Library Policy: Circulation Policy and Procedures

Circulation Policies and Procedures

Borrowing Privileges

Regular borrowing privileges for circulating materials in the Georgia Highlands College libraries are extended to enrolled students, faculty, and staff, and many members of the community.

• Students with a college ID, picture ID and/or proof of enrollment may checkout up to 20 books in the general collection.  Other circulating items have varying circulation periods based upon the type. Circulation of Reserve items is determined by the instructor(s) who placed the item(s) on reserve with circulation periods varying from In-House Use Only to 14 Days. Students may not check out newspapers, periodicals, reference books, and audiovisual materials.
• Faculty and Staff with a college ID or picture ID may check out most materials in the Georgia Highlands College Library with the exception of some periodical and reference titles. 

(For more information about community patrons, see Community/Public Users.)

Other borrowing privileges are available through GIL Express to all currently enrolled University System of Georgia (USG) students and current faculty and staff working for those USG institutions. (Learn more here.) Georgia Highlands College also extends borrowing privileges to students and faculty of certain other local colleges and universities through reciprocal usage agreements. For more information on the institutions with which we currently have reciprocal agreements, please contact the library. 

GIL Account

Georgia Highlands College students, faculty, and staff will be assigned a GIL account with which they will be given online access to their library account information as well as the status of their GIL Express requests. For access to their GIL account, patrons will need log in with their network credentials. GIL accounts can be accessed here.

Borrowing Items

Georgia Highlands College students, faculty, and staff may borrow circulating materials from any GHC library, as well as from any library in the University System of Georgia. Materials from any GHC library may be sent to any other GHC library for pick up by placing a request through the GHC GIL-Find catalog once the patron has logged into their GIL account. Materials from other USG libraries may be found and requested through the Gil-Find catalog by searching with the University System of Georgia option. Patrons must be logged in to their GIL account to request items from other USG libraries. Requests may not be placed for non-circulating items. 

Loan Periods for Items

Audio/Visual materials are available to check out by faculty/staff only but can be used in-house by students and community patrons. Electronic books are available for check out and download only to GHC students, faculty, and staff (loan period varies by e-book vendor). Certain electronic books may be available for community patrons to read only at GALILEO workstations in the GHC libraries. 

Renewing Items

Library items that are checked out may be renewed twice for the same length as the original loan period. Overdue items may not be renewed by phone or on-line, however they may be returned to the library for renewal. All checked out items are due to the library on the last day of class. If items are renewed close to the end of semester classes, the renewal period may be shortened.

Returning Items

Books borrowed from any Georgia Highlands College library may by returned to any other GHC  library, or to any other library in the University System of Georgia. Books borrowed by Georgia Highlands College students from other USG institutions may also return those books to any GHC  library to be sent to their home institution. 

Fines

Effective December 2010, the Georgia Highlands College Library no longer charges daily overdue fines.

Overdue Books

Patrons who have overdue or lost materials may NOT check out any additional materials until the overdue/lost materials are returned and any outstanding fees are paid.  Overdue materials must be physically returned to a library location. The materials may be renewed at that time, so long as there are no holds on the items, or any other overdue/lost items on the patron’s account. Any item that is overdue an excess of 28 day is considered lost. (Refer to lost book policy.)

Payment of fees

The libraries do not handle monetary transactions.  All fees will need to be paid at the business office at any site.  All monies placed on GHC Charger card will be through the use of the VTS machines located on all GHC sites or at the business office.

Holds for Damaged, Overdue or Lost Items

Any GHC student, faculty or staff member with an overdue item at any other USG institution will be blocked at GHC and other USG schools. Holds will also be placed in Banner/Score. Please note that some USG system schools have additional fines and fees that may apply.

Lost items

Materials are considered Lost when they are 28 days overdue. The library system will bill the patron for the price of the book, processing fee and any additional charges. Patron’s record will be blocked; holds are placed in library system and in Banner/Score suspending check out privileges. All fees must be paid in Business office not the library.

If a patron finds a lost book after they have paid for it within two months of payment date, the library will refund lost fee only. Processing of the refund is not immediate.