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Circulation Policies & Loan Periods 

In April 2019, Hinds Community College Libraries joined the Mississippi Library Partnership, a consortium of libraries that share resources and a library automation system.  Participation expands access to resources for all Hinds faculty, staff and students as member libraries share resources via a courier that runs weekly.  Over 60 libraries and systems are included in the partnership including MS State and MS University for Women. As members of the Partnership, each library adds its bibliographic and patron databases to the library automation system housed at MSU, and uses this system for its circulation, online catalog, acquisitions, and serials.  In addition to increasing the share of available resources, Hinds saves on the costs of automation and technical expertise.

Circulation Policies of MLP 

Circulation periods and fines from partner libraries may be different from those of Hinds Libraries.  Patrons should be sure to note when materials are due. Fines are assessed by partner libraries and the Hinds patrons must contact that partner library to reconcile bills.  Hinds Libraries are not responsible for fines outside of the Hinds Library system. 

Depending upon transportation schedules, items may take up to fifteen days to arrive, although most will arrive much sooner.

Hinds Library Circulation Policies 

Books

Circulating books are checked out for two weeks to students and non-students.  As the semester ends, the loan period may be shortened to allow the book to be due back before the end of the semester.   Some books do not circulate or require special consideration for short-term checkout.  These include reference and reserve materials.

Laptops  

Laptops are available for check out at all Hinds Libraries. Checkout policies are determined by the Administrative Librarians at each campus.  Nursing library allows laptops to be taken home for short periods.  All of the other Hinds libraries do not allow the laptops to leave the library.  

DVDs/Media/Equipment 

Several locations have DVDs, power cords, headsets, games and other materials available for checkout. The checkout periods for these vary at each campus. In most cases, headsets and other smaller items are on Reserve and cannot leave the library.  DVDS usually have a checkout period of 3 days but some libraries allow DVDs to be checked out for 14 days (see chart below). 

Some media purchased for classroom usage may be limited to faculty checkout only.

Reserves  

Books on Reserve are typically available for shorter loan periods so that more people may have access to them. In most cases, these books are available for 2 hour checkouts and cannot leave the library. Checkout periods may be determined by the faculty requesting the item to be on Reserve.  

Renewals  

Items may be renewed at the library's discretion. One online self-renewal is allowed.  After that, the item needs to be renewed at one of the Hinds or MLP Libraries. 

Recalls 

Items may be recalled from a patron if they have had the item longer than the two week checkout and it is needed by another patron.  If a recall is warranted, library staff will contact the patron by email and phone to request that the item be returned asap. 

Fines 

During the fall semester of 2017, Hinds Libraries decided to do away with Overdue Fines for students.  Fines for lost books remain in force.  Students and non-students are charged a standard fee of $53.00 for lost books.