Borrowing Library Materials
It is the borrower's responsibility to understand and comply with all UK Libraries' policies. As a borrower, you are responsible for all materials charged to your account. Your library card may not be loaned to another person. The card holder is responsible for all costs and consequences of card misuse.
Who is eligible to borrow materials from UK Libraries?
Learn more about Loan Periods & Item Limits [link] for all UK Libraries user groups.
Getting a UK Library Card (Non-UK Borrowers)
Users from other reciprocal institutions may use their institutional ID as their UK Library Card. (Example: A student at Eastern Kentucky University may use their EKU ID to check out a book at UK Libraries)
Community borrowers may be issued a UK Library Card in person at any UK Library by presenting proof of residence in Kentucky. An active Kentucky driver’s license or KY non-driver’s ID may be used to prove residence. Please contact circdesk@uky.edu with any questions about obtaining a UK Library Card.
Renewals Limits
If you still need an item after the last renewal, bring it back to the library. We will check the item in and then check it back out to you, as long as it has not been requested by another patron.
There are no renewals on course reserves.
Medical Center Library has no renewals on unbound journals. Please contact the Medical Center Library for more details.
Recall Request
Any UK Libraries user may request a book that is currently checked out to another borrower. UK Libraries will notify the borrower that the item has been recalled, and the borrower will need to finish and return the book within two weeks, unless the original due date is earlier. The user requesting the book will be notified when the book has been returned and is ready for pickup.
Note that recalled items not returned by the new due date will accrue a recall overdue fine of $2.00 per day. Please respond to these notices promptly.
Items that have been recalled may not be renewed.
Research Assistant Authorization
UK faculty and staff may authorize one or more persons to borrow and request library materials on their behalf by submitting this form. A verification email will be sent to the requesting faculty or staff member. Authority to engage in other services and equipment may vary from library to library. Please contact circdsk@uky.edu with any questions.
Course Reserves Deadlines
To ensure that your course reserves will be ready on the first day of the semester, please submit your reserve list by the deadline. These deadlines are communicated via the Course Reserves listserv, and are typically two weeks before the beginning of the semester.
Due to the quantity of reserve lists we receive at the beginning of the semester and the processing time involved for each list, a list submitted after the deadline may take two or three weeks from the time it is received to fulfill.
With this in mind, reserve lists may be submitted any time during the semester. If you would like to add to an existing list that you have already submitted, please submit a new form.
Course Reserves Listserv
The Coursereserve-L listserv provides information and helpful tips to instructors regarding deadlines, policy updates, and other frequently asked questions.
If you have placed materials on reserve, you will automatically be added to the listserv.
To subscribe or unsubscribe from the list, please send an email to listserv@lsv.uky.edu.
Copyright for Course Reserves
UK Libraries adheres to copyright law and Fair Use Guidelines when placing materials on course reserve. If you want to use photocopies or digital scans of copyrighted materials in your courses you may need to obtain permission from the copyright holder.
Copyright permissions for course reserve materials
Some copyrighted material included in course reserves is covered by the fair use provisions of the US Copyright Act (Section 107).
Generally, copyright permissions for photocopied or scanned material are required if:
Copyright permissions are not required if:
If the article you would like to reserve is available electronically through UK Libraries, permission has already been obtained by the library.
No permissions are required to place the library’s copy of a book or journal or your own personal copy of a book or journal on physical reserve.
If the library does not own a book that you would like to use extensively in the future, we will be happy to order a copy if possible.
UK Libraries responsibilities for copyright permissions
The library will obtain copyright permissions for reserve items that are available in the Copyright Clearance Center (CCC). The CCC is a US-based company that licenses copyrighted material on behalf of authors for corporate and academic users. These permissions must be purchased, and the library will pay up to $50 per course.
The library must pay copyright permissions for each student per reading placed on electronic reserve and for each duplicate copy of a reading placed on paper reserves, and do so for each semester that the material is used. To reduce costs:
In order for the library to provide these copyright services, instructors placing photocopied or scanned material on reserve must submit materials at least three weeks prior to their intended use and provide complete citation information for every item.
Instructor responsibilities for copyright permissions
The instructor must obtain copyright for photocopied or scanned items that are not available via the CCC, or for any permissions obtained by the library that exceed the $50 cost limitation.
To obtain copyright permissions, contact the publisher and use this sample form.
