Policies & Guidelines

InterLibrary Loan (ILL)

For more on ILL please view the ILL Brochure.The Circulation Desk is located on the first floor of Blackmore Library. When the Library is closed materials can returned through the Book Drop located at the loading dock on the east side of the Library. There is also a Book Drop located at the Circulation Desk during the 24 hour period.

Contact Information

Circulation Desk: (614) 236-6614 circdesk@capital.edu
Circulation Supervisor: (614) 236-6475
Reference Desk: (614) 236-6351

Group Study Rooms

Group Study Rooms 113, 114, and 209 are available during normal library hours on a first-come, first-served basis. Group Study Rooms 211 and 212 are available beginning at 5 pm Monday - Thursday and during normal Library hours on the weekends on a first-come, first-served basis. Rooms must be checked out from the Circulation Desk using a valid Capital ID.

Check-outs will be for 2-hour blocks; rooms can be renewed if no one is on the waitlist.

Group Study Rooms are only available to current Capital University students with a valid Capital University ID. Rooms are not available to Faculty, Staff, Alumni, OhioLINK, or Courtesy Card patrons.

Group Study Rooms are only available during the hours that the Library is open; rooms will be locked during the 24-hour access period.

All Group Study Room use is at the discretion of the library staff. If it is deemed that a group is using the space inappropriately and/or disturbing others, they may be asked to leave.

Group Study Rooms have a $5 fine for the first hour past the time due. A replacement cost of $25 is charged to your account once you are two hours past due.

Laptops

Ten Macbook Airs and ten Dell Ultrabooks are available to be checked out from the Circulation Desk. Current students, faculty, and staff may check out a laptop with a valid ID for 3 hours at a time and must be returned to the Circulation Desk an hour before closing. There are no renewals and all laptops must stay inside the building. Laptops have a $1/hr. fine for every hour past the time due, and a replacement cost of $1500 if the item is stolen, lost, or damaged.

Overdue, Damaged or Lost Items

Overdue notices are sent to all patrons. The first notice you receive notifies you that your item(s) is(are) are due in 3 days. The next notice you receive is your first overdue notice, which is generated 2 days after the item is due; the second overdue notice is sent 12 days later. At 30 days beyond the due date, a billing notice is sent with replacement charges for the material which is now considered lost. Overdue fines accrue as follows: $0.50 per item per day up to a maximum of $15.00. Reserve materials are $1.00 per item per hour.

If you have damaged or lost items from Blackmore Library, in addition to any fines you will be assessed a processing fee of $25. This means that the cost of replacing a Capital book will cost $75 + $25 processing fee: Total = $100.00.  If a Capital item enters the lost status, but the item is returned and checked in, there is a default overdue fine of $15.

The cost to replace damaged or lost OhioLINK materials depends on the policies of the lending institution. However, if an OhioLINK item enters the lost status and is billed, the default overdue fine is a non-negotiable $50 even though the item is returned and checked in.

The fines and cost of replacing a SearchOhio book is as follows: overdue fines accrue at $0.50 per item per day up to a maximum of $25 and borrowers will be fined $25 for a replacement.

Renewing

You can renew your books in person, over the phone, or online through the “My Account” on the Library Home page. To renew over the phone please call 614-236-6614. It is recommended that renewals are done at least 24 hours prior to the due date as some items are time sensitive. Overdue materials, whether local or OhioLINK, cannot be renewed.

Renewals extend the due date from the time of renewal, not from the end of the original loan period. OhioLINK items can only be renewed during the last week before they are due. To renew items borrowed via Interlibrary Loan, contact the Interlibrary Loan staff at ill@capital.edu .

Please note the new due date that the system assigns for EACH item -- due dates may vary depending on the material type. You are responsible for making sure that the system accepted the self-renewal for every item and for reporting any problems to circulation staff. You may want to print out a copy of your account showing the renewal dates for future reference.

Pick-Up Anywhere

When requesting materials through OhioLINK, you can have them delivered to any OhioLINK institution. This is called the Pick Up Anywhere option. Simply select the institution and pick-up location when requesting the item. This means that a Capital patron may have materials delivered to University of Dayton; Bowling Green or any other OhioLINK member institution in the state. It also means that students at any OhioLINK institution can use Blackmore Library as their pick-up location if it is convenient for them.

OhioLink Requests & Visiting OhioLink Patrons

Items from another OhioLINK institution can be requested to be delivered to the Circulation Desk. OhioLINK requests usually arrive within 3 - 5 business days and are held 10 days for pickup at which point they are returned to the lending library. 

Using “My Account” you can monitor the status of your OhioLINK requests: initially the status will read REQUESTED, then IN TRANSIT once it is being sent, and finally OHIOLINK REC'D when your material is ready for pick up. 

Notification about the arrival of materials is sent via Capital e-mail, however, notices are a courtesy only. You are responsible for the pick-up and returning of the item(s) by the due date even if you don't receive a notice. 

Students and faculty at other OhioLINK institutions may check out materials from Blackmore Library, but they must identify themselves as visiting patrons and present their institution's ID card (and sometimes a PIN).

Courtesy Card

If you are not currently a student, staff, or faculty member at the University you may purchase a Courtesy Card for $10 per year. Courtesy Card holders have limited privileges: they may only request or check out a maximum of five items at a time (e.g. 3 Capital items plus 2 OhioLINK items), may not use Interlibrary Loan services or connect to subscription databases remotely on the Internet.

Grace Periods

Grace Period Capital Items

Books/CD-ROMs/Scores: 7 days
CDs/DVDs: 3 days

Grace Period OhioLINK Items

Books: 7 days
Media: None

Grace Period SearchOhio Items

Books: None
Media: None

How do I Get a Call Number for a Reserve Item?

From the Library Home Page choose Reserves. Search by course number or by instructor. Once you have found the item, present this call number to the Circulation Desk staff along with your valid ID.

What are Reserve Materials?

Faculty can designate specific materials to be put on “Reserve” for use in a course. These items can only be borrowed for specific time periods and are held at the Circulation Desk. 

For Faculty

To place an item on Reserve you must first submit a Reserves Request online. The link to this form can be found under For Faculty on the Blackmore Library Homepage.

What if I don't need a book I requested?

You can cancel the item yourself in "My Account" or contact the appropriate Circulation Desk.

Note: OhioLINK items can only be cancelled while the item is in “requested” status.

What do I do if I think I returned an item and it's still on my account?

Immediately contact the Circulation Desk where you borrowed the item. Even if you are home over break, call 614-236-6614 or email circdesk@capital.edu. You are responsible for checking your account frequently, notifying us of any address changes promptly, and responding immediately to any overdue or other notices.