How to Borrow Books

Borrowing From the WRLC:

AU students, staff and faculty can borrow from WRLC libraries, which include American, Catholic, Gallaudet, Georgetown, George Mason, George Washington, Marymount, Trinity and University of the District of Columbia.

Eligibility:

You must be a current student, staff, or faculty member and you must have your university ID with you.

Loan Policies:

Loan periods for normal circulating materials:

• 4 weeks for undergraduate students and staff
• 6 weeks for graduate students
• Up to 4 months for faculty, utilizing 3 fixed due dates per year (1/31, 5/31, 9/30)
• All books can be renewed 3 times online
• There is a 3 day grace period, which is an amnesty period, rather than an additional loan period. Books returned after the grace period has ended will be subject to fines accrued from the date the book was due.

Renewals:

General material may be renewed online through MyAladin. Renewals must be done on or before the due date. To Renew Online:

• Go to MyALADIN
• Type in your last name, AU ID number, and select American as your institution
• Scroll down to WRLC Libraries Activity
• Click the box marked “ View” next to AU, CU, DC, GA, GW, and MU
• Click the “renew online” button over your list of books
• Scroll down to Charged Items. Check the box next to each book you wish to renew, then click the “renew items” button at the bottom of the list. The next screen will display the new due dates.
• George Mason, Georgetown, and ILL items must be renewed separately.

Fines and Fees:

If you have delinquent materials or bills, or have excessive fines, you will have a University-wide stop placed on your account.

The library reserves the right to deny borrowing privileges to anyone based upon just cause.

Fine schedules and policies:

• The daily fine per overdue book is $0.25
• Your library account will be blocked from further activity if you accrue $25 in fines or fees
• A book will be considered "lost" after being overdue for 39 days. At this time a $57.00 item replacement fee, a $30.00 processing fee, and a $10.00 overdue fee will be added to your account. The item replacement fee and the processing fee will be removed when you return the book.
• All books are subject to recall by other users. The daily recall fine is $5.00, up to a maximum of $25.00 for any one book. The grace period does not apply to recalls.

Contact the Staff:

If you have any questions concerning Circulation policies and procedures, please contact the Circulation Staff (circulation@american.edu) at 202-885-3221.