When asking for copyright permission, explain that the materials will be used for course reserves and ask for use of the item for the longest time period possible. Obtaining permissions can be a lengthy process, so it is best to begin this process a semester in advance when possible.
Keep records of granted permissions for the duration of the use of the materials. The library may request to view permissions obtained by the instructor.
Information on Copyright
Find authoritative and up-to-date copyright information via U.S. Copyright Office circulars. Pertinent circulars include:
For clarification on questions related to copyright law, please contact the Office of Legal Counsel.
To find information about copyright ownership by individual authors, visit the Authors Registry.
Please direct questions about course reserves and obtaining copyright permissions to circdesk@uky.edu.
The Libraries are responsible for managing large collections of state-owned materials and must provide an incentive for these materials to be returned in a timely manner. Overdue fines are used as an incentive for borrowers to return library materials after an established, reasonable loan period, so that materials may be properly accounted for and can be made available for other borrowers.
Overdue Letters sent via email are issued as a courtesy to all library users. Please ensure that your email address is current in the Library System. Unpaid fines may result in suspension of borrowing privileges, the withholding of transcripts and/or diplomas, and/or the blocking of class registration.
All legitimate objections to library charges will be considered, however the following will not constitute a legitimate basis for contesting fines:
The Libraries would much rather have items returned on time than to charge fines. Please return library materials on time and avoid overdue fines.
We do not is always closed on academic holidays and the week between Christmas and New Years Day. We do our best to maintain the posted hours of operation, though circumstances will occasionally force us to close. You can call the Fines Office at 859-218-2025 or the Ask Us Desk at 859-218-1881 to ensure we’re open before making a trip.
If you believe you have returned an item that is being billed as overdue, please contact the owning library’s Ask Us Desk to file a Claims Returned, or submit a Claims Returned form. Library personnel will search for the item up to three times within a maximum of 60 days. The item will stay charged to your account during the search period, but a note will be placed in your record to allow you to continue to check out library materials while the claim is in process.
If the item is found in the library, the item will be checked in and any fines will be removed. If the material is not found, you will be assessed a lost book replacement cost of $100.
During the claims returned process, you should continue to look for the item. If you find the item, please return it to the library and let the Ask Us Desk know that there is currently a Claims Returned on the book.
Following our Damaged and Lost Library Materials Policy, the following costs are assessed for lost items:
The conditions for use of the Interlibrary Loan services are set by the Interlibrary Loan Code of the American Library Association, US Copyright Law, and by regulations of individual lending libraries.
All University of Kentucky faculty, emeritus faculty, staff, students, and visiting scholars may use ILL and document delivery services, provided they have no outstanding library fines or fees.
Young Library Interlibrary Loan serves all colleges and departments, with the exception of the College of Law, which is served by Law Library Interlibrary Loan.
Most material may be acquired within two weeks, though some material may arrive more quickly. International requests may take more than three months to obtain. Always indicate any deadlines you may have on the ILL form and plan on submitting your requests well in advance.
Borrowed items kept overdue by patrons create critical problems for Interlibrary Loan service. Lending libraries may cease to lend to our institution until all overdue material is returned. Costly fines and replacement fees could also be incurred. Items kept extremely overdue will result in a $20 fine from UK Libraries and a block of your use of the ILLiad service until the overdue is resolved.
Loan periods, item limits, and policies vary depending on the borrower and which UK Libraries location holds the material on loan.
For most items, check-out times and renewals are determined by the total number of days of the original checkout and renewals allowed.
Need the item longer? If you still need an item after your last renewal, bring the book back to the library, and we will check the item back out to you as long as it has not been requested by someone else.
UK Libraries' electronic resources, including databases, ebooks, e-journals, and streaming media are generally governed by license agreements that limit their use to current UK students, faculty, and staff, or community members who are physically present in the library.
Each user is responsible for ensuring that licensed products are used only for non-commercial, educational, clinical, scholarly, or research purposes. Permitted actions generally include: downloading, viewing, temporarily storing, or printing discrete, reasonable portions of the materials.
The following activities are strictly prohibited:
Violations of these terms may result in the loss of access to these resources for the entire University of Kentucky community. The person violating these terms is liable for any infringement they have caused.
Engaging in actions intended to circumvent or defeat access control mechanisms of the library or information provider may result in revocation of library privileges and other campus, civil, or criminal disciplinary measures.
Systematic downloading, either manually or with specialized software, is detectable by information providers and traceable to specific computers.
