Eligibility

• Staff on UQ staff system (includes UQ employees, adjunct academic staff, official visiting scholars, academic titles for externally funded health professionals, honorary appointments)
  
  If you are on the UQ staff system you are automatically a Library member. You will need a UQ staff ID card to borrow material. Complete an internal requisition form and take it to the Unicard Desk at St Lucia (Level 2, Duhig Building), Gatton or Ipswich. The first time that you borrow, Loans Desk staff will add a barcode.
  
  If you have a current UQ appointment and are not on the staff system you should contact the Human Resource Coordinator of the relevant school to ensure that a record is promptly created. In circumstances where there is an unavoidable "gap" between your appointment and the time it takes to have a record appear on the UQ staff system, it may be possible for the School to authorise the Library to create a temporary (1 month) borrowing record. Please complete a Letter of Introduction and Indemnity for UQ Staff Awaiting the Creation of an Aurion Record.Please submit the form to Loans Desk staff in your branch library.
  
  
• Other Visitors: If you are visiting the University for a period of less than 1 month you may be eligible for borrowing only. Please complete a Letter of Introduction and Indemnity for Temporary Visitors. You must also complete a copy of the Computer and Internet Access Agreement. Submit both of these to Loans Desk staff in your branch library.
  
  
• Others
  • Retired professors (including emeritus professors)
  • Other retired staff who have worked at UQ for at least 10 years
  • University senators

Please complete the application form and submit to any branch library.

If you have any special needs, please contact the Loans Desk at any branch library.

Material available for loan

You may borrow:

• Any books, except those in special collections, such as Reference, or marked `Not For Loan'.
• Multimedia material.
• Journals unless in a collection designated "not for loan".
• For special requirements please check with the individual branch library.

Borrowing from the library is subject to the Library Conditions of Use.

How to borrow

You can go to the Loans counter, or, in those branches that have autoloan machines, you can check out items yourself. Just bring your card and follow the instructions.

Loan lengths

The standard loan period for monographs is 28 days and for journals it is 3 days. Depending on demand, some material will be available for 7 or 3 days, overnight or for 4 or 2 hours only. Material with a reduced loan period will have an appropriate label on the spine. 28 day loans may be converted to semester loans on request.

All 28 day and semester loans are subject to recall if required by another borrower, but a minimum 7 day loan to the first borrower is guaranteed.

Number of items

Sixty items (any combination of 3, 7, or 28 day loans) with 2 overnight or 4 or 2 hour items, making a total of 62.

Renewals

All 28 day loans may be renewed, unless the item has been requested by another borrower. There is a maximum of two renewals for each item. All other loan categories are non-renewable. Your renewal options are:

• Select Check, renew loans on the Library home page. 
• contact the Telephone Renewal Service on (07) 3346 9200 and follow the prompts. You will need your Library number and the barcodes of the books you wish to renew; or
• visit a branch library and renew on the autoloan machine (where available) or ask loans staff to renew for you.

Checking loans and requests

• Select Check, renew loans on the Library home page. 
• You will be asked to identify yourself by entering either your UQ username and UQ password or your Library number and Library Password.

Requesting items already on loan or at another campus

You may request books and multimedia that are already on loan or on the shelf at another campus. For items on the shelf on your campus you are expected to retrieve them yourself. There is a maximum of 20 requests at any one time.

When to make a request

If you search the Library Catalogue, display a record and discover that the item you want is:

• Held by a branch library on your campus and on loan
  OR
• Held by a branch library on another campus (including Warehouse)

How to make a request

1. Click on the Request button at the top of the catalogue page.

2. Identify yourself by entering either your UQ username and UQ password or your Library number and Library Password.

3. Select a pickup location. Important points to remember:

• You must select a pickup location, otherwise you will asked to enter all your details again
• For items on loan on your campus you must pick up the item at the branch library that has the item. If you do not, the pickup location will be changed to the branch library that holds the item.

4. Click on

A list of all the items the Library has of this title will appear.

5. Check the Status column at the right of the screen to help decide which item will be available soonest:

• If a copy is available for requesting, the message in the STATUS column will be:
  AVAILABLE   OR   Due Date (if on loan)
  and
  a radio button will appear in a column at the left of the entry for the item.
  
  
• If a copy is not available for requesting, the message in the STATUS column will be:
  This item is not available for request
  OR
  This item cannot be requested

6. Select the item to request by clicking its radio button

7. Click at the bottom of the list

One of the following messages will appear:

• If your request is successful:
  
  

  Your request for [title of item] was successful Your request will be delivered to [pickup location] when it is available

  
  
  You will be notified when the item is ready to be picked up.



