The Circulation Desk is located to the left of the library's main entrance. All materials are borrowed and returned through the Circulation Department.

Circulation questions may be sent to circulation@kzoo.edu.

Borrowers
The Kalamazoo College Library's resources are primarily for current students, faculty, and staff at the College. However, we extend borrowing privileges to some other patrons as well. The following borrowers may check out materials in person at the Kalamazoo College Library:

• Current Kalamazoo College faculty, staff, and students
• Current Kalamazoo College faculty/staff spouses and faculty/staff children under 18
• Kalamazoo College Alumni (maximum of three books)
• Kalamazoo College emeriti faculty
• 1833 Society Members (maximum of three books)
• Kalamazoo College trustees, emeriti trustees, and trustee spouses
• Current Western Michigan University students, faculty, and staff (through MeLCat)
• Patrons of MeLCat participating libraries that use the MeLCat Visiting Patron Service

All borrowers must have either:

• a valid identification card from Kalamazoo College, or
• a valid identification card from a MeLCat participating library that uses the MeLCat Visiting Patron Service

Area residents are welcome to consult the library's print materials.

If you are not affiliated with one of the groups above, please borrow Kalamazoo College Library materials through MeLCat or Interlibrary Loan at your home library.

If you have questions about whether you qualify as a borrower at the Kalamazoo College Library, please call Circulation at (269) 337-7153 or email circulation@kzoo.edu.

< top >

Borrowing Books
Books from the main collection may be borrowed for three weeks and are renewable. There is a three day grace period before fines are assessed. However, if the item is returned after the grace period, fines will be assessed from the original due date. Different loan policies may apply to other library collections.

< top >

Borrowing Periodicals
Back issues of periodicals may be borrowed by Kalamazoo College students, faculty, and staff for three days. There is no grace period for late return of periodicals. Current periodical issues do not circulate.

< top >

Fines
Fines are assessed at the following rates to encourage prompt return of overdue materials and equipment:

Fines accumulate until the item is returned, renewed, or declared lost.

Borrowing privileges are suspended if a borrower owes more than $20.00 in fines, replacement costs, or billing fees. Borrowers must pay library fines or fees in excess of $20.00 in order to reinstate borrowing privileges. Fines and fees may be paid at the library Circulation Desk. Cash or checks are accepted.

Students' library fines are transferred to the Kalamazoo College Business Office monthly. Students will be notified via email before their fines are transferred. After a fine is transferred, it will appear on a student's Kalamazoo College student account and bill. After a fine is transferred, there are three ways to pay it:

1. At the Business Office, or
2. With a check electronically via the Kalamazoo College Portal, or
3. At the Library.

Materials not returned within 30 days are subject to a $10.00 charge for accumulated fines and the cost of billing. When an item is more that 45 days overdue, the library will declare it as lost and bill as follows:

The library attempts to notify borrowers of overdue materials. Failure to receive notification does not absolve borrowers of accrued obligations.

Fines for overdue MeLCat materials
Fines for MeLCat items are the same as Kalamazoo College Library fines. Replacement costs and billing fees are also the same for lost items. You can see your fines for MeLCat items through your Ariadne Library Account.

Fines for Interlibrary Loan materials
Overdue fines of $1.00 per day are applied to all interlibrary loan items.

< top >

Hold Requests
If a book is checked out or cannot be located, members of the College community may request notification and a hold on the item when it is returned or found. Hold requests may be made at the Circulation Desk.

< top >

How to Request Storage Materials
Many library materials are located in Storage. Current students, faculty, and staff may request storage items through Ariadne using the green Storage Request button.
Materials are retrieved by library staff once per day, Monday through Friday. Please pick up your item(s) at the Circulation Desk.

For details on how to request Storage Materials in Ariadne, please see: How to Request Storage Materials

< top >

Interlibrary Loan
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) supplements the Kalamazoo College Library's resources by providing materials not available on campus for research needs. Through ILL services, current Kalamazoo College students, faculty, and staff may obtain materials such as books and journal articles that are not available in the Kalamazoo College library collection. This service is administered in accordance with the standards of the American Library Association Interlibrary Loan Code for the United States.