Use of these resources may also be covered under UK’s Use of Technology Resources regulations. Each licensed product may have more specific or additional permissions or prohibitions. In many instances, walk-in users (individuals who are physically present on the UK campus and who are not UK students, faculty, or staff) are restricted in the amount of material they may download or print by the specific agreement for a license.
Exceptions
Exceptions to these limits include titles in the public domain, government documents, and certain open access works.
Please direct any questions about the appropriate use of licensed information resources to the Electronic Resources Department at lib-er@lsv.uky.edu.
The Breckinridge Research Room (BRR), located on the Second Floor of the Special Collections Research Center, provides registered users with in-person access to all of the rare and unique materials that make up our collections.
Visit our Conducting Research at the SCRC page for information regarding:
To ensure the security and preservation of the SCRC's rare and unique materials, we ask that all users of the Breckinridge Research Room (BRR) and Breckinridge Digital Studio (BDS) review and abide by the following policies.
Use of BRR and BDS equipment requires compliance with these policies as well as UK regulations governing the Use of Technology Resources.
Please silence all cell phones and limit their use to messaging. Phone conversations in the BRR are prohibited.
We ask that users mute laptops and tablets or wear headphones if playing audio.
Please limit personal items to laptops, tablets, note-taking paper or notepads, and pencils. Pencils and note-taking paper are available. Photography of materials is allowed with a phone or camera. No flash photography.
Lockers are available for secure storage of all other personal items not permitted in the BRR. Items prohibited at the research tables include:
A staff member may ask that you store or discard any other items they deem a potential risk to collections. Please consult with BRR staff regarding outside books, notes, or other materials you would like to use while conducting research or utilizing the room for quiet study.
The Breckinridge Research Room is equipped with security cameras and other security devices.
Many of our materials are very fragile. To ensure their long-term preservation and capacity for re-use, we ask that you carefully follow these material use policies.
Accessing and Arranging Materials
Viewing and Handling Materials
Be aware that at any time, a staff person on duty may approach you with a friendly reminder regarding these policies, or to adjust the use of materials to better accommodate the condition of a fragile item. This is a normal part of research with original or fragile materials.
The BRR is available to all registered users as a quiet study space. No appointment is necessary to access the room for general study, though you will be asked to sign in when you arrive.
The University of Kentucky Libraries Special Collections Research Center (SCRC) provides broad public access to collections as a contribution to education and scholarship. Most content in the digital libraries is protected by the U.S. Copyright Law (Title 17, U.S.C.). Use of the materials may also be subject to other legal rights, such as rights of publicity, privacy rights, or other legal interests. Transmission or reproduction of materials protected by copyright beyond that allowed by fair use requires the written permission of the copyright owners. As noted, additional permissions may also be required. The SCRC does not authorize any use or reproduction whatsoever for commercial purposes.
The SCRC makes digital versions of collections accessible in the following situations:
The SCRC can digitize a maximum of 10% of a work in copyright.
Researchers should consult with the SCRC for information about rights, contacts, and permissions. Responsibility for making an independent legal assessment of an item and securing any necessary permissions ultimately rests with those persons wishing to use the item(s).
To contact us, please email scrc@uky.edu.
Breckinridge Digital Studio
The Breckinridge Digital Studio (BDS), located in the Breckinridge Research Room in the Special Collections Research Center, provides scanning equipment to all registered users for the digitization of personal research materials and select SCRC materials.
The Breckinridge Digital Studio is open during regular SCRC hours.
To ensure the continued availability of BDS equipment and the preservation of SCRC materials, all users are expected to agree to and comply with the same security policies and user agreements as the Breckinridge Research Room. Use of BDS equipment requires compliance with these policies as well as UK regulations governing the Use of Technology Resources.
Scanning materials and obtaining usage rights is solely the responsibility of the user. Please view the UK Libraries Copyright Policy for further information.
You may come across language in our collections or online resources that you find harmful or offensive. In the interest of preserving and presenting the historical record, the SCRC collects materials from all cultures and time periods. These materials document the time period in which they were created and demonstrate the views of their creator. As a result, some may contain oppressive, biased, and marginalizing language that does not reflect the values of UK Libraries.
We make every effort to ensure that our finding aids and collection guides do not reproduce the harms of the materials they describe. If you find a description with problematic language that you think the SCRC should review, please contact us at SCRC@uky.edu.