available for requests.

Five or seven day

• Some items are available for five or seven day loans

Serials

Serials are publications issued in regular instalments, such as magazines or journals. Old editions are usually bound together in one volume covering a particular date range.

• Serials with barcodes can be borrowed for the standard loan period.
• Most other serials are for use within the relevant library.
• Some serials are available for three or seven day loans and may not be renewed.

Items on loan are automatically renewed for up to 180 days unless someone requests the item you have borrowed.

Items may not be renewed if:

• They have been requested by someone else.
• They are limited loans (2 or 3 hour; 3, 5 or 7 day loans).
  • Exception: 3 day loans in Short loan collections may be renewed to a maximum of 6 days.
• They have reached the maximum loan period.
• You have a library block on your account because of overdue loans.

• Return items by the due date

How you know when loans are due back

• If someone requests a book that you have borrowed, you may have to return it before the original due date. We will send you a recall notice by email with a new due date.
• Check the new due date when we send you a Due Date Change notice.
• For the due dates of your loans, check My Library Account.

How to return your loans

Short loan items should be returned to staff at the library helpdesk or the Short Loan Return Shelf in the General Library.

• Standard loan items can be returned to any library.
• Most libraries have an external slot to return books after hours. Any items placed in these slots after closing time are given the return date and time as at closing time.
• Ensure that all parts are present when you return an item, e.g. music scores.

We send notices to help you manage your loans, and to request items for other users when items are in demand. You are responsible for returning items by the due date.

How you receive library notices

Library notices are sent to your email address.

• If you are a student, notices are sent to your student email address (username@aucklanduni.ac.nz).
• If you are a staff member, notices are sent to your staff email address.
• If you are not a student or staff member, notices are sent to your nominated email address.

When you are away for any reason, make arrangements to check your email for notices and return items.

If you cannot find an item on library shelves, ask library staff for assistance. You can ask the library to contact you if a missing item is found.

Some items may only be temporarily unavailable. You can identify these by looking up the item in the Catalogue and clicking on the title to see the full record with its status message.

• In Process
  The item has just been purchased and is being processed. Check back regularly until its status changes to Available.

If none of our libraries have the item you want, you may request an Interlibrary Loan.