The circulation desk, located on the first floor of the library, is where library materials & equipment as well as interlibrary loan books are picked up.

Your Lawrence ID card serves as a library card and must be presented to check out materials. Have a question about something you'd like to check out or currently have checked out? Log in to your library account, submit the library contact form, or call the circulation desk at 920-832-6750.

Borrowing Items from the Mudd Library

What can be checked out and for how long?

  • Books in the main collection, government documents, and music scores: 28 days for students and local alumni, end of the academic year for faculty and staff
  • Videos, music CDs, and audio cassettes: 14 days faculty, staff, students, and local alumni.
  • Periodicals may circulate to faculty only for 7 days.
  • Equipment loan period for faculty, staff, and students will be determined at the time of reservation.

Please keep in mind that all materials leaving the library, or kept in lockers or student offices, must be checked out at the circulation desk.

Renewing Items

  • Log in to you Lawrence Library account to see items you have checked out and to request a renewal.
  • Renewals may also be requested at the circulation desk.
  • Please keep in mind that you may not be able to renew your item if someone else has placed a request on it.

Overdue, Missing, and Recalled Materials

  • All overdue library materials must be returned prior to the registration period or you will not be able to register for classes.
  • If the book you are looking for is not on the shelf, please check at the circulation desk. If it is missing, we will search for it. If it has been checked out to one person two weeks or more, we can recall it for you and it will be back in two days or less. Videos and music CDs can be recalled after they have been out for three days. The converse is also true--if you have an item which someone else wants, and if you have had it for two weeks (or three days for CDs and videos), we will notify you and you must return it within two days. Materials recalled for reserve use must be returned immediately.

Interlibrary Loan: Borrowing Items & Requesting Articles from other Libraries

Need something for your academic research that we don't have in our library or through one of our databases? Submit an interlibrary loan request! This service is available to all current students, faculty, and staff of the Lawrence University community at no charge.

Things to Know When Submitting a Request

  • Multiple chapters of a book cannot be copied, due to copyright. If more than one chapter is needed a loan request should be submitted.
  • Give the source of your citation in case we need to verify any information.
  • There is definitely a cost to borrow from other libraries, but the library doesn't pass that cost on to members of the Lawrence community. Please keep those costs in mind when submitting requests.
  • If you need help determining a complete request, or finding resources, ask a reference librarian.
  • Due dates for books and other items that need to be returned (i.e. not article or chapter scans) are determined by the lending library, but are usually no longer than a few weeks. If you know you'll need an item longer than that (for a capstone or honors research, for example), please contact our acquisitions department to see if it can be purchased.

How to Place an Interlibrary Loan Request

There are a few different ways to submit an interlibrary loan request.

  • Submit the request form available in your interlibrary loan account.
  • By clicking the FindIt @ Lawrence link from within our databases.
  • When searching OneSearch when full text of an item is not available or not owned by the library.

Make sure that you fill everything out correctly and thoroughly and include only one request per form.

Items that Can Be Borrowed

The following items can usually be obtained through interlibrary loan:

  • Books, which are generally lent for 2 to 4 weeks
  • Journal articles, which are electronically sent to your interlibrary loan account.
  • While we can borrow theses, dissertations, government documents, and conference proceedings, keep in mind that these items can be very difficult to obtain. Make sure that you have other sources in case these can't be borrowed.
  • Microfilm as well as old and rare books can be requested, but are difficult and sometimes not possible to obtain. If we are able to get these items, they will likely be in library use only.
  • When your requested item arrives, we will send a notification to your Lawrence email account. Books can be picked up at the circulation desk. Journal articles are sent electronically to your interlibrary loan account. 

Interlibrary Loan takes about 5 to 10 days, on average. If you need your item in less time, contact the Interlibrary Loan department to discuss it personally. Articles may arrive within a few days, but we cannot guarantee a time, since we rely on the lending library to send the item to us.

Items that cannot be borrowed through Interlibrary Loan

  • We do not borrow or lend audiovisual materials, such as CDs and DVDs.
  • Textbooks and other required course books and other materials should not be requested through interlibrary loan.
    • If you are a student with high financial need, have utilized all financial aid options available to you, and still need help getting required academic course materials, please contact the Dean of Students office at 920-832-6596 or deanofstudents@lawrence.edu to discuss possible resources. 

Renewing your ILL Items

  • Patrons will receive an email 5 days before their ILL is due, use this reminder to request a renewal if needed.
  • Renewals can be requested up to 3 days before the item is due by logging Log in to your Interlibrary Loan account. If the renewal is denied, the item must be returned to the Mudd Library by the original due date.
  • Overdue Interlibrary Loan materials may lead to suspension of ILL privileges or being charged for replacement costs. See our policies guide for detailed information.

Honor Code & the Library

The basis for our circulation system and interlibrary loan is the Lawrence University Honor Code, which applies to the misuse of Library materials as well as to plagiarism and cheating. The Code states, in part, that a student shall not "in any way intentionally limit or impede the academic performance or intellectual pursuits of fellow students." Failure to return an item from the Mudd Library or from another library through interlibrary loan, may lead to disciplinary action, and may be considered an Honor Code violation.