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Loan Periods | Number of Items | Responsibilities | Renewals | Holds and Recalls | Fines | Lost Items | Blocking Privileges
A valid SMU ID card (or a SMU-issued library card with a barcode attached) must be presented by the person named on the card to borrow library materials.
Who is eligible?
Undergraduate Students: 3 weeks
Graduate Students: 120 days
Staff: 120 days
Undergraduates and Graduates: 30 books
Research Card Holders: unlimited
Staff: unlimited
As a library user, you are responsible for:
If materials are in a category which allows renewal, borrowers may renew items if there are no holds or recalls on the items.
In order to renew items, the user may self-renew on-line by accessing "My Account" in the SMU PONI system, or may bring the items to the library from which they were originally checked out. (See "Renewing Items" on the My Account help page or pick up instructions from the Circulation desk.)
A hold may be placed by a member of the SMU community on any item checked out for 3 weeks or longer. The hold will instruct library staff to set aside the item when it is returned and notify user that it is available. The library will hold items for a borrower for 7 days only.
A recall can be placed if an item, checked out on a year loan, is needed by another SMU borrower or is needed for reserve. The computer will reduce the loan period and send a notice to the original borrower requiring that the item be returned on or before the new due date. Fees will accrue past the new due date at the rate of $1.00 per day per item on recalls.
Holds/recalls may be self-initiated by accessing "My Account" in the SMU PONI system, or may be requested at the Circulation desk. (See the Hold/Recall help page or pick up instructions from the Circulation desk.)
The fee schedule for all borrowers for non-reserve material is $.50 per day per item. The fee for reserve material is $1.00 per hour per item. Fines will accrue at the rate of $1 per day per item on Browsing books, ILL books and recalls. Fines may be paid at Fondren Library Center-Circulation desk via check, cash, or Pony Express Card.
If an item is not returned or renewed within one month after the due date, the item will be considered lost and the borrower will be billed for the material(s). Charges include the $50.00 replacement cost of each item, a $25.00 processing fee, and a $15.00 maximum in overdue fines. If the overdue item is returned after a bill for the non-returned item is sent, the replacement cost of the item and the processing fee will be refunded on the 15th of each month, all outstanding obligations more than 30 days past due will be transferred to the University Cashier for collection.
A block in the computer results in suspension of library circulation privileges until the borrower clears his/her record. An automatic block occurs for any of the following reasons:
