Circulation
at each library:

Dewey (pdf)
Lewis Music
RVC
Science

Special users:

Visitors
MIT Alumni

Circulation FAQ

Getting started

How do I get a library card?

Any member of the MIT community may receive borrowing privileges by bringing a valid MIT ID to any MIT library circulation desk to be registered for privileges.

Your MIT ID is your library card.
Lincoln Lab employees must activate their MIT ID for library privileges at the Lincoln Security Office or at the MIT Card office before visiting a library.
If you are not a member of the MIT community, see the Visitors page.

How do I borrow books?

Once you are registered, you may use your ID to check out library books at any circulation desk. You must present a valid MIT ID when borrowing library books. You may also use the self check-out machine at the Hayden library.

I'm not from MIT. Can I borrow books?

That depends. Please see our Visitors page for more information.

How do I reach the circulation desk of each library?

See our Contact Us page for phone numbers.

Your library record

Can I access my account online?

Yes! See the section "Online access to your record" for details.

How can I find out what I have checked out?

You can go to any circulation desk to find out what you have checked out through the computer system. You may also view your record online through "Your Account" (see the section "Online access to your record" for details). You are responsible, however, for keeping track of any books which have been checked out manually.

How can I find out if I have any fines?

Any circulation assistant can tell you which fines you have on your record. You may also view your fines online through "Your Account," our online access service, however there are some limitations to this feature of the service. See the section "Online access to your record" for more details.

Do I need to notify the library when I move?

Yes, please notify the library of any changes to your address, phone number, or email, as we do not receive these automatically.

What should I do if I lose my library card?

You should report it immediately to any circulation assistant to prevent unauthorized use of your card.

Online access to your record

What are the features of this service?

With "Your Account", our online access service, you can:

Personalize the way you view results in Barton, our library catalog.
View what items you have checked out.
View what fines you have.
Renew your books.
Request checked out items.
Delete holds.

What can't I do?

Though "Your Account" has many features, in order to best serve you, you will need to speak with a circulation assistant if you wish to:

Delete Library Storage Annex requests.
Request an item without shortening the current due date.
See fines that are currently accruing.
See fines or charges that that have already transferred to the Bursar's office, or to Accounts Receivable.
Renew reserve items.
Request reserve items.
See or renew any items that you checked out manually
Change your personal information (address, phone number, email, etc.)

Is it secure?

Yes, "Your Account" is secure, while you are logged on. However, it is very important to remember to log off at the end of each session, and close your browser when finished with the catalog.

How do I get started?

Simply go to the circulation desk of any MIT library, and the circulation assistant will be happy to get you started.

Borrowing books

For how long may I keep a book?

You may borrow most books and theses for 4 weeks and renew them 3 times. You may borrow 4-week loan books from the Barker, Dewey, Humanities, Rotch, and Science libraries for a term loan upon request. (Term loans are generally not available at Aero, Lindgren, and Music.) Borrowing periods and renewals for journals and other books vary by library. All books are subject to RECALL, which may shorten loan periods.

How do I renew my books?

To keep a book for another borrowing period, visit or call any library circulation desk. You can also renew most items online through "Your Account." See the section "Online access to your record" for further details.

Will I get a reminder by email when my books are due?

Yes. If you provide us with your email address, an email courtesy notice will be sent to you three days before any on-line materials are due. (You will also receive an overdue notice for any notice which becomes overdue.) Please remember: when you check out library books you assume responsibility for returning or renewing books on time and for paying fines incurred.

Requesting checked-out books

How can I get a book that someone else has checked out?

You may request it online through "Your Account" (see "Online access to your record" for details). The current due-date will be shortened by one to two weeks, depending on the date of the original loan. You will be notified by email once the book is returned. If you not need the book immediately, you may request it without shortening the current due date by contacting any service desk. All four-week loan books are subject to immediate recall if needed for course reserves.

What happens when someone wants a book I have?

If a request has been placed on one of your books, your due date will be shortened and you may not renew the loan. You will be notified of the new due date either by phone or email. You must return the book by the shortened due date in order to avoid fines.

Special services

Can a book I want be delivered from one MIT library to another?

Yes. If you need a book from a library in another part of the campus and don't have time to pick it up yourself, you can use the BookPage service (MIT and Harvard only) to have it delivered to a nearby library. You may request 4 week loan books using the "request this item" link in Barton. The book will be delivered to the designated library within two working days.

Can I have a book from a non-MIT library sent to an MIT library?

Yes. Please see our Interlibrary Borrowing page for more information.

What services are available for the disabled?

MIT is committed to making sure persons with disabilities have access to all of our resources. Please see our Services for Persons with Disabilities page for more information.