ILLiad is the online service that the Library uses for Interlibrary Loan requests. For details on the Library's Interlibrary Loan services, please see the Library's web page on Interlibrary Loan and ILLiad accounts.

Contact the Interlibrary Loan Department via email at ill@kzoo.edu or by phone at (269) 337-7148 if you have questions or would like additional information.

< top >

Loan Periods

< top >

Lost Materials
If you are unable to locate borrowed library materials, report them to the Circulation Supervisor at once. Charges for lost materials include the replacement cost, a processing fee, and any accumulated fines. See Fines for details on billing fees.

< top >

MeLCat
MeLCat is an online catalog that combines the catalogs of several libraries in Michigan, including public, academic, and K-12 school libraries.
These libraries have merged their holdings into a single online catalog called MeLCat that can be searched directly or from any of the participating libraries' catalogs.
Current students, faculty, and staff of Kalamazoo College can request books directly from MeLCat.
You may request books, DVDs, and other materials from MeLCat. MeLCat does not provide periodicals or journal articles.
MeLCat materials will be delivered to the Circulation Desk at the library and the requestor will be contacted via email when the item arrives.

For details on MeLCat and how to use it, please see the MeLCat Guide

MeLCat Participating Libraries

< top >

Renewals
Materials from the Main Collection may be renewed twice unless they have been reserved by another patron. Restrictions may apply to other materials.
Renewals may be made at the Circulation Desk or via Ariadne at http://ariadne.kzoo.edu/patroninfo

< top >

Reserves:

• Checking Out Reserves:
  Reserves are kept at the Circulation Desk.
  Please bring the call number of the Reserve to the Circulation Desk in order to check out the item.
  
  
• Finding the Call Number of Reserves:
  Reserves are listed in the library catalog Ariadne.
  Search Ariadne by Professor name or by Course number.
  
  • Search Ariadne for Reserves
  • Once you've found the record of the reserve item, take the call number to the circulation desk.
    
    
• Loan Period for Reserves:
  • Reserve items may be checked out for 2 hours, and overnight after 2:00am.
  • Reserves checked out overnight are due the following morning, one hour after the Library opens.
  • Reserve videos, DVDs, CDs, and slides may be checked out for 4 hours.
    
    
• Renewing Reserves:
• Reserve items may be renewed one time.
  You may renew Reserves at the Circulation Desk, by phone, or online.
• Reserve items cannot be renewed if some one has “Booked” that item.
  
  
• Booking Reserves
  • You may “Book” a Reserve item for a specific 2 hour time period. During the 2 hour “Booked” period, the item is reserved for your use.
  • Failure to pick up a Booked item within 15 minutes after the booked time will cancel your Booking.
  • To Book a Reserve, please come to the Circulation Desk. You may Book only two items at a time.
    
    
• Returning Reserve Materials:
  Reserve materials must be returned to the Circulation Desk.
  
  
• Electronic Reserve:
  Search Ariadne for links to your Electronic Reserve Readings. You will need your username and knet password to open the Electronic Reserve files.
  
  
  • Electronic Reserve Readings are digital copies of articles or chapters in PDF (image) format.
  • If your professor has placed readings on Electronic Reserve for your course, he or she will tell you in class or on the syllabus.
  • Electronic Reserve readings for the current quarter may be accessed by searching in the Ariadne Catalog for your instructor or course (click the RESERVES tab).
  • You will need your username and knet password to open the files.
  • If you have questions about Electronic Reserve, please contact your professor or email the Circulation Department at circulation@kzoo.edu.

< top >

Returning Materials
All materials must be returned to the Circulation Desk. Materials also may be returned to the outdoor Book Drop, located on the south side of the Library, facing Academy Street.

Returning Reserve Materials
Reserve materials must be returned to the Circulation Desk. Please do not put Reserve materials in the Book Drop.

Returning Materials from Western Michigan University Libraries
Materials borrowed from Western Michigan University may be returned to the Kalamazoo College Library Circulation Desk. WMU materials will be returned to Western *once* per week; items returned to the Kalamazoo College Library by 9:00am on Friday will arrive at Western's library by 8:30am the following Monday. To avoid fines from WMU, please make sure materials will arrive at WMU by the date they are due.

< top >

< go back >