Abell Library: Policies: Home

Library Policies

Below you will find information about library cards, borrowing books and media, material policies, study rooms, and food & drink. Please stop by the circulation desk, call 903-813-2236, or send an email if you have any questions or need help.

Library Cards

Abell Library does not issue a special library card to its users; instead, your Austin College ID doubles as your library card for checking out materials here. If you are interested in checking out and using materials at other libraries who are members of the local Bibliographic Association of the Red River (BARR) Consortium, your status as an Austin College student, faculty, or staff member may help grant you this privilege. (NOTE: Abell Library does not issue BARR cards. See below for more information on obtaining a BARR library card.)

To apply for a BARR library card account, visit the Sherman Public Library and present your Austin College ID. (Your AC ID is valid while you are enrolled at or employed by the College, and your account must be in good standing with us.) You may be required to provide an additional form of identification as well as proof of local address. Please contact the Sherman Public Library at 903-892-7240 with any questions.

The BARR Consortium member libraries:

Borrowing Books

Borrower Type	Loan Period	Restrictions	Renewals
AC faculty	1 year	100 item limit	2 renewals
AC staff	1 year	100 item limit	2 renewals
AC student	28 days	100 item limit	2 renewals
AC retired faculty & staff	28 days	100 item limit	2 renewals
AC guest (on campus for limited time)	14 days	3 item limit	2 renewals
AC spouse	14 days	3 item limit	2 renewals
AC dependent (must be 16+ years of age)	14 days	3 item limit	2 renewals
BARRcard holder--Grayson College (must be 18+ years of age)	14 days	3 item limit	1 renewal
BARRcard holder--Denison Public Library (must be 18+ years of age)	14 days	3 item limit	1 renewal
BARRcard holder--Sherman Public Library (must be 18+ years of age)	14 days	3 item limit	1 renewal
TexShare card holder (non-Grayson Co. resident)	14 days	3 item limit	1 renewal
TexShare card holder (Grayson Co. resident - use appropriate BARRcard instead)	14 days	3 item limit	1 renewal

Borrowing Media

The privilege of borrowing Blu-Ray, DVD, or VHS videos is limited to the following groups.

Borrower Type	Loan Period	Restrictions	Renewals
AC faculty	14 days	5 item limit*	1 renewal
AC student	7 days	5 item limit*	1 renewal
AC staff	7 days	5 item limit*	1 renewal
AC spouse	1 day	1 item limit	1 renewal
AC dependent (must be 16+ years of age)	1 day	1 item limit	1 renewal

*Counts toward the 100 item limit listed above in the Borrowing Books section.

Overdue Materials, Returning & Recalling Materials, Missing Items

Overdue Materials

Everyone is expected to return library materials on time so that others may have access to them. When this does not happen, the library user may be subject to fines, depending on the material borrowed. More details on fines may be found below.

Books -- Abell Library does not charge late fees for overdue books, typically (this does not include ILL books or books placed on reserve for a class). Long-overdue books will incur a Lost/Missing fee plus processing fees.
Media (Blu-Ray/DVD/VHS) -- The late fee for media is $3.00/day, with a maximum fine of $20.00 per DVD/video.
Reserve Materials, Study Rooms, Dry Erase Packets -- overdue fines for these materials are $0.50 (fifty cents) an hour.

Notices are sent out before and after an item's due date as a reminder. Please contact the Circulation Supervisor about fines. Lost or damaged books should likewise be reported as soon as possible to the Circulation Supervisor.

More information on lending policies for materials can be seen above.

Returning Borrowed Materials

All materials are to be returned to the circulation desk. Reserve materials should be handed directly to a circulation staff member to ensure that the items are discharged in a timely manner to prevent fines. All items must be returned in the same condition they were when checked out. Any damage, including pen or pencil markings, may result in a library fine. Any material checked out from other BARR libraries or a TexShare participating library must be returned to the appropriate library by the date due.

Recalling Library Materials

Any member of the Austin College community (faculty, staff or student) may request that an item checked out to another be recalled. Please make your request at the Circulation Desk. Books are not recalled until the person has had the item for at least 2 weeks, and no one is obligated to return a book until their loan period is over, unless the material is needed for a course reserve. Material needed for a course reserve is requested to be returned to the library immediately.

Materials Missing from the Shelves

If a book is not on the shelf where it belongs, please report it to the circulation desk. The library's catalog should indicate whether a book is checked out or not. If it is not on the shelf and not checked out, please request that the library conduct a search for the material. When the item is located, a circulation staff member will send you a notice that the item is available for checkout.

Study Rooms

Study rooms are located primarily on the 2nd floor of the library for individuals or groups of students to study together.

There is a 2-hour reservation limit per room. If you wish to stay in the study room once your initial reservation period has expired, you must reserve the room again via our online booking system. (This is only possible if the room has not already been reserved by someone else. If it has, you may reserve another study room if one is available.)
Please note that study room reservations are capped at 4 hours per day per user, across all rooms. Rooms may be reserved up to 7 days in advance.
Room checkout is maintained through our online booking system. If you encounter any issues with the booking system, you may ask for assistance at the Circulation Desk. Just stop by or call 903-813-2236.
If you are in a room that has been reserved by another user, you will be asked to vacate the room. You may reserve another room if one is available.
Each study room is equipped with a white board. Dry erase marker and eraser packets are available for checkout at the circulation desk, however you may also provide your own markers/erasers.

Terms & Conditions

Library Study Rooms: Terms & Conditions

Room reservations may not exceed 4 hours per day.
You may reserve up to 3 days in the future.
You must cancel this reservation ASAP if it is no longer needed.
If a group with reservations does not arrive on time, the room will only be held for 15 minutes before being released to other groups.
Attempts to circumvent the reservation system may result in the suspension of privileges.
Rooms must be left in a clean and orderly condition for the next group.
Study room windows cannot be blocked or covered at any time.
If there are any questions about reservations, please speak with an Abell Library staff member.

Food, Drink, Etc.

Food	While small snacks are allowed in the library, food which constitutes a meal is highly discouraged. This means if you have food that results in excessive waste (fast food bags, wrappers, containers; pizza boxes; dirty dishes and/or silverware, etc.), you may be asked to take it elsewhere to consume. Trash and food waste should be disposed of properly. Please exercise caution when using library materials and/or equipment. (No food or drink is allowed in Special Collections.)
Drink	Covered, non-alcoholic beverages are allowed in the library, but please exercise caution when using library materials and/or equipment. Trash and used beverage containers should be disposed of properly. (No food or drink is allowed in Special Collections.)
Animals / Pets	Animals are not allowed in the library, with the exception of service animals. (For more information on service animals, see the Center for Student Success and Access Services' Emotional Support Animal policy document.)
Tobacco / Vaping	The use of tobacco products, e-cigarettes, and other vaping devices is not allowed.
Alcoholic Beverages	Alcoholic beverages are not allowed in the library, per Austin College's Alcohol Policy. (For more information on the College's policy, please see the Office of Student Life's Alcohol Policy & Information pamphlet. Violators will be referred to the Austin College Police Department and Student Life.

If you are found to be in violation of any of the above policies, loss of your library privileges may result. Help us to preserve your library!