A. Loan periods
| Three weeks | General book collection Juvenile collection Paperback collection Compact discs (CDs) |
| Seven days | Records, Video cassettes, Audio cassettes, DVDs, CD-Roms, Other AV materials, Curriculum materials, Maps, Annual reports |
| Two days | Single issue periodicals Newspapers (except for most recent issue) |
| Overnight | Some reserve materials Video cassette recorder DVD player |
| Two hours | Reserve materials (some in library use only) Headphones (in library use only) Cassette player (in library use only) |
| In-library use only | Closed collection items Archives items Laptops (4 hrs.) Microfiche/Microfilm Reference books Atlas collection Bound periodicals Indexes Books marked "non-circulating" Some reserves and some Interlibrary loan items |
B. Privacy
1. The library supports the American Library Association's "Policy on confidentiality of Library Records. (PDF file; Adobe Acrobat reader needed)
2. Individual patron use records and library use patterms are confidential and protected by the First Amendment and the Library Privacy Act of the State of Michigan.
C. Books - Policies
1. Most books circulate for three weeks. (See below for exceptions.)
2. There is a seven-day grace period before overdue fines accrue.
3. If a patron has requested and placed a hold on an overdue book, the book may be recalled by the Circulation Desk Manager. The patron will be called and informed that the book must be returned within 24 hours.
4. Exceptional categories:a. Reference books: checked out only with a librarian's permission.
b. Closed section: A librarian will retrieve these books for use by the patron in the library. Only librarian may give permission for them to be checked out of the library.
c. Reserve books: checkout period varies from 2 to 24 hours, depending on the professor's preference.
d. Books marked non-circulating: Checked out only with a librarian's permission.
D. Borrowers
1. Alma College Students, Faculty and Staff may check items out of the library by using their Alma College ID card.
2. Community residents unaffiliated with the college are required to pay a one-time fee before being permitted to check materials out of the library. Students from the Alma, Ithaca, and St. Louis public school systems will not be charged a fee if they provide proof of current enrollment. Students with current IDs from Albion, Hope and Kalamazoo colleges are also exempted from the fee. Off-campus users may have a maximum of five items checked out at one time & must regularly renew their library cards.
3. Family members of Alma College employees may apply for and recieve a library card without paying the fee, but are regarded as community patrons in all other respects.
