Borrowing

General Information

The Library Service Desk is located on the 1st floor of Library North.  Service Desk staff can help you:

• Check-out or return Books, CDs, DVDs, Course Reserve items
• Pick-up or return items borrowed from other libraries (Interlibrary Loan)
• Place, check-out or return items on Hold
• Pay Fines
• Locate lost items (Lost-and-found location for the entire Library)

How do I check out books?

 

Mutual Borrowers

Use your School ID card

Note: Alumni Association members and community members must give the Library their Alumni Association card or email proof of current membership to establish a Library file.

 

24/7 Lockers

The library has 24/7 lockers available outside the north entrance for patrons who would prefer a contactless pick-up option. The self-service locker system allows users to pick up items they have placed on hold. For more information, please see our FAQs

Borrowing - Books

Book Borrowing Time Frame

	Initial borrowing period	Maximum borrowing period
Students (Undergraduate and graduate)	16 weeks	48 weeks
Faculty & Staff	1 year	3 years
LACHSA & Stern MASS	30 days	90 days
Alumni & Community	30 days	90 days
Other Cal State users	60 days	60 days

Notes

• Items can be renewed as often as needed until the maximum borrowing period has been reached.
• Due dates for checked-out materials may be shortened if needed for course reserve, you will be notified by email.
• Some items in the main collection are for in-library use only and cannot be checked out. Their records will indicate Not loanable after you have logged in to OneSearch.

Fines & Fees

• It is your responsibility to notify the Library of any changes to your personal contact information.
• You will be charged a $75 replacement fee plus a $15 billing fee for each item when it is 2 weeks overdue. You may provide an acceptable replacement copy in lieu of the $75 replacement fee.
• If you damage an item you will be charged for repair or replacement.
• Fees can be paid by cash or check at the Service Desk, Library North First Floor.
• Cal State LA Student, Staff, Faculty and Alumni can pay their fines or fees through the MyCalStateLA portal or through Transact. For more information, please review the University payment site. 
• Unreturned items and unpaid fees will prevent you from requesting and checking out additional material and may affect your ability to register for classes.

Borrowing - Journals

Journals Borrowing Time Frame

	Borrowing period
Students (Undergraduate and graduate)	7 days
Faculty & Staff	7 days
LACHSA & Stern MASS	Same day in library use
Alumni & Community	Same day in library use
Other Cal State users	Same day in library use

Notes

• Journals may not be renewed.
• Due dates for checked-out materials may be shortened if needed for course reserve, you will be notified by email.
• Some journals in the main collection are for in-library use only and cannot be checked out by any users. Their records will indicate Not loanable after you have logged in to OneSearch.

Fines & Fees

• It is your responsibility to notify the Library of any changes to your personal contact information.
• You will be charged a $75 replacement fee plus a $15 billing fee for each item when it is 2 weeks overdue.
• If you damage an item you will be charged for repair or replacement.
• Fees can be paid by cash or check at the Service Desk, Library North First Floor.
• Cal State LA Student, Staff, Faculty and Alumni can pay their fines or fees through the MyCalStateLA portal or through Transact. For more information, please review the University payment site. 
• Unreturned items and unpaid fees will prevent you from requesting and checking out additional material and may affect your ability to register for classes.

Borrowing - Video, Audio, & Other Media

Video, Audio & Media Borrowing Time Frame

	Borrowing period	Maximum concurrent checkouts
Students (Undergraduate and graduate)	30 days	5 items
Faculty & Staff	30 days	10 items
LACHSA & Stern MASS	30 days	1 item
Alumni & Community	Same day in library use	1 item
Other Cal State users	30 days	5 items

Notes

• Video, audio, and all other media items may not be renewed.
• Due dates for checked-out items may be shortened if needed for course reserve, you will be notified by email.
• Video, audio, and other media items may be booked in OneSearch by Faculty, Staff, and Teaching/Graduate Assistants to ensure they are available when needed.
• Same day use DVDs are due back at closing on the day which they are checked out.

Fines & Fees

• It is your responsibility to notify the Library of any changes to your personal contact information.
• You will be charged the cost of the item plus a $15 billing fee for each item that is 2 weeks overdue. The cost of regular circulating DVDs is between $20 and $75. The cost of Same day use DVDs is between $150 and $1000. You may provide an acceptable replacement copy in lieu of the replacement fee.
• If you damage an item you will be charged for replacement.
• If you do not return the media sleeve/case you will be billed replacement until it is returned.
• Fees can be paid by cash or check at the Service Desk, Library North First Floor.
• Cal State LA Student, Staff, Faculty and Alumni can pay their fines or fees through the MyCalStateLA portal or through Transact. For more information, please review the University payment site. 
• Unreturned items and unpaid fees will prevent you from requesting and checking out additional material and may affect your ability to register for classes.

