Checkouts, Renewals, & Holds
Checking Out Materials
The Mary and Jeff Bell Library is open to members of the TAMU-CC community (students, faculty, and staff) as well as members of the wider community.
To borrow library materials, students, faculty, and staff must:
- be enrolled/employed in current term
- present a valid university identification card or other state photo ID
- keep their library account in good standing (fines / charges less than $15.00)
Community members must purchase a Community User card to borrow library materials. The card costs $20 for one year of borrowing privileges.
- Community users can borrow books from the Main, Juvenile, and Oversized collections, as well as DVDs and government documents.
- Community users cannot check out periodicals, materials in noncirculating collections, or books in the Popular Reading collection.
- The Community User card does not grant off-campus access to library databases.
- Do not let others use your ID to check out materials, or give materials you've checked out to someone else. Library borrowing privileges are non-transferable. You are responsible for all items checked out to your account.
- Keep your information up to date. The library sends notices to your email address on file; if that address is wrong, you may miss notices. You are responsible for returning materials on time regardless of whether or not you received a notice.
- Use library materials with care. Do not write or highlight in books, turn pages down, or remove pages. Keep DVDs and CDs protected in their cases when not in use. You are financially responsible for any lost or damaged items. If you notice damage before checking items out, please bring it to the attention of library staff.
Renewals
Bell Library materials can be renewed three different ways:
- Online through your library account
- In person at the Circulation Desk
- By telephone (361-825-2340).
Overdue materials and items that have been placed on hold cannot be renewed online.
For information on renewing Interlibrary Loan materials, see: Materials not in my Library
Checkout details by borrower type
| Borrower type | Checkout length | Max number of items | Number of renewals | Required form of ID |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Undergraduates | 3 weeks | 30 | 3 renewals | Valid SandDollar$ card |
| Honors program | 6 weeks | 30 | 3 renewals | Valid SandDollar$ card |
| Masters/doctoral | 6 weeks | 50 | 3 renewals | Valid SandDollar$ card |
| Faculty | 6 months | Unlimited | Unlimited | Valid SandDollar$ card |
| TAMU-CC staff | 6 months | Unlimited | 3 renewals | Valid SandDollar$ card |
| Community user | 3 weeks | 3 | No renewals | Valid SandDollar$ card |
| Driscoll hospital | 6 months | Unlimited | Unlimited | Driscoll employee ID |
| Kingsville, Del Mar & TexShare users | 3 weeks | 3 | 3 renewals | Valid TexShare card |
Checkout periods by material type and user
| Types of materials | Undergraduate students | Graduate students | Faculty & staff |
|---|---|---|---|
| Books | 3 weeks | 6 weeks | 6 months |
| General media | 2 days | 2 days | 2 weeks |
| Reserves 3-hour* | 3 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Reserves 1-day | 1 day | 1 day | 1 day |
| Reserves 2-day | 2 day | 2 day | 2 day |
| Reserves 7-day | 7 day | 7 day | 7 day |
| Reserves (media)* | 3 hours | 3 hours | 1 day |
| Study rooms* | 3 hours | 3 hours | n/a |
| Marker packets* | 3 hours | 3 hours | 3 hours |
| Popular reading books | 3 weeks | 3 weeks | 3 weeks |
| Dissertations & theses | 3 weeks | 6 weeks | 6 months |
| Government documents | 3 weeks | 6 weeks | 6 months |
| Maps (selected) | 3 weeks | 6 weeks | 6 months |
| Interlibrary Loan | Varies | Varies | Varies |
*All 3-hour checkouts are in-library use only.
To view your due dates and fines visit your library account.