Borrow & Renew

Library Card Responsibilities

Your WPI ID is your library card. You are responsible for all items borrowed on your card. Please do not lend your ID to anyone. For your protection, if we suspect the card being used does not belong to the person presenting it, the card will be transferred to Campus Police where it may be claimed by its owner with proper identification. Please report a lost, missing, or stolen card immediately. Academic and Research Collaborative (ARC) patrons will be registered with their home institution's ID.

WPI Community (Faculty, Students, Staff, Retirees)

• 28 day items:  books, hard drives, audiobooks, CDs, scores, tech reports, theses
• Weekly items:  7 day, VHS, DVDs, flip video cameras, video and board games, calculators
• Reserves and hourly items (In library use only):  speaker phone, headphones, HDMI cables, etc.

Visitors (Alum, ARC, Visiting Scholars)

My Account

At My Library Card, you can see which WPI-owned items are currently checked out to you, view item due dates, make renewal requests, check the status of your hold or recall requests, and find out if you have any accrued fines.

Interlibrary Loan

WPI students, faculty, and staff can request that we borrow items from other libraries if we do not own the item at WPI. Create an ILLiad account.

Course Reserves

Course reserve materials are intended for in-library use for three hours. At the end of three hours, the item may be charged out again for three more hours if no one else has requested it. Instructors may request other circulation periods.

Library reserve materials that normally circulate may be charged out overnight. These items may be taken out 30 minutes before closing and are due back one hour after opening the next day. Faculty personal reserve items (books, photocopies, etc.) are not available for overnight sign-out without the instructor's permission.

All overdue course reserve materials are fined at a rate of 10¢ per minute.

Academic and Research Collaborative (ARC) Card

Come to the library's Information Desk to get an ARC card if you would like to check books out directly from other Worcester area academic libraries. Learn more about ARC.

Renewals

Renewal requests may be made through:

• My Account
• Telephone: Call +1-508-831-5410 during normal business hours     
• Email: accessservices@wpi.edu   
• Interlibrary Loan: Log in to your ILLiad account or email the Interlibrary Loan Department at lib-ill@wpi.edu.

Requests & Holds

Patrons are able to request items through the library search page and will be notified when the item is ready for pick-up. A requested item can be checked out at the front desk, if not picked up within seven days, the item will be returned to the general collection. A hold can be placed if the item is currently checked out, the patron will receive an email when the item has been returned and is available for pick-up. Items with holds on them may not be renewed.

Recalls

Most 28-day items may be recalled by faculty for course reserve purposes or by WPI community patrons. Course reserve requests must be returned within 3 days. Patron-initiated recalls allow the original borrower to keep the item for the original 28-day loan period, but the item must be returned at the due date. * Visiting patrons may not place recalls. However, they ARE SUBJECT TO RECALL FINES.

Lost Items

An item reaches a lost status 28 days after the due date. The fee for lost items is the replacement cost of the item, which is determined by the Collection Assessment and Development Librarian. Patrons with one "lost" item or $25.00 in total fines or fees will be blocked from checking out additional items. WPI patrons will also have a hold placed on their account with the Registrar's Office, blocking transcript requests and course registration. Upon full payment, their record will be cleared. No refunds will be issued after six months. Lost items that are returned within the six-month period will have the replacement fee removed but overdue fines will be assessed.

Damaged Items

Materials that are returned damaged will be charged an appropriate fee for replacement or repair. Patrons will have two weeks from date of notification to dispute the invoice. After the two-week period, all invoices are final.

Payment of Fines and Fees

Fines and fees can be paid at the Information Desk using WPI Goatbucks or at the Bursar's Office/Student Accounts. In lieu of payment, patrons may donate nonperishable, unexpired food items at the Information Desk (Food for Fines). A donation of one item waives up to $5 of fines and fees. Note: Fines and fees designated as replacement costs for lost or damaged items are ineligible for the Food for Fines program.

Notices

Notices are sent as a courtesy to remind patrons of the due dates sent via email. The library does not assume responsibility for the non-receipt of notices. Failure to receive an overdue notice does not absolve patrons from returning materials late.

Proxy Patron Privileges

WPI faculty and staff members may grant proxy borrowing privileges to any current member of the WPI community, allowing the proxy to check out items on behalf of the original faculty or staff member.  Please fill out the form (PDF) and send it to accessservices@wpi.edu.

In-Library Use Only Items

Special Collection items, journals, and course reserve items must be used within the library. The exceptions for reserve items are library-owned materials, which may be borrowed overnight within 30 minutes of closing and returned within one hour of opening on the next business day.

Contact Us

If you have any questions or comments, please contact the Access Services and Outreach Department (+1-508-831-5410 or accessservices@wpi.edu).