• Return or renew materials checked out to you on or before their due date.  Log in to your Library Account to keep track.
• Protect all materials from damage and theft.  You are responsible for each item until it is checked in by library staff.
• Keep materials in good condition.  Do not write in books, fold pages, or put sticky notes in them (they leave a residue).

Library materials are used by thousands of people every year.  Everyone deserves to have materials in good condition.  Please do your part!

• LSU faculty, staff, and students must present a current LSU ID card in order to charge materials.
• ID cards are not transferable.
• Each individual is responsible for all library materials charged to his/her card.
• Lost ID cards should be reported immediately to the ID Office in the LSU Union and to the checkout desk in LSU Library.
• Faculty and graduate students in good standing may obtain a LOUIS Reciprocal Borrowers Card from the checkout desk or online which will allow them to get library privileges at other LOUIS institutions. A list of participating LOUIS libraries may be obtained from the LOUIS homepage.

Current faculty, staff, and properly registered students of LSU may borrow library materials from LSU Library upon presentation of a valid University identification. Retired LSU faculty and staff may borrow library materials from LSU Library upon presentation of a valid University identification or a valid photo id. Electronic resources are available to retired faculty and staff at several designated public computers in LSU Library. Students who are registered for classes during the current semester will be granted borrowing privileges through the first two weeks of the following semester. Graduating students' privileges will expire on graduation day of the current semester. If students have not registered by the first day of classes of the current semester, their privileges will expire two weeks after the beginning of the semester.

You must be an LSU STUDENT on the Main LSU Campus with a student ID to be eligible for Gear 2 Geaux. VetMED and LSU Law students are not eligible to participate in the program. Unfortunately, Faculty and Staff are not eligible as these services are provided through the Student Tech Fee.

The LSU Student Technology Fee funds the purchase of mobile computing devices available for checkout at the second-floor checkout desk. A student ID is required to check out these items.  Any items not returned will be charged to your fee bill.

During times of high demand, laptop checkout dates and times may be restricted. Contact the checkout desk at libcirc@lsu.edu for more information

Request books and other physical items through your interlibrary loan account. Borrowing books from other libraries requires transit time. A minimum of 2 to 3 weeks is usually required, and you are responsible for the cost of shipping the material back to LSU Library. For this reason, we recommend using your local library’s interlibrary loan service for books and physical items, and using LSU Libraries’ Interlibrary Loan service to request journal articles and book chapters, which are delivered digitally.

Public patrons must submit a filled out physical Public Patron Agreement

Some individuals not affiliated with LSU may receive limited borrowing privileges. These individuals include:

• Louisiana residents (age 18 or older) with valid photo ID
• Out-of-state residents who teach in Louisiana K-12 schools (must be requested by principal or superintendent)  
• Persons affiliated with academic institutions belonging to the LOUIS consortium who have a LOUIS Reciprocal Borrowing Card, including out-of-state residents
• Out-of-state residents working for Louisiana state agencies
• OCLC Reciprocal Faculty Borrowing Program participants
• Graduate students from institutions located in other states or countries (must be requested by thesis advisor, department head, or a librarian at their home institution)
• The LSU Libraries will revoke public patron borrowing privileges in the event of misuse or if we receive information that the patron is no longer welcome on campus.

Individuals may request public borrowing privileges during the following times:

8:00 a.m. – 7:00 p.m., Monday-Thursday
8:00 a.m. – 5:00 p.m., Friday
1:00 p.m. - 4:00 p.m., Saturday-Sunday

Call 225-578-5652 to confirm Library hours, as holidays may affect staff ability to process public patron borrowing requests.

Letters requesting special borrowing privileges should be submitted to the Head of Circulation Services or to the Dean of Libraries and must be accompanied by proof of eligibility.

Public Patrons may borrow up to 10 books for a period of 28 days. Audio-Visual items circulate for 7 days. All Special Borrowers are subject to all rules and regulations including all library fees.