Borrowing - Course Reserve Items

Course Items Borrowing Time Frame

	Borrowing period	Hourly Fines	Maximum concurrent checkouts
Students (Undergraduate and graduate)	determined by instructor	$1 per hour per item	5 items
Faculty & Staff	determined by instructor	n/a	5 items
LACHSA & Stern MASS	determined by instructor	$1 per hour per item	1 item
Alumni & Community	2 hours in-library use	$1 per hour per item	1 item
Other Cal State users	2 hours in-library use	$1 per hour per item	1 item

Notes

• Reserves cannot be renewed.
• The borrowing period is determined by the instructor who placed the material on reserve, the default is 2 hours/overnight.
• Reserves checked out to Alumni & Community members are due back in two hours or at closing, whichever is sooner.

Fines & Fees

• It is your responsibility to notify the Library of any changes to your personal contact information.
• Late fines are charged every hour the library is open.
• The maximum late fine is $25 per transaction.
• You will be charged a $75 replacement fee plus a $15 billing fee for each item that is not returned in addition to the late fine. You may provide an acceptable replacement copy in place of the replacement fee.
• Fees can be paid by cash or check at the Service Desk, Library North First Floor.
• Cal State LA Student, Staff, Faculty and Alumni can pay their fines or fees through the MyCalStateLA portal or through Transact. For more information, please review the University payment site. 
• Unreturned items and unpaid fees will prevent you from requesting and checking out additional material and may affect your ability to register for classes.

Borrowing - From Other Libraries

Items from other Libraries Borrowing Time Frame

	CSU+ items borrowing period	Non CSU Library items borrowing period
Students (Undergraduate and graduate)	60 days	varies
Faculty & Staff	60 days	varies
Alumni & Community	n/a	n/a
Other Cal State users	n/a	n/a

Notes

• Items borrowed from other libraries cannot be renewed.
• Items will be held for pickup for 7 days.
• The borrowing period is determined by the lending library.
• CSU+ and InterLibrary Loan services are not available for Alumni & Community members or users from other Cal State Campuses.

Fines & Fees

• It is your responsibility to notify the Library of any changes to your personal contact information.
• You will be charged a $90 replacement fee for each item when it is 2 weeks overdue.
• Fees can be paid by cash or check at the Service Desk, Library North First Floor.
• Cal State LA Student, Staff, Faculty and Alumni can pay their fines or fees through the MyCalStateLA portal or through Transact. For more information, please review the University payment site. 
• Unreturned items and unpaid fees will prevent you from requesting and checking out additional material and may affect your ability to register for classes.

How many items may be checked out?

Limits 

	Maximum concurrent checkouts	Maximum overdue items	Maximum money owed
Students (Undergraduate and graduate)	100 items	10 items	$10
Faculty & Staff	500 items	25 items	$1000
LACHSA & Stern MASS	20 items	5 items	$10
Alumni & Community	20 items	1 item	$10
Other Cal State users	20 items	1 item	$10

Notes

• Reaching any of the above limits will block your account from further transactions.

Library cards and borrowing accounts

• Cal State LA students, faculty, and staff your Golden Eagle One Card is your Library card. Your information has already been provided to the Library by the Registrar or Human Resources to create a borrowing account. This includes students, faculty, and staff for the School of Professional and Global Education.
• LACHSA and Stern MASS students and staff your school ID is your Library card. The Library must have a Library Borrowing Account Application filled out by you on file (students: your parent or legal guardian needs to sign the form).
• LA County High School students and teachers may fill out a Library Borrowing Account Application to have a borrowing account created. You will be assigned a borrowing card by the Library that must be presented each time you wish to check out an item from the Library's collection.
• Current students, faculty, and staff of other CSU campuses your home campus ID is your Library card.

Course Reserves

Course Reserves are created upon instructor request to support a particular class. Print or physical media materials are made available at the library service desk (1st floor) and some items can be placed on Electronic Reserve.

Items that may be placed on course reserve may include:

• Cal State LA Regular circulating books>
• Personal copies of textbooks and other course-related material
• Most government publications
• Media (DVDs, CDs, etc.)
• Copies of articles (copied in adherence to the United States Copyright Law).

Electronic Reserves. Most articles and book chapters can be placed on Electronic Reserve; this permits students online access to course reserve material 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Place heavily used material on E-Reserve to ensure access for all students.

For the quickest service, faculty members may bring their material for placement on reserve to the Service Desk, 1st Floor, Library North. The Library will also retrieve books, copy articles and process requests submitted via Web Form. For complete information see the Faculty Guide to Placing Materials on Reserve.