May someone else check out books for me?

It depends. If you are a professor, you may give permission to certain people to check out books on your behalf. If you have some other reason for requiring this service, or would like more information, please ask a circulation assistant at any MIT library about our designated borrower policy. Unless someone is an official designated borrower for you, only you can use your library card to check out books on your record. If you do lend your card to someone, and they manage to check out books with it, remember that you are ultimately responsible for those books. See our Designated Borrower form (MIT only) for more help.

Returning books

May I return a book to any MIT library?

Yes, for MIT materials checked out for four weeks. Items on shorter loan periods should be returned to the lending library. You can visit a specific library's circulation page for more information.

May I return non-MIT library books here?

Items borrowed through the inter-library borrowing program should be returned to Hayden Circulation. All other materials should be returned directly to the lending institution.

May I return books even if the library is closed?

Yes. All libraries except Music have overnight book drops. However, please return any fragile item or loose-leaf notebook to the desk, to prevent damage.

May someone else return my books for me?

Yes.

What happens if I return something late?

For standard 28 day loans, there is a 4-day grace period after the due date - if a book is returned within 4 days after the due date, no fine will be incurred. However, once the grace period has passed the fine is calculated based on the original due date. The fine will be charged to your account when the book is returned or renewed. If the book is more than a month overdue a replacement charge of $150 or more and any accrued fines will be billed to your library account. If you return the book, the replacement charge will be credited and you will only owe any late fees. If you do not return a RECALLED book by the date requested, your borrowing privileges will be automatically suspended. Fines for reserve books accrue after a 15-minute grace period at the rate of $3.00 per hour.

Non-book items may have different borrowing and fine schedules.

BORROWING PERIOD	FINE
28 DAYS	$0.50/DAY
14 DAYS	$0.50/DAY
7 DAYS	$0.50/DAY
3 DAYS	$1.00/DAY
1 DAY	$1.00/DAY
HOURLY LOANS	$3.00/HOUR
RECALLED book	$2.00/DAY

How do I pay fines?

MIT staff and faculty and non-MIT users should note that all fines transferred to Accounts Receivable will be assessed a $5 handling charge. Paying fines at the library when returning overdue books allows you to avoid this surcharge.

What happens if I lose a book?

Please speak to a circulation staff member if you lose a library book. The staff member will explain about options for replacing the material.

What happens if I damage library materials?

Please report it to the circulation desk. Depending on the extent of the damage, you may be responsible for the cost of replacing the book.

I like to use highlighters and pencils for notation. Is this "damage"?

Yes, it is. We understand the temptation to mark books in order to aid your studying or research, but keep in mind what might help you will most certainly make it more difficult for someone else to use the book. Besides, it's simply bad for the books. You will most definitely be fined a replacement charge for any books which have been damaged by underlining or highlighting.

What about stickies or Post-it notes?

Although these notes seem harmless, the glue they use is not acid-free, and can harm the books. Also, pages can be torn easily when the notes are removed. If you need to bookmark certain pages, we ask that you use paper or thin cardboard bookmarks.

Course Reserves (class material)

What are course reserves?

Reserves are materials and resources which have been set aside at a specific library by a professor to be used for a class; they can be either print or electronic. However, an item may be listed as "on reserve" in Barton, our online catalog, when in fact it is not currently being used for a class. A circulation assistant from the owning library will be able to tell you whether or not an item listed as "on reserve" is indeed a current reserve item.

Electronic Reserves are materials that have been scanned and uploaded to a course’s Stellar site. They can usually only be accessed by students enrolled in the course.

Where are they located?

Most print reserves are located behind the circulation desk of each library. See: Which library handles my reserves?

Electronic Reserves can be viewed on your course’s Stellar site.

How do I check them out?

Simply request them at the circulation desk. Each library may have a slightly different system for checking out reserve books, so consult with individual libraries or see each library's written policies under Which library handles my reserves?.

For how long can print reserves be checked out?

Reserve books are loaned for two hours. Some materials may circulate for longer periods; check with the reserve desk for details.

Are fines for print reserves different from fines for other books?

Fines of $3.00 per hour (including any portion of an hour) will accrue on items not returned on time.

Can I renew reserve books?

Yes, you may renew most reserve books up to three times by contacting the library where you checked them out. However if another student has requested the book, it may not be renewed.

Manual items (Items without bar codes)

Some books do not have library barcodes, and therefore cannot go on your computer record. These books must be checked out "manually", meaning a card must be filled out. This card is filed at the library by either call number or title. It is important to remember that we cannot keep track of the due dates for these items. If you want to renew a book which was checked out manually, you must tell us the call number or title so we can locate it and renew it properly.