Undergraduate Students

Checkouts

Bring your book to the Circulation Desk on the 1st floor at the library entrance. You will need to present one of the following forms of identification.

• Lamar University Cardinal One Card
• Lamar University student, faculty, or staff identification card
• Lamar Institute of Technology (LIT) student, faculty, or staff identification card
• Lamar University or LIT Alumni or Retiree Card
• TexShare Card
• Friends of the Library Card

Your Cardinal Village residence card or your Nursing Department badge are not acceptable forms of identification.

Returns

Return of materials can be made during normal business hours at the Circulation Desk and at the 2nd floor Reserves/Periodicals Desk, 24/7 at the Circulation drop box, or with prior notification materials can be mailed to:

Mary and John Gray Library
Circulation Desk
Lamar University
211 Red Bird Lane, P.O. Box 10021
Beaumont, TX 77710-0021

Please note that it is the responsibility of the patron to track the shipment of packages mailed to the library.

Renewals

Renewals can be made at the Circulation Desk during normal business hours. Or students, faculty, and staff can renew materials by logging into their library account.

• Log into My Account with your L number (Lamar students, faculty and staff) or T number (LIT students, faculty and staff) and PIN.
• Your PIN should be your date of birth in the format: MMDD.
• Select "Renew My Materials." A list of the materials on your account will appear.  Select the radio button of item(s) being renewed. Then select "Renew Selected Items."

The following items may NOT be renewed:

• Items put on hold by another patron
• Items from the 2nd floor Periodicals/Reserve Desk

Online renewals must be made 24 hours in advance of the item being due.

Fines

Fines for overdue books begin after a three-day grace period. After the grace period, fines are $0.25 per day, per item. The maximum fine for each book or item is $50.

Reserve items, which generally have a two-hour checkout period, accumulate fines at $0.25 per hour, or $6.00 per 24 hour period, after they are due.

Fines do not accrue for faculty and staff.

Fines can be paid with either cash or check at the Circulation Desk on the 1st floor.

To dispute a fine, contact the Circulation Desk by email, in person or by phone.

Lost/Damaged Materials

Charges will be incurred by all borrowers for lost or damaged materials in accordance with the existing Mary and John Gray Library policy. The borrower will be charged the actual replacement price if the book is still in print (or a default price if it is no longer in print) plus a $20.00 processing fee.

Placing a Hold

If a book is listed as "No copies currently available" and has an estimated wait period indicated, another library patron has checked out the book.

You may place a hold on checked out items by selecting "Full Details --> Hold." You will need to login to My Account with your L number (Lamar students, faculty and staff) or T number (LIT students, faculty and staff) and PIN. Your PIN should be your date of birth in the format: MMDD.

After you place a hold on an item, the patron who has the item may keep it until it is due, but they cannot renew the item. This time period is indicated by the estimated wait period. If others have placed holds on the item before you, their potential checkout periods are also calculated in the estimated wait period. When the item is returned to the library and your hold request is next, you will be notified via email to retrieve the item from the stacks.  You will have 48 hours to retrieve the item from the stacks. After that time, the hold will be removed.

Putting a book on hold in an effort to avoid pulling your own book will result in an email to you stating that we confirmed that the book is on the shelf and you will have 48 hours to retrieve the book from the stacks. Generally speaking, the Circulation Desk does not pull materials for patrons.

Disabled patrons: Library staff are happy to assist patrons with disabilities who need aid retrieving books from the library shelves. Please ask for help at the Circulation Desk in the 1st floor lobby. For other inquiries about Accessibility on campus, please visit the Disability Resource Center's webpage.

You may also place a hold on a book that is available at the Ron E. Lewis Library at Lamar State College in Orange, Texas.

Other Materials

• Special Collections and Lamar University Archives materials may only be used in the Special Collections room on the 7th floor.
• Government Documents, located on 2nd floor, have variable check-out policies. Please inquire when you use them.
• Periodicals/Reserves (i.e. journals, magazines, and newspapers) are available at the 2nd floor Periodicals/Reserves Desk and may be checked out for in-building use only.
• Reserve materials (Periodicals/Reserves Desk on the 2nd floor) have variable check out policies. Please inquire when you use them.
• Microfilm volumes located on 2nd floor may not be checked out.
• Bound volumes located on the 3rd-5th floors may be checkout out by graduate students, McNair Scholars, faculty and staff at the 2nd floor Periodicals/Reserves Desk.
• Reference books may be used only in the Reference area on the 1st floor.
• Media Services materials may not be checked out.

Accessibility

Items that need to be scanned or copied for accessibility purposes will not incur a fee. Photocopies will be made for disabled users in accordance with copyright regulations. Users needing assistance with the copy machines should request help from library staff.

Library staff are happy to assist patrons with disabilities who need aid retrieving books from the library shelves. Please ask for help at the Circulation Desk in the 1st floor lobby. For other inquiries about Accessibility on campus, please visit the Accessibility Resource Center's webpage.

Texshare Card

The TexShare Card allows our students, faculty, and staff to have direct access to books and other library materials that aren't available at the Mary and John Gray Library.

To be eligible for the TexShare Card Program, you must:

• Be a user in good standing at the Mary and John Gray Library.
• Present valid identification along with your TexShare Card to borrow materials from a participating TexShare library.
• Agree to return materials to the library from which they were borrowed by methods outlined in that library's lending policy.
• Be responsible for all late, damaged or lost materials charges.

Lending policies are made by the individual libraries that participate in the TexShare Card Program. Because of this, lending policies may vary from library to library. Be sure to check the lending policies for the TexShare library you wish to use.

How you can participate:

• Download and complete the TexShare Card Borrower Agreement. Then bring it to the Mary and John Gray Library Circulation Desk.
• Present your TexShare Card at the reciprocating library's circulation desk to activate your checkout privileges. You will be required to show a photo ID.
• Check out the books or other materials at their circulation desk. It is your responsibility to take care of your borrowed materials and return them on time.

If you already have a TexShare Card issued by another library, please see the Mary and John Gray Library's TexShare Lending Policies on the TexShare website.