• If your request is successful but the item is on loan on your campus and you do not choose its location as your pickup location:
  
  

  Your request for [title of item] was successful Pickup location changed to [home location] due to library policy Your request will be delivered to [pickup location] when it is available

  
  
  You will be notified when the item is ready to be picked up.



• If a copy is available on the campus you designated as a pickup location, then the message will be:
  Sorry, request cannot be accepted. Local copy is available.
  
  

8. Click on Return to Record to get back to the catalogue record.

You will be notified when the item is ready for collection. If it belongs to a branch library on your campus, the pickup location will be the item's home location. If it belongs to a branch at another campus, the pickup location will be the one you have nominated. The item will be held at the Loans Desk for 7 days only.

Cancelling a request

• Under the Using the Library button click on Check, renew loans; pay online
• You will be prompted to enter either your UQ username and UQ password or your Library number and Library Password
• Select request (hold)
• Click on Cancel All or select items you wish to cancel and click on Cancel Selected Items 

Material not on the shelf

In general, material not on the shelves is already on loan. If the catalogue indicates that the item is `available' and you are unable to find it on the shelves, check that you have written down the location and call number correctly. Then check the sorting shelves. If you are still unable to find the item, ask Library staff for help.

Recalled loans

28 day loan material is subject to recall if required urgently by another client. An email notice will be sent to you requesting that the material be returned.

If an item that is on 28 day loan is requested by another borrower, the Library will recall the item, reducing the original borrower's loan period to at least 7 days. The new due date will appear in the top box as marked in the figure above.

You are guaranteed a loan of at least 1 week, but you must return the item by the new due date to avoid incurring a penalty of $2.00 per day.

Returning material

Whenever possible return material to the branch library from which it was borrowed.

Library notices

Staff on UQ staff system:

Library notices are sent to your UQ supplied email address. This is in accordance with the UQ policy Email for Staff, Professional Doctorates and RHD Students (HUPP 6.10.5).

This applies to notices for loans due soon, holds, recalls and overdue loans. Notices for very overdue material will be sent to you through the internal mail system or Australia Post.

For more information about email for UQ staff (including forwarding email), please refer to the UQ Exchange Mail Handbook or the Information Technology Services website.

Others (including retired staff not on Aurion and University senators):

To receive notices quickly, we recommend that you have them delivered by email. To arrange this, please contact the Loans counter in any branch library and ask for your email address to be entered in your library record. Alternatively, you may call us on (07) 3346 4352 or send an email message to circ@library.uq.edu.au. For those who do not have access to email we will send you notices by the University mail service or by Australia Post.

Overdue material

The Library's lending policies aim to optimise access to materials, especially those in demand. If any item is late by more than a defined period:

• 28 day loans or recalled items are 7 days overdue;
• 3 or 7 day loans are 5 days overdue;
• Overnight, 4 or 2 hour loans are 1 day overdue;

The Library may suspend your borrowing access until the material is returned.

A notice will be sent to you, the text of which will depend on the type of material that has been borrowed, the length of time the item is overdue, and whether it is the first notice sent, etc.

(a) 28 day loan that is 1 day overdue:

(b) 3 day loan that is 1 day overdue:

Reinstatement of borrowing access

If you lose your Library borrowing access this will be restored when items late by more than the defined period have been returned.

Proxy borrowing

Senior UQ staff members may nominate another UQ staff member or an appropriate alternative to borrow material on their behalf. The proxy may borrow material held at any of the University of Queensland branch libraries. Due to copyright restrictions, however, they may not make document delivery requests on behalf of the staff member.

To arrange proxy borrowing, please complete the Application Form. Print the form and sign it, and hand it in at any branch, or send it to: Document Delivery, Information Access Service, The University of Queensland Library, Duhig Building Level 1, St Lucia Campus, Qld 4072.
A library card bearing your name and the name of the person authorised to borrow for you will be sent to you.

You will be expected to take responsibility, including payment of replacement costs if necessary, for any material borrowed on your behalf under such authorisation.

For more information, please ask Library staff.

Reciprocal borrowing

Staff are eligible to apply for reciprocal borrowing with other participating institutions through the University Library Australia national borrowing scheme. Please go to the following web page for more information on Borrowing Directly from Another Library.