Policies

The circulation policies outline the privileges and responsibilities of all who borrow materials from the University of Missouri - St. Louis Libraries. Among our highest priorities is to enable seamless access to an integrated collection of materials that support the University’s teaching and research missions.

If you have any questions, please contact the Public Service Desk at (314) 516-5060.

Interlibrary Loan is designed for requesting books and other materials that are not available through the MERLIN/MOBIUS online catalogs. If you need assistance requesting books via MERLIN or MOBIUS, please see a Reference Librarian at the reference desks. We will not fill requests for books that are available through the MERLIN or MOBIUS online catalogs or books that are available in the University of Missouri - St. Louis Libraries.

• Interlibrary Loan items are borrowed according to the terms and conditions of the lending library (the library that loans UMSL the item).
• Renewals are solely at the discretion of the lending library.
• Replacement terms and costs for lost items vary according to the lending library and the item borrowed.
• ILL items are seldom recalled, but if they are, please return the item as soon as possible.
• Please return items on-time and in good condition. Late and lost items can jeopardize our ability to borrow from other libraries.
• Interlibrary Loan reserves the right to limit the number of requests.

Please contact the Interlibrary Loan office with any questions: (314) 516-5066.

To check out materials, bring the materials and your identification card to the circulation desk. For check out procedures the appropriate ID cards are required:

• University of Missouri - St. Louis - University of Missouri - St. Louis faculty, staff, and students need to present a valid University of Missouri - St. Louis ID card.
• St. Louis Mercantile Library - Members of the St. Louis Mercantile Library need a Guest Borrower card which is provided at the Thomas Jefferson Library Public Service Desk.
• Guest Borrowers - Community members need a Guest Borrower card.  Cards can be purchased at the Thomas Jefferson Library Public Service Desk.
• Alumni Members - Members of the University of Missouri - St. Louis Alumni Association need to have an active Alumni Association card and sign up for an account at the Thomas Jefferson Library Public Service Desk.

• University of Missouri-St. Louis Community: University of Missouri - St. Louis faculty, staff, and students fall under this category. The University ID is the library card. Privileges include checking out books and government documents from the general collection of the University of Missouri - St. Louis Libraries, access to in-house and remotely accessible electronic databases, reference services, interlibrary loan services, MERLIN/MOBIUS consortium, and use of the Library Research Commons. Other restrictions may apply.
• Alumni Members: Alumni members of the University of Missouri - St. Louis Alumni Association may sign up with the Library free of charge. Privileges expire one year from the date of issue at which time alumni must sign up again. Alumni are limited to checking out books and government documents from the general collection of the University of Missouri - St. Louis Libraries and access to unrestricted in-house electronic databases. They may have a maximum of four books checked out at any given time. Interlibrary loan services are not included in alumni card privileges. Other restrictions may apply.
• Guest Borrowers: All applicants must be residents of Missouri. The fee for the card is $35.00. The card expires one year from the date of issue. Privileges are limited to checking out books and in-house electronic databases. Guest Borrower card holders may have a maximum of four books checked out at any given time. Interlibrary loan services are not included in Guest Borrower card privileges. Other restrictions may apply. 
• St. Louis Mercantile Library Members: Members of the St. Louis Mercantile Library may be issued a Guest Borrower card free of charge. It expires on the same date as their Mercantile Library membership. Privileges are limited to checking out up to ten books and government documents from the general collection of the University of Missouri - St. Louis Libraries, access to unrestricted in-house electronic databases, access to on-line database searches, reference services, and interlibrary loan services (at cost). Other restrictions may apply.

Loan periods and borrowing privileges vary according to the user's status and the lending library's policies. All materials are checked out by presenting the appropriate ID card. Checking out materials from the library implies that the user will abide by the library's rules by returning the materials in good order and by the due dates. Failure to meet either condition may result in fines and/or the loss of privileges.

This table displays the guidelines for loan periods:

* MOBIUS loan period increased July 1, 2015 from 21 to 28 days.

There is a seven day grace period for overdue University of Missouri-St. Louis library books and government documents. After this grace period, an overdue reminder will be sent to patrons. A billing notice is sent to library patrons when an item is 14 days overdue. The bill includes a $120.00 replacement charge and a $10.00 processing fee. Approximately 40 days after the billing notice is sent, the charge is sent to the campus cashier's office. All further charges will be sent from and paid to the cashier's office. The University of Missouri-St. Louis Libraries do not guarantee the receipt of billing notices sent via the mail or email.

The check out period for books and government documents owned by University of Missouri - St. Louis Libraries is 21 days for undergraduate students and 120 days for faculty and graduate students. Journals, newspapers, and microforms may NOT be checked out. You may renew in person, by phone at (314) 516-5057, or via the library catalog's My Library Account option. Restrictions may apply to patron privileges. More information is available at the Public Service Desk.

Materials may be denied renewal for one or more of the following reasons:

• Materials were checked out with special permission
• Materials are being recalled by another borrower
• Materials were obtained through Interlibrary loan
• Borrower has library fees, expired registration, or otherwise currently suspended borrowing privileges
• Too many renewals (allowed three renewals for UMSL material)