Circulation staff at the Management Library provide a wide variety of assistance to students, faculty, staff, and visitors. We have compiled a set of Frequently Asked Questions that address many of the functions of Circulation. If your question is not answered below, please use our Ask A Librarian form, or call us at 255-3389.

Circulation Frequently Asked Questions

1. "Who can borrow material from the Management Library?"
2. "For how long can I borrow an item from the Management Library?"
3. "What is a renewal and how can I renew library material?"
4. "What are recalls and how can I recall library material?"
5. "Where can I return library material?"
6. "What are the rules for borrowing reserve material from the Management Library?"
7. "How do I find out what's on Course Reserve for my course?"
8. "What are the rules regarding overdue fines?"
9. "How can I place a request to borrow library material that is not currently available from the Cornell University Libraries?"
10. "How can I request that the Management Library purchase a book/database/journal which it doesn't already own?"

1.  "Who can borrow material from the Management Library?"

All members of the Cornell Community may borrow items from the Management library using their Cornell IDs. Complete Cornell University Library borrowing policies are available for graduate students, faculty & staff, and undergraduates. Additional Management Library policies may apply.

2.  "For how long can I borrow an item from the Management Library?"

Loan periods vary based on the type of material and the Cornell status (faculty, staff, undergrad, grad) of the individual borrower. Generally, graduate students, faculty, and staff may borrow items for six months. The loan period for undergraduate students is six weeks. Items on Course Reserve can be checked out for two hours at a time. Items in the Reference collection do not circulate.

3.  "What is a renewal and how can I renew library material?"

Renewals allow you to extend the due date of many items you have checked out, provided nobody else is waiting for the item. Renewals can be placed using the Library Catalog, by phone (255-3389), by email, or in-person at the Circulation desk. If another patron has placed a Hold on an item, that item may not be renewed.

4.  "What are recalls and how can I recall library material?"

Recalls provide a way for you to access books that are currently checked out to other individuals at Cornell. Recalling shifts the due date of items forward (recalled items become due in 10-14 days). It also puts you in the queue for the item so that you will be contacted by email when it is returned (provided you are the first person in the queue). Note: if you wish to be added to the queue for a book but don't wish to shift the due date forward, you may place a hold instead of a recall. To place a Recall, find the item in the Library Catalog and then click the Requests tab at the top.

5.  "Where can I return library material?"

Library material may be returned to any Cornell Library. It will be checked in at the library where it is returned and then sent back to the lending library. The only items that must be returned to the lending library (the specific library from which you originally checked the items out) are Interlibrary Loan and Borrow Direct items, Reserve materials and other items that are due back the same day they are checked out.

6.  "What are the rules for borrowing Course Reserve material from the Management Library?"

Course R eserve material can be checked out from the Circulation desk. The majority of the material is available for 2 hours at a time, with an option to renew for an additional 2 hours if no other patron has placed a hold on the item. Renewals may be requested in-person at the circulation desk, or by phone at 255-3389. Reserve material can not be renewed online or by email. Fines for overdue reserve material are charged at the rate of $.04/ minute. Reserve items must be returned to the Management Library Circulation desk during the hours the library is open, and to the library drop box outside of the lower parking lot entrance to Sage Hall on the south side of the building during the time the library is closed.

7.  "How do I find out what's on Course Reserve for my course?"

A list of items on reserve for a specific course is available through the Library Catalog. Go to the Course Reserve page and enter the course number or instructor's name. If there are multiple results, select the one for your class. Search results list both hard copy reserve items (available at the Circulation desk) and any electronic reserve articles for the course. For information specifically regarding items on reserve for courses taught at the Johnson School, you may also either contact the Management Library Circulation desk by phone (255-3389), e-mail, or consult the Course Reserves binder kept at the Circulation Desk.

8.  "What are the rules regarding overdue fines?"

Overdue fines are assessed at different rates, depending on the original loan period of the overdue item and whether or not it has been recalled by another patron. Generally, fines are $.75 per day for regular items. The fine for Course Reserve items is $.04 per minute. Items that have been recalled are assessed a fine of $3 per day.

9.  "How can I place a request to borrow library material that is not currently available from the Cornell University Libraries?"

If Cornell does not own the item, or if our copy is lost or missing, you can request it through Interlibrary Services, which gives you access to the collections of many other universities with whom Cornell has a lending agreement. Receipt of Interlibrary Loan materials usually takes 7-10 business days. Faster delivery may be available for books; Cornell is part of a small lending group called Borrow Direct which has a 4-business-day turnaround on deliveries. Borrow Direct is restricted to books only (no article requests allowed). Finally, you may also fill out a purchase request form and we will consider buying a copy to add to our collection.

If Cornell owns the item but it is checked out to another patron, you can still request it via Borrow Direct. You may also Cornell's copy of the item.

10.  "How can I request that the Management Library purchase a book/database/journal which it doesn't already own?"

If an item you are seeking is not owned by Cornell, you may fill out our Purchase Request Form. While you await its arrival, you can borrow a copy owned by another University via Borrow Direct (provides access to the books of a small group of Ivy universities with a 4-business-day delivery agreement) or Interlibrary Loan (accesses books & journal articles of much larger group of universities, with a 7-10 business-day delivery agreement).