Library Access Policies

Access & Borrowing Privileges

Loan Periods & Renewals

Requests: Pages, Holds, & Recalls

Overdue Items: Fines, Notices, & Replacement Fees

Reserves

Confidentiality of Borrower Records & Recalled Items

Library Rules

 

 

Access & Borrowing Privileges

Note that this policy may be modified for conditions related to the COVID-19 pandemic. For more information about our current policies and procedures, please see the page about visitors to campus:  https://www.wellesley.edu/coronavirus#visitors

 

Borrowers

The following persons may borrow library materials from the Wellesley College Libraries (personal ID and sign-in may be required).

Those who meet the following criteria, but have not been issued a Wellesley College ID, will have to register at the Clapp Service Desk for an Outside Borrower Library Card. A personal ID or institution ID should be presented, and proof of current address may be required.

Please be aware that loan periods vary for different patrons; please see Loan Periods and Renewals.

  • Students of Wellesley College, MIT, Olin College, and Babson College; cross-registered students from Brandeis; cross-registered students from Wellesley High School; registered auditors

  • Faculty/Staff of Wellesley College (including emeriti and President's Club), MIT, Olin College, and Babson College

  • Wellesley College Trustees (including emeriti)

  • Wellesley Research Affiliates - Wellesley College Fellows, Associates in Education, visiting research scholars, and Wellesley Centers' researchers and staff

  • Wellesley Affiliates*** - retired employees; teachers from Wellesley High School, Dana Hall, and St. Mark's

  • Wellesley College Auditors***

  • Wellesley College Alumnae***

  • Family of Wellesley College Faculty/Staff - spouses and college age children only

  • Boston Library Consortium members*** with current BLC card from home institution

***Cannot borrow from the Art Library

NOTE: Only current students, faculty, and staff may borrow equipment. See this page for more information about borrowing equipment.

On-site Users

On-site use of Wellesley College Library facilities and materials is granted to the following persons:

  • Students or faculty from other colleges and universities

  • Town of Wellesley residents (beyond high school age) who need material not available at a public institution

  • Family and guests (beyond high school age) accompanied by a member of the Wellesley College or MIT communities

  • Visitors not directly associated with Wellesley College (may also be asked to show ID).

Anyone who wants to have access to materials or consult with the Archives or Special Collections departments must make a reservation ahead of time.

For more information, please contact the Clapp Service Desk at (781) 283-2166.

 

 

Loan Periods & Renewals

Loan periods are determined by patron types and material types.

Note: The following loan and renewal policies apply to regularly circulating library materials only, not equipment or reserve materials.

For further information about loan periods and renewals, please inquire at the Service Desk of the appropriate library.

Patron Type

Material Type

Loan period

Wellesley College: Students, Affiliates, Alumnae, Auditors, Family of Faculty/Staff

MIT, Olin, and Babson Students

Book

Reserves Item 

Video, DVD, CD

28 days

3 hours 

28 days

Boston Library Consortium card holders

Book

 

Video, DVD, CD

28 days

 

28 days

Wellesley College: Faculty/Staff, Trustees

MIT, Olin, and Babson Faculty/Staff

Book

Video, DVD, CD

6 months

28 days
 

 

As long as no other patron has put a hold on your library item(s), you can renew

  • in person with your library card/ID (necessary for anyone without a Wellesley College username and password)
  • by clicking on the Library tab in the MyWellesley portal
  • by logging into your library account from SuperSearch or the library catalog.

 

Requests: Pages, Holds, & Recalls 

Pages

Pages are requests on items currently available in the library. If you want us to collect items for you, you can use the Place Request button in SuperSearch or the library catalog. When we have collected the items for you, you will receive an email notification. Your request will be held on our Hold shelf for 14 days. After 14 days, it will be returned to our collection.

Holds

In general, we encourage Wellesley Students, Faculty, and Staff to use Interlibrary Loan instead of placing holds on checked out material. If preferred, however, Wellesley Students, Faculty, and Staff may request that library staff place a hold on a checked out item and be electronically informed when the item is returned. The item will be held for this patron at the owning Library's service desk for 14 days from the date of return.  

Recalls

Recalls are only available when an item is needed by a faculty member for course reserves. In this case, an item can be immediately recalled and will be due back on the date of recall, regardless of the patron’s check out date. Please contact reserves@wellesley.edu to initiate a recall.

 

 

Overdue Items: Fines, Notices, & Replacement Fees

Fines for Overdue Library Items

Wellesley does not assess overdue fines. If an item is not renewed or returned, bills for replacement costs of materials will be added to users’ accounts resulting in blocks to accessing library materials (including online library materials). Library staff will email students when unpaid replacement fees are posted to their College account. See below for details.

Overdue Notices and Replacement Fees

Automated notices are emailed to patrons when library items are overdue.

Reserve Items:

  • An overdue notice is sent when an item is 3 hours overdue.

  • A replacement billing notice is sent the morning after the item is due.

  • A $100 replacement fee will be added to the patron's library account the day after an item is due. This fee will result in a "borrowing block" on a student's record. This fee (and any associated block) will be removed when the item is returned or after the replacement fee has been submitted to Student Financial Services.

