Questions about library books or fines? Contact 936-294-1618 or lib_circ@shsu.edu
This applies to non-SHSU-affiliated TexShare users only. SHSU users can request a TexShare Card online from SHSU to use at other libraries.
You may also wish to reference our eligibility policy for incoming TexShare card holders.
Apply and pay ($20) for a Courtesy Card at the Library Service Desk.
The library provides a collection of tabletop games.
The Instructional Materials Collection (IMC) includes some of the textbooks that have been adopted in K-12 schools in Texas.
These textbooks checkout for only 4 days 7 days (update Spring 2023) and are limited to 3 renewals (max of 4 weeks use).
For students, Textbooks accrue overdue fines at the rate of "Reserve material with daily checkout" (see the Overdue Fines information).
Reference materials (including those in the main collection and the Music Listening Room) may be checked out for 28 days by faculty/staff and graduate students.
All other relevant circulation policies apply to these materials.
Periodicals may be checked out for one week by all users. There are no renewals.
If a periodical is barcoded, it will be checked out online according to standard procedures. If a periodical is not barcoded, checkout will be manually recorded in the Faculty Periodical Checkout folder by the personnel at the Library Service Desk.
All other relevant circulation policies apply to these materials.
Books housed in the Music Listening Room may be checked out at the staff counter inside the Music Listening Room. They may be returned to any book drop along with other library books.
Audiovisual materials housed in the Music Listening Room may be checked out by faculty/staff only or may be used in-room by students.
Microforms are eligible only for in-house use and do not circulate (except via Interlibrary Loan).
Materials housed in Special Collections & Archives are eligible only for in-house use and do not circulate.
Many materials housed in Closed Stacks can circulate, but must be retrieved by library personnel. Patrons may inquire at the Library Service Desk about retrieval of items whose location is indicated as "Closed Stacks."
Some materials housed in Closed Stacks may constitute Reference, Periodicals, or Special Collections materials and therefore are subject to the circulation policies for those material types.
Reserve materials and board games must be returned to the Library Service Desk.
Electronic reserves are accessed online only by authorized SHSU accounts enrolled in a given course.
Faculty requests for materials to be placed on electronic reserve will be vetted by library personnel with respect to copyright, fair use, and licensing considerations.
The Library Service Desk lends a variety of equipment. These items are available on a first-come, first-served basis and cannot be reserved. These items must be returned to the Library Service Desk (do not place in a book return / book drop).
Calculators, which can be taken out of the library for use in class or at home, have a three-day loan period, due ten minutes before closing on the third day. See available calculators and user guides.
All the items below are same-day checkout, due ten minutes before closing on the day of checkout:
Reserves, print or electronic, may be requested or renewed by SHSU instructors:
Faculty requests for materials to be placed on electronic reserve will be vetted by library personnel with respect to copyright, fair use, and licensing considerations.
For more information on the use of copyrighted works, refer to these related policies.
The Library Service Desk cannot renew materials borrowed through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). These materials must be renewed following ILL policies and procedures.
Reserve materials and board games must be returned to the Library Service Desk.
ILL materials should be returned to the ILL Office or the Copy Room. DO NOT return ILL materials to the SHSU library book drops; you will be financially responsible for any damage to ILL materials placed in book drops.
Any materials, both regular loans and ILL, may also be returned to the library services desk in the computer lab (room 315) at SHSU-The Woodlands Center, Monday-Friday, 8a-5p.
You may mail materials (both regular loans and ILL) back to the library via USPS library book rate with tracking using the address below. (Please write "Campus Box", NOT PO Box)
Interlibrary Services
Newton Gresham Library
Sam Houston State University
Campus Box 2179
Huntsville, TX 77341
Notices
Overdue notices will be sent to your SHSU email account. Generally notices will be sent:
At forty-five days after the due date, the patron will be notified that they are being billed for a lost item
Fines
Overdue fines accrue as follows:
Faculty do not accrue normal overdue fines for most SHSU materials, but are responsible for overdue recall fines, overdue interlibrary loan fines, and bills for damaged or lost materials.
If an item is damaged during use, depending on the severity of the damage, the library reserves the right to bill the patron for a damage fee to offset the cost of book repairs (generally $10) or a replacement fee. If a patron believes that the damage pre-existed their use, they may discuss their concerns with personnel at the Library Services Desk.
If an item is known to be damaged (for example, after billing a damage fee, or detected during checkout), library personnel will note the known damage inside the book so that it will not be held against the next borrower.
Before payment | Bill = Overdue fine accrued from date due to date of return |
After payment, before library replacement | Reimbursement = (Replacement cost + Processing fee) - Overdue fine |
After payment, after library replacement | Reimbursement = Replacement cost - Overdue fine |
After three years | No reimbursements |
If for any reason the integrated library system is down, library personnel will record checkouts in an Excel spreadsheet and transfer the details to the integrated library system when it is again accessible.
If for any reason library personnel is unable to record checkouts digitally, the patron ID and item ID will be recorded on paper and transferred to the integrated library system when it is again accessible.
Both Excel and paper checkout logs will be maintained for a limited time in case of data entry errors and then destroyed.
Newton Gresham Library | (936) 294-1614 | (866) NGL-INFO | Ask a Question | Share a Suggestion
Sam Houston State University | Huntsville, Texas 77341 | (936) 294-1111 | (866) BEARKAT
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