Borrow and Renew
Borrowing
Please have your active PUID card available to check out any material from the libraries. Notify the libraries if your PUID is lost or stolen. Notify the libraries if material is lost or stolen. If you do not have an active PUID, you may be eligible for a visitor’s borrowing card. Ask staff at any Circulation Desk for details or check Visitor Information.
There is a limit of 200 items you can have checked out to your account at one time.
Requesting
Current faculty (including visiting scholars), staff, and students with an active PUID and visitors with an active borrowing card may request materials from the Libraries for pickup at any campus location. Faculty, staff, and visiting scholars who request materials be delivered to their on-campus building (i.e. KRAN) should expect delivery within 2-3 business days via campus mail. Emeritus faculty and official retirees who retain access to their PUID and library account may also request materials for pickup from any campus library location. There is currently no limit on the number of items you can request at one time. Not all print collections are available for request. If you have questions about what you can and cannot request, please contact us for assistance.
As part of our document delivery services, if you request via Interlibrary Loan a book owned by Purdue, Libraries staff will place a request on the book for you through your Libraries’ My Account and the book will be delivered to you according to the method you provided on the original interlibrary loan request (includes Personal Delivery – please see below for more information).
Need help requesting materials? Check out this short video.
Terms Defined
Loan Period
Length of time an item can be checked out.
Library Search
The Purdue University Libraries catalog.
Patron
Library user
Renewal
An extension of the original loan period.
Core Loan
Includes items such as the following: most books, government documents, juvenile literature, maps, microform, new books, technical reports, theses.
CONTACT US
765-494-0369
circservices@purdue.edu
Personal Delivery
Faculty, staff, retirees (including emeritus faculty), graduate students, and online-only undergraduates have the option to request home delivery of Libraries-owned print materials (within the United States only). Eligible print materials will have a “Personal Delivery” drop-down request option in Library Search after clicking “Request Hold.” Not all print collections are available for this service. If you’re not planning to return to campus, materials may be mailed back to us at
Purdue Libraries CircServices
504 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette IN, 47907
You are responsible for return postage. If you’re returning to campus this summer or fall, you may bring those materials back with you and return them to any campus library location.
- For faculty/staff, if requesting campus building delivery, please provide the four-digit building code (i.e., STEW). Please do not provide the street address as these will be sent via campus mail. Materials should be delivered within 2-3 business days via campus mail.
- If requesting home delivery, please type your full mailing address: house number (and apartment number – if applicable), street name, city, state, and zip code. If you have questions about this service or comments about your request, email circservices@purdue.edu. Please do not include questions/comments with your address.
- Mailing addresses for apartment complexes MUST include your apartment number or the request will be cancelled and you will be notified.
- Requests with incomplete mailing addresses will be cancelled and you will be notified.
Purdue University in Indianapolis users
Faculty, staff, and students affiliated with Purdue University in Indianapolis can borrow items from the West Lafayette library. Items will be shipped to a patron’s home or dorm address. We cannot ship via campus mail. Items can be returned via mail or at the IU Indianapolis University Library. For book drop locations, see IU Indianapolis information for returning materials.
Proxy Request
By filling out the Request for Proxy Services form, a patron authorizes another patron to check out items on their account and accepts responsibility for those items. Proxies are used mainly for the convenience of faculty members so that graduate students or other assistants can pick up items from the library using their own Purdue ID to charge it to the faculty member’s account. Proxies can be non-Purdue affiliates as long as they have a valid (non-expired) visitor card.
How long can you borrow?
Most items from our core collections (includes serials and journals) are due in 17 weeks for faculty, staff, graduate students, and undergraduate students. Library staff reserve the right to change due dates if materials are needed for course reserve. You will be responsible for fines/fees related to not returning those materials.
Loan Periods for non-core loan items are:
| Material Type | Loan Period |
|---|---|
| Course Reserves | 2-hours |
| Reference Books | Vary by library |
| Media | One week |
| Specialized Material | Libraries may assign different loan periods for specialized materials/collections (i.e. Cornerstone Reading Room collection) |
Renewals
We will continue to automatically renew eligible materials checked out by Purdue patrons. Visitors will need to manually renew their materials or call/email us for assistance. Items that have been requested by another user and limited loan materials are not eligible for auto-renewal.
You can Renew the material you borrowed by the due date to extend the loan period. Core Loan Materials may be renewed. Limited Loan materials (e.g. Cornerstone Reading Room), with the exception of media, are not renewable.
- Online in My Library Account
- By phone: (765) 494-0369 (M-F, 8-5)
- By email: circservices@purdue.edu
- In person at the circulation desk of any Purdue West Lafayette campus library
Returning library material
You will be responsible for paying any fines or fees for late return or non-return of library materials checked out on your PUID. For lost items, replacement copies may be accepted – please contact Circulation Services for guidance before you make any replacement purchases. Refunds for paid materials will not be given after one year from billing date.
For all billing inquiries, contact Circulation Services at (765) 494-0369 or circservices@purdue.edu.
For Purdue in Indianapolis patrons, items can be returned via mail or at the IU Indianapolis University Library. For book drop locations, see IU Indianapolis information for returning materials.
In addition to being returned to any campus library, or via campus mail (to: CIRC SERVICES / LIBR / STEW) materials may also be returned to the following mailing address:
Purdue Libraries/Circulation Services
504 Mitch Daniels Blvd
West Lafayette IN 47907
You may also return your library materials (including Interlibrary Loan and PurdueBorrow materials) to the outdoor book return located between Academy Park and the Stewart Center docks. This book return will only be emptied Monday through Friday in the mornings, so there may be delays in returns processing.
Non-returned library materials
We have resumed our normal billing activities related to non-return of materials.
| Item Type | Time | Action Per Item | Max Per Item |
|---|---|---|---|
| Core Items | 31 days overdue | Item considered LOST Replacement cost assessed in My Account | Replacement cost: $55 or $95, depending upon item’s library location |
| 61 days overdue | Replacement cost information sent to Bursar’s Office (students) or Accounts Receivable | ||
| Media | 31 days overdue | Item considered LOST Replacement cost assessed in My Account | Replacement cost: $60 |
| 61 days overdue | Replacement cost information sent to Bursar’s Office (students) or Accounts Receivable | ||
| Periodicals | 31 days overdue | Item considered LOST Replacement cost assessed in My Account | Replacement cost: $200 |
| 61 days overdue | Replacement cost information sent to Bursar’s Office (students) or Accounts Receivable | ||
| Reserves (2 Hour) | 1 hour overdue | Patron BLOCKED upon overdue $5 overdue per hour up to 24 hours ($120 max) | Replacement cost plus overdue fees |
| 48 hours overdue | After the item is 48 hours overdue, the library can determine that it is necessary to order a replacement copy, and the overdue fee and replacement cost will be assessed when the item is reordered. Replacement cost for reordered items are non-refundable. |