Borrowing privileges are extended to current OC students, faculty and staff with the exception of individuals who meet the criteria for guest privileges. A current I.D. along with the materials needed must be presented at the circulation desk.
| Loan period | Limit | |
| Undergraduate students: | 2 weeks | 15 items |
| Graduate students: | 3 weeks | 25 items |
| Staff: | 2 weeks | 15 items |
| Faculty Adjuncts: | 3 weeks | 25 items |
| Faculty: | 4 months | No limit |
Overdue materials have fines according to the type of material. Overdue notices are sent by email. These notices are a courtesy, and failure to receive such a notice will NOT reduce or cancel fines. Failure to pay fines or return books will bar you from borrowing library materials. When the fine is $3.00 borrowing privileges are revoked.
There is a five day grace period for overdue OC books. No fine will be generated if a book is returned within five days of the due date. On the 6th day the fine is retrospective and will be $.60. There is no grace period for interlibrary loan material or for DVDs.
Books can be renewed unless another patron has a hold on the item. Renewals cannot be made by phone.
Library materials are subject to immediate recall if needed for class reserves. Materials needed by another patron are subject to recall on the due date.
Returned materials may be left in the book drop located outside at the southwest corner of the library at any time. If the material is placed in the book drop after the library closes it will not be discharged until the following day and overdue fines may be imposed.
Some items in high demand for a particular course have been placed on reserve by the instructor. These items are located at the circulation desk, and can be checked out for a limited period of time. Most of the items on reserve cannot leave the library. Reserve materials are identified as (RESERVE) on the online catalog.
Instructors may choose to place items in eReserves instead of having a paper copy available at the circulation desk. Items in eReserves are available through a link in the Blackboard page for the course (available at bb.oc.edu).
An instructor who wishes to place an item on reserve can:
Guests may be given borrowing privileges if:
Interlibrary Loan is a service provided to current OC students, faculty and staff to obtain materials NOT held in the Beam Library within copyright limitations. Most libraries lend books and provide photocopies of periodical articles. Other materials may be available depending on the policies of individual libraries.
Interlibrary loan requests can be made in two ways:
The loan period is determined by the lending library. A renewal request must be made four days in advance of the due date and left at the circulation desk. Only 5 ILL books can be renewed for a student each semester.
The library faculty works in conjunction with academic departments to provide
bibliographic instruction in the classroom based on the needs of specific
coursework. Individual assistance is also available, and all library users are
encouraged to use it. To see examples of the materials used in library
instruction, please visit the
Find Research Help page to browse
the library instruction pages by subject, class, or task.
Research help is provided whenever the library is open. If you need help finding information, you can:
The library's computer lab is available for research purposes. It is located on the library's first floor near the reference desk. The lab provides access to the Internet and all other electronic services provided by the library. Printing charges are $.10 per page for anyone who is not a student, staff or faculty member of the university.
Please send comments or suggestions to askalibrarian@oc.edu