Policies for SEU patrons

Contact information

Email: mahoneylibrary@steu.edu
Phone: 973-290-4253
Hours: 9am-4pm M-F, except as noted in our Hours page

 

Who can borrow

Any current Saint Elizabeth University student, faculty, or staff member, as well as the Sisters of Charity, may request an item through ILL. Requests may be placed through the form on our website or by using the “Get It” button in Mahoney's catalog.

Alumni and retired faculty and staff are not eligible to borrow through ILL.

 

Costs

Interlibrary loan services are free of charge to all Saint Elizabeth University students, faculty, and staff. If Mahoney staff is unable to find a free lender for a requested item, borrowing costs will be the responsibility of the patron if they wish to proceed with the request. Patrons will always be contacted in advance if there is a potential charge. 

 

Borrowing limits

There is no set limit on the number of ILL requests a patron can place. 

 

Delivery of borrowed items

Once a physical item has been received by ILL staff, an email will be sent to the patron notifying them that the item is ready to pick up. All physical items borrowed through ILL will be placed on hold behind the circulation desk in Mahoney Library. Patrons must come into the library and show their SEU ID in order to pick up their items. ILL items will not be delivered.

Requests for electronic copies, once filled, will be sent to the patron’s email. 

 

Renewals

If a patron is still using their ILL book when the due date arrives, they should email Mahoney Library to ask for a renewal.  Renewals are not guaranteed and are at the discretion of the lending library. If an item cannot be renewed and the patron still needs the item, the patron should return the item and inform Mahoney staff that they would like to resubmit the request and get another copy.

 

Overdues

Patrons will be sent an automated reminder email when an item they have checked out will be due in three days. Patrons will be sent automated overdue notices by email when an item they have checked out becomes one day overdue, two weeks overdue, and five weeks overdue. The five-week overdue email will be the patrons final notice before the ILL department begins the process of billing the patron for lost book charges. If an overdue item is not returned within six weeks of becoming overdue, the ILL department will contact the borrowing library to request an invoice for lost book charges. Once an invoice is received, the patron will be billed and held responsible for whatever cost the lending library has deemed appropriate. Overdue items may still be returned after a patron is billed; however, it is up to the discretion of the lending library whether they will accept the return or require payment. 

If there is any reason why a patron is unable to return their ILL item on time, this should be communicated to Mahoney Library as soon as possible. Patrons that have mistakenly taken an ILL book home over semester break may arrange for the item to be shipped back to Mahoney Library using a trackable service. Extenuating circumstances such as illness or travel will delay billing for lost items as long as the patron remains in contact with library staff and provides an expected return date. 

 

Alternative formats

Mahoney Library recognizes that not every resource format will work for every patron. For this reason, if a patron would like a different format of an item already held by Mahoney, the library will do their best to locate the patrons preferred format. For example, patrons may request a print copy of an owned ebook, or an OCR-enabled scan of a chapter in an owned print book. 

It is the responsibility of the patron to indicate their preferred format under the notes section of their ILL request. Requests for owned items that do not indicate a preferred format will be canceled with instructions on where to find the item. 

 

E-books

The current state of copyright law means that Mahoney is unable to borrow full ebooks. Requests for loans of ebooks will be filled as print loans. Ebook borrowing is a developing field and Mahoney Library is working to bring this service to patrons soon. 

 

Damages

All pre-existing damages to ILL items will be noted by staff before going out to patrons. Items that are returned to Mahoney Library damaged (water damaged, torn or marked pages, page markings, etc.) will be subject to whatever policies the lending library has set for damaged items, which may include paying for a replacement copy of the item. Normal wear and tear from use is generally acceptable. Patrons are expected to treat borrowed items with care and use sticky notes instead of writing in or highlighting text in borrowed books. All sticky notes placed in borrowed books should be removed before return. 

 

Removal of ILL privileges

Patrons with a history of not returning books on time may be blocked from placing ILL requests. Restoration of ILL privileges is subject to the discretion of Mahoney staff.