Borrowing
All students, faculty (current and emeriti), and staff have borrowing privileges. Materials available for checkout include physical books, DVDs, scores, periodicals, board games, technology, and more from St. Olaf and Carleton Libraries.
- Check out materials at the library’s front desk.
- All borrowers need to show their Olaf ID at checkout.
- Visitors from Carleton must show their Carleton College OneCard.
- Local visitors must have their community member/Bridge card. View additional information on getting a community card.
- Learn about loan periods, renewals, and borrowing policies.
- Any item checked out for more than 5 days may be recalled by another user. If this happens, you’ll receive an email with a new due date. Once the item is returned, it will be placed on hold for the requesting user.
Requesting
Most items from St. Olaf and Carleton Libraries can be requested for pickup at the library’s front desk so you don’t need to retrieve them yourself. This service is available at both Rolvaag Library and the Halvorson Music Library.
- Most library materials can be requested, though some collections (such as Special Collections and Course Reserves) are not eligible. View instructions on how to request items from St. Olaf and Carleton.
- You’ll receive an email when your item is ready for pickup. Most requests are available within 1–2 business days.
- Requested items are held for two weeks. If the requester does not pick them up within that timeframe, they will be returned to the shelves.
- If an item is currently checked out, you can place a recall request. The current borrower will be given a new due date, and the item will be held for you once it is returned.
- Requesting and recalling is available to current students, faculty, and staff. Community borrowers cannot place requests but are welcome to contact us for assistance.
Recalls
A book may be recalled – or given a new due date – if another person requests it. When a book is recalled, its due date is changed so it will be returned sooner and made available to the next borrower. This helps ensure that library materials are available to everyone.
If a book you have checked out is recalled, we will notify you of the new due date.
- Return recalled books by the new due date. A $5-per-day fine will be charged for recalled materials returned late.
- Keep library materials somewhere they can be returned quickly. Library materials should not be taken out of the country or anywhere where they cannot be returned within four days. Library materials are shared resources for the entire campus, so all borrowers need to be able to return them promptly if they are recalled.
Viewing & Renewing Loans
You can review your current checkouts, pending requests, and past checkouts by Logging into your Library Account.
Instructions for renewing items online are also available:
- Renewing Library Materials (Students, Staff, and Faculty)
- Renewing Library Materials (Community Members)
Overdue fines and late fees can also be viewed on your library account, but are not paid on the account. Students: These charges are sent to the Student Accounts office every two weeks and added to your tuition bill.