Due to licensing restrictions, remote access to electronic products is not available to Public Patrons. Also, Interlibrary Loan services are only available to Visiting Scholars.

Every library patron has a right to privacy while using properly charged library materials. Names of borrowers will not be disclosed (Louisiana Revised Statutes, Section 44:13).

Please be aware that this statute prohibits us from discussing patron accounts with third parties, except in the case of parents of minor children. For privacy and security reasons, we also do not discuss patrons' accounts over the telephone. Patrons who have questions about their accounts should e-mail them to libcirc@lsu.edu and a library staff member will send a response to the patron's myLSU account. In compliance with Policy Statement 16.15, "Use of Electronic Mail," we will send e-mail communications only to the "lsu.edu" e-mail address if it exists. We will only use other types of e-mail addresses for correspondence in the case of public patron card users or former LSU employees and students whose myLSU accounts are no longer active.

For faculty and staff, the Access Services Department provides a delivery service of LSU Library and Interlibrary Loan materials.  This includes only library materials in hardcopy format that are not checked out or missing.  Reserve and Government Document materials will not be included. For information on how to receive scans of articles and book chapters from the main library's print collection, please see our Electronic Delivery policies.

This service is available to faculty and staff who are registered with the Libraries, in good standing, and have an LSU departmental address.  You will need an Illiad account to make the request. Once logged in, you will need to select "Deliver to Departmental Mailbox" for your Delivery Method. Books will be delivered to the departmental mailbox of the requestors within 1-2 business days.  A second attempt will be made if the delivery is not successful the first time, but if the department office is inaccessible again, patrons will receive an e-mail stating the problem and asking them to come pick up their materials.  The materials will be placed on hold, and kept at the checkout desk for 7 days.  If they are not picked up in this time frame, they will be returned to the collection.   Users are responsible for getting materials back to the library as there is not a pickup service offered. 

Materials will be checked out to the patron's library account prior to being delivered. The user is responsible for the items requested through this service.  Any LSU Library books not returned or renewed within 40 days of the due date will be considered “lost” and the usual penalties will apply. A limit of eight physical material format items can be requested per day.

• Regular overdue charges are 50 cents per day per item.
• For information about overdue charges on electronics, see http://grok.lsu.edu/Article.aspx?articleid=3494.
• Overdue charges on journals and other short term loans are $1.00 per day per item.
• Charges for Reserve and unbound periodical items are $1.50/hr. Reserve items are considered lost if they are not returned within 24 hours after their due date.  
• The maximum fine is $20.00 per item.
• In addition to fines, service charges and lost book fees are assessed after the maximum fine is reached, or after 40 days, whichever comes first.
• Fines for faculty and staff that have been transferred to the Bursar's Office must be paid there. Notify the Access Services Department as soon as your bills are paid in order to have your library privileges reinstated.

Current library charges may be paid at the checkout desk using cash, check, or Tiger Card. Checks must be made out to "LSU Libraries". They may also be paid online with a credit card by logging in to a user’s library account. All library charges forwarded to the Bursar's Office must be paid at that office prior to registration. Older bills (already at the Bursar's Office) may be paid with a credit card through myLSU.

Patrons who are not satisfied with the resolution of their inquiries about library charges may file a formal appeal, as long as they have not paid the fines under despute. The time limit for filing an appeal is two years after the due date of the item(s). If you wish to file a formal appeal, please fill out the online form below. Forms may also be obtained at the checkout desk if you wish to file a paper appeal or if the online form is not working.

Appeals made on the behalf of others will not be accepted. Please note that the following circumstances are also not grounds for filing an appeal to cancel a fine:

• Lack of knowledge of library policy
• Lack of understanding of library policy
• Inability to pay fines and charges
• Failure to receive a courtesy renewal notice or an overdue notice
• Cases in which you loaned materials charged to you to a classmate, family member, faculty member, etc., who failed to return them

Patrons who wish to request an exception to library borrowing policies, such as a special due date for an item or to have their borrowing privileges reinstated, may file an appeal using the same form.

Submit an Appeal