How to Borrow Materials

Borrowing materials directly from Milner Library's stacks is done from the Circulation Desk. Milner Library’s Interlibrary Loan service provides additional access to materials not available at Illinois State University. All ISU students, faculty and staff with an active ULID may use interlibrary loan. There is no cost for this service. Use I-Share to search for library materials in Illinois, check the availability of items, and place borrowing requests.

Due to space limitations in public areas of Milner Library, some library materials are kept in one of two storage facilities. One storage facility is located in Milner Library on Floor 1 and is called Storage Basement. The other storage facility is located off campus and is called Storage North. Both facilities are closed to the public for safety and security reasons. Library staff will retrieve storage materials for you.

• Loan Periods, Renewal Limits and Fines
• Proxy Patron Service
• Renewing Library Materials
• Returning Library Materials
• Overdue Notices, Overdue Fines, and Billing
• Pay Library Bills Online
• Recalls

Loan Periods, Renewal Limits and Fines

*Loan periods vary based on material type, location, and borrower status. Comprehensive borrowing priviliges for all material types can be found on the Borrowing Privileges page.

**A non-refundable late return fee of $10 is assessed when an item reaches 30 days overdue. At 30 days overdue, the borrower is also billed a fixed replacement cost of $50 minimum for books. Overdue recalls = $5.00/day, maximum $25.00/item. Course Reserve fines vary by material type. ALL ISU borrowers are subject to the fining policies of other I-Share libraries.

***ISU Courtesy Card Holders do not have access to the materials from the I-Share Library network.

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Proxy Patron Service

Graduate students who are engaged in research away from campus, distance learners, and faculty members may designate another person to pick-up and check out library materials on their behalf.  The designated person must have current library privileges.  Please ask for a “proxy patron” form at the Circulation Desk or complete our online registration form.  Undergraduate students are not eligible for proxy patron service.

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Renewing Library Materials

Library materials from Milner Library and from other I-Share Libraries can be renewed by several methods:

• ONLINE: Milner Library materials can be renewed using the online catalog if the borrower's account is in good standing. Account problems that may prevent an online renewal include:
  • 1 overdue recalled item on your record;
  • reaching the maximum number of renewals for a particular item;
  • unpaid fines or other library charges;
  • a block initiated by another I-Share library because of an unpaid bill;
  • an expired borrower record (this can occur if you are no longer employed at the University or enrolled here as a student);
  • more than 10 lost items on your record

• BY TELEPHONE: Call the Circulation Desk at (309) 438-7321
• IN PERSON: Visit the Circulation Desk at Milner Library.

The following items CANNOT be renewed:

• Items that have been recalled by the Library. These items should be returned immediately.
• Items that are normally non-circulating, but were loaned to you as an exception.
• Course Reserve items.
• Media items, such as DVDs, CDs, VHS, etc.
• Overdue items borrowed from other I-Share libraries, depending upon the policy of the individual library.
• Non-I-Share items borrowed via Interlibrary Loan.

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Returning Library Materials

Borrowers may return ISU and I-Share library materials to the Circulation Desk at Milner Library. Library materials can also be returned to the bookdrop in the west wall of the Library and on the east side of the Library. Receipts for returned materials are available upon request at the Circulation Desk.

Library materials CANNOT be returned through campus mail.

Please return non-I-Share interlibrary loan materials directly to the Circulation Desk and NOT to the bookdrops.

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Overdue Notices, Overdue Fines, And Billing

Overdue notices are issued as a courtesy to all library users. However, non-receipt of an overdue notice does not exempt a borrower from applicable fines or billings. To avoid overdue notices, fines, and bills please renew your materials before the due date stamped in each item or return an item by the recall due date if the item has been requested by the Library.

• The first overdue notice is issued on the 7th day following the due date.
• The second overdue notice is issued on the 21st day following the due date.

Overdue fines:

• Daily overdue fines are assessed for the following types of materials:
  • Overdue reserves: $2.00 per hour, or any portion of an hour.
  • Overdue recalled items: $5.00 per day, up to a maximum of $25.00

Processing Fees:

• The following borrowers are assessed a processing fee of $10.00 once an item has become 30 days overdue:
  • Graduate students
  • Undergraduate students
  • ISU Staff
  • Courtesy Card Holders

All of the above types of borrowers affiliated with other I-Share schools:

• Failure to return reserve materials on time will result in an overdue fine of $2.00/hour.

"Assumed lost" billing:

• All items that are not returned or renewed by the 30th day following the due date will be "assumed lost" and the borrower will be billed for the average replacement cost for books in the subject area, usually a minimum of $50.00 for books. The Library may assess a higher replacement cost in special instances. The replacement amount will be credited back to the borrower if the overdue item is returned in good condition. However, the $10.00 processing fee (see above) will not be refunded.

Bills should be paid at Student Accounts, at 607 W. Dry Grove Street. If you have a question about a bill, consult the staff of the Library Billing Office at (309) 438-5598.

If you are a student, unpaid library bills may prevent your registration for classes, your graduation, or your requests for transcripts. Please pay your library bills promptly.

Fines and bills from other I-Share libraries:

ISU Library borrowers are subject to the loan and fine policies of the institution from which they have borrowed the material. All ISU faculty, graduate students, staff, undergraduate and courtesy card borrowers may be charged overdue fines, processing fees, and lost book charges by the lending library for failure to return or renew material by the due date.

As a member of the I-Share Library Consortium, Milner Library adheres to the I-Share Library Resource Sharing Code. This code obligates us to assist the lending library in securing the return of both overdue materials and the fines and/or processing fees associated with late renewals or returns. Lending libraries may request that we block the borrowing privileges of ISU patrons who fail to return or renew materials when due, who fail to return recalled material promptly, or who do not pay invoices received for overdue fines, billing fees, or lost book charges promptly. It is the policy of the Milner Library to notify the patron in question that a problem exists and to block the patron's borrowing privileges if the problem is not resolved within 2 weeks.

Invoices:

Patrons who receive an invoice from another I-Share library for overdue fines, processing fees, and/or lost book charges, should bring the invoice, a check for the balance due made out to the lending institution, and the item in question to the Library Billing Office (Room 311, Milner Library). This should be done immediately to prevent borrowing privileges from being blocked at the request of the lending library.

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Pay Library Fines Online

Milner Library is pleased to offer the ability to pay library bills online for our courtesy card patrons and patrons from other I-Share libraries. Click on the Pay Library Fines button and enter the payment amount. ISU faculty, students and staff must pay their bills online with Student Accounts.

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Recalls

Occasionally, Milner Library will recall an item that is checked out to a patron. This occurs only when the item has been requested by a faculty member to be placed on reserve for a class, and all copies are currently checked out. 

If the Library recalls an item that you have checked out, you will receive a "recall notice.” This notice informs you that the loan period for the item has been shortened and that the material must be returned by a certain date. This date is 7 days from the date the item was recalled.

FAILURE TO RETURN AN ITEM BY THE RECALL DUE DATE WILL RESULT IN A $5.00/DAY (maximum $50.00/item) FINE. This fine applies to ALL borrowers, even those -- such as faculty -- who are not normally charged fees.

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