General Library Items:

  • Overdue notices are sent 1 and 8 days after an item is due. (Patrons with access to the MyWellesley portal can renew overdue items online.)

  • A replacement billing notice is sent 15 days after an item is due. (Patrons cannot renew an item in MyWellesley once they are billed for replacement. Patrons should contact a Library Service Desk to renew if necessary.)

  • A $100 replacement fee will be added to the patron's library account 15 days after an item is due. This fee will result in a "borrowing block" on a student's record. This fee (and any associated block) will be removed when the item is returned.

Interlibrary Loan Items:

  • A courtesy reminder is sent out 7 days before the item is due with a link to request a renewal.

  • Overdue notices are sent 1 and 15 days after the item is due. (Patrons cannot request renewals for items once they are overdue.)  Once the item is two weeks overdue, the lending library can bill for the item.

  • A block is placed on the patron’s ILL account once the item is 30 days overdue, and a $100 replacement fee is added to the patron’s library account. 

  • ILL books must be returned in the same condition they are received.  The lending library can charge for damaged items.  

  • A replacement fee determined by the lending library will be added to the patron's library account when a replacement invoice is received. Fees over $100 will result in a "borrowing block" on a student's record. All fees will result in a "borrowing block" on a student's ILL account. This fee (and any associated blocks) will be removed if the item is returned before the invoice is received.  

Circulating Equipment: 

  • A courtesy reminder is sent 2 days before the equipment is due. Patrons should contact the Knapp Equipment Desk to inquire about loan extensions. Loan extensions may not be possible due to the heavy use of this collection.

  • If an equipment kit is returned without all of its pieces, the kit will not be accepted. Any lost or damaged items are the responsibility of the patron, and a replacement/repair fee will be assessed.

  • A $4000 fee will be added to the patron's R&R Booking account the day after an item is due. This fee will result in a "borrowing block" on a student's equipment account. This fee (and any associated block) will be removed if the item is returned before the next billing date. If the item is not returned, the student will be charged the full replacement value of the equipment kit, and may not be able to borrow in the future.

Resolving Fees for Lost or Damaged Items

The automatic replacement fee is an estimate of the cost to replace an item. If an item is confirmed lost or damaged or is not returned prior to the next billing cycle, the patron's record will be adjusted to reflect the actual replacement/repair cost. Patrons should speak with a staff member at one of the Library service desks for more information. Please contact the Interlibrary Loan office (ill@wellesley.edu) for items borrowed through ILL.

Unpaid replacement fees will be moved to a student's College account (to appear on their official College bill) on a monthly basis.

A student who wishes to return an overdue item after a replacement fee appears on their College account must speak with a designated staff member at the Clapp Library. Failure to speak with a dedicated Clapp staff member will result in a significant delay in the removal of the fee.

A student who wishes to speak with someone about how to pay a replacement fee once it appears on their College account should speak with Student Financial Services. Fees on College accounts cannot be paid at a Library service desk.

 

 

Reserves

Course reserve materials may be placed on reserve by faculty at the Clapp Service Desk in Clapp Library and the Art and Music libraries. Please see the Course Reserves page for further details.

  • Most course reserve materials are included in the Library's SuperSearch and online catalog.  A search may be done by course or instructor's name.

  • Most reserve materials circulate for 3 hours.  Some materials are IN LIBRARY USE ONLY and can only be used while a patron is in the library. 

  • Faculty/Staff wishing to place materials on Reserve should contact staff at the appropriate library.

 

 

Confidentiality of Borrower Records & Recalled Items

It is the policy of the American Library Association to maintain the confidentiality of borrowers' records. However, when an individual borrower's abuse of Library privileges infringes on the needs of other members of the Wellesley College community, the Library reserves the right to disclose the borrower's name to appropriate individuals such as a dean, members of the faculty, or General Judiciary personnel. The Honor Code applies to all Library transactions.

 

 

Library Rules

Food & Drink Policy

Food and beverages, and their containers, attract insects and rodents, and can stain and destroy library materials, equipment, and furniture. The smell of some foods may also be bothersome to other library users. Please be considerate of others--don't leave trash behind.

  • In Clapp Library, beverages are allowed in reusable, spill-proof containers. Food may be eaten in the first floor lounge area near the vending machines. Hot meals should not be brought into the Library.

  • In the Art and Music Libraries, beverages are allowed in reusable, spill-proof containers. Food is not permitted.

  • Library patrons are encouraged to use reusable, spill-proof drink containers (such as plastic coffee mugs with sealable lids, or reusable water bottles). Disposable, paper containers are not spill proof and should not be brought into the Library.

  • Absolutely no food or drinks are permitted at audio/visual and computer workstations or in Archives and Special Collections.

Appropriate Behavior

  • Users are expected to respect others by keeping conversations at low levels or by using study rooms at the libraries.

  • Cell phones should be set to silent mode.

Honor Code

  • Use of library computers should be for academic purposes only.  Priority is given to Wellesley College faculty, staff and students.

  • Use of Reserves materials should be according to the Honor Code. Users should respect that others may also need the same materials in a timely manner.

  • Use of library facilities should not violate the College's Responsible Use of Information Technology Resources Policy.