Borrowing Privileges: Borrowing privileges are automatically given to current HCC students, faculty, staff, and members of other community colleges. Community borrowers are required to apply for a card. Students who are not currently enrolled, including alumni, are classified as community borrowers.

HCC students: To borrow materials, a student must present picture identification or an HCC student banner ID card. Student library cards expire at the end of each semester.

Faculty and Staff: Faculty and staff are not required to present an HCC library card or picture ID, but are encouraged to do so to help speed the process. Faculty and staff library cards expire two years from the date acquired.

Community borrowers must present either a Connecticut Driver’s License or a Connecticut Identification Card, or a photo ID along with an envelope that has been addressed to the borrower at a Connecticut street address (not a P.O. Box) in order to obtain a library card. Community borrowers must be at least 17 years old. Community borrower library cards expire one year from the date acquired. To obtain a library card, patrons must complete a library card application form in full.

Circulation Limits There are specific limits on the number of items and time that materials may be checked out

Books

• HCC students may check out up to 12 books in total, with no more than 5 on one topic.
• Community borrowers may check out up to 3 books.
• Faculty and staff may check out up to 32 items.

DVDs

• Students, faculty, and staff may check out 3 circulating DVDs owned by the Library. Exceptions may be made for faculty who need to check out more items for a class related purpose.
• Community borrowers may not check out DVDs.
• DVDs which are restricted to library use circulate only to faculty and staff. Students may watch educational DVDs on a computer.

Reserve Materials

• With some exceptions, Reserve materials are for in-library use.

Reference books

• Reference books are for library use only. Exceptions may be made for faculty who need to use reference books or magazines for class related purposes.

Periodicals

• The library has magazines and newspapers available for use within the library only.
• Newspapers are signed out on the newspaper sign-out sheet before being taken from the desk. All requested information must be filled in legibly.

Loan Periods

Items may be borrowed for different periods. Exceptions may be made for faculty who need longer loan periods for class related purposes.

• Books circulate for 4 weeks.
• DVDs circulate for 1 week.
• Reserve items circulate for 2 hours

Returning Items After Hours

When the library is closed, items may be returned to the Public Safety/Security office or placed in the outside library book drop.

Renewals

Patrons may renew items at the Circulation Desk or over the phone. Patrons making phone renewals are responsible for adhering to the new due date. If an item has a hold or is “lost”, it may not be renewed. Patrons may also renew their items in Housatonic Search.

Fines

A $10.00 fine will be charged for any library-use only reserve item that is removed from the library and kept overnight. A fine of $1.00 per day will be charged for two day or one-week reserve items that are kept past their due dates. There is a maximum fine of $5.00 per title.

Faculty and staff are not subject to fines.

Holds

Circulating items may be held for patrons at the circulation desk for a limited period of time. Reference Books, magazines and “for sale” items are not held on the hold shelf.

In-House Holds

Books and DVDs may be placed on the hold shelf for patrons returning at a later time to check them out. The maximum limit for in-house holds is three items. In-house holds are held only until closing the next day, and will be returned to the shelves after that time. Exceptions may be made when a student has a Monday, Wednesday, Friday schedule or a Tuesday, Thursday schedule. In these cases, held items may remain on the hold shelf until the next class session. This does not apply to students who have classes that meet once a week.

Computer Holds

Holds may be placed on items that are checked out. An item with a hold on it may not be renewed by the patron who has it checked out. Once patrons are notified by email that held items are waiting for them, they have three weekdays (weekends and holidays are not included) to pick up held items before they are returned to the library’s shelves. Patrons are responsible for supplying the library with their current telephone number and address, email, and for ensuring that telephone messages that are left for them are relayed to them.