Borrowing and Access Policies

For Undergraduate Students

• Students may borrow up to 30 items.
• Students with access to campus may enter the library to borrow items.
• Students may utilize Pickup and Delivery options.
• Students can request copies of book chapters or articles owned by the library (subject to copyright limits) via Scan and Send.
• Information about how to return library items can be found on Returning Library Items page.
• Items are loaned for 28 days and will be automatically renewed provided that:               
  • No other patron has requested the item        
  • Your patron account is not due to expire within the next 28 days             
• Items may be recalled by another user after two weeks. In this case, you will be notified and given a reasonable amount of time to return the item to the library. Should you still need the items, you may place a hold request after you return them.
• Reserve items can be requested from the Service Desk. Most can be borrowed for two hours and may not be taken from the library. Items can be photocopied subject to copyright limitations.
• Presentation, group study and seminar rooms may be reserved in advance. Reservation times are 30 minutes to two hours. Four bookings per week per type of room (Group Study Rooms, Presentation Rooms, etc) are permitted. Excessive bookings per day may be cancelled.
• Fines may apply to any late returns or lost items.    
• You are responsible for all materials checked out to your account. The library strongly advises against loaning items you have borrowed to another person.
• Undergraduate students (with professor approval) can use our Interlibrary Loan (ILL) Portal to request articles and books not found in the library collection. Email ill@aus.edu for assistance. 

For Graduate Students, Faculty and Staff

• Borrow up to 75 items.
• Users with access to campus may enter the library to borrow items.
• Utilize Pickup and Delivery options.
• Users can request copies of book chapters or articles owned by the library (subject to copyright limits) via Scan and Send.
• Information about how to return library items can be found on Returning Library Items page
• Items are loaned for 1 semester and will be automatically renewed provided that:
  • No other patron has requested the item
  • Your patron account is not due to expire within the next semester
• Items may be recalled by another user after two weeks. In this case, you will be notified and given a reasonable amount of time to return the item to the library. Should you still need the items, you may place a hold request after you return them.
• Reserve items can be requested from the Service Desk. Most can be borrowed for two hours and may not be taken from the library. Items can be photocopied subject to copyright limitations.
• Special Collection material can be borrowed for one week.
• Reference material may be loaned for one day, after consultation with a librarian.
• Presentation, group study and seminar rooms may be reserved in advance. Reservation times are 30 minutes to two hours. Four bookings per week per type of room (Group Study Rooms, Presentation Rooms, etc) are permitted. Excessive bookings per day may be cancelled.
• Fines may apply to any late returns or lost items.
• You are responsible for all materials checked out to your account. The library strongly advises against loaning items you have borrowed to another person.
• Use our Interlibrary Loan Portal to request articles and books not found in the library collection.

For Alumni, Family and University of Sharjah Faculty

• Borrow up to 30 items.
• Persons with access to campus may enter the library to borrow items.
• Alumni and Family users may utilize Pickup and Delivery options.
• Alumni and Family users may request copies of book chapters or articles owned by the library (subject to copyright limits) via Scan and Send.
• Information about how to return library items can be found on Returning Library Items page.
• Items are loaned for 28 days and will be automatically renewed provided that:
  • No other patron has requested the item
  • Your patron account is not due to expire within the next 28 days
• Items may be recalled by another user after two weeks. In this case, you will be notified and given a reasonable amount of time to return the item to the library. Should you still need the items, you may place a hold request after you return them.
• Reserve items can be requested from the Service Desk. Most can be borrowed for two hours and may not be taken from the library. Items can be photocopied subject to copyright limitations.
• Fines may apply to any late returns or lost items.
• You are responsible for all materials checked out to your account. The library strongly advises against loaning items you have borrowed to another person.
• Licensing agreements restrict off-campus access to electronic resources for currently enrolled students and faculty/staff only.
• To review open access resources that are freely available, visit The Research Guide to Open Access Resources.
• University of Sharjah faculty can also request items not held at their institution via their library’s Document Delivery Service.

Library Cards

• Your AUS ID card serves as your library card.
• Family members of AUS faculty over the age of 16 can use their AUS ID cards as their library card.
• For University of Sharjah faculty, your existing University of Sharjah ID card will be used as your library card.

Renewals

• If you are finished with an item, we encourage you to return it to the library.
• For your convenience, the library will automatically renew provided that:
  • No other patron has requested the item
  • Your patron account is not due to expire soon
• Please do not renew items yourself, as this interferes with the auto-renewal process.
• If you have any questions, you can contact us by email at circulation@aus.edu.

Overdue Items, Fines and Replacement Charges

• All Library borrowers are responsible for the safe and timely return of library materials. It is a courtesy and a sign of respect to your fellow scholars to return items on time.
• When items are seriously overdue, courtesy notices are sent. However, failure to receive a notice does not excuse a user from overdue fines.
• You are responsible for all materials checked out to your account. The library strongly advises against loaning items you have borrowed to another person. In the event of loss or a late return, you will be liable for the applicable fines.
• Borrowing privileges will be suspended when fines and/or replacement charges reach 100 Dhs or if you have one or more unpaid replacement fee.
• Students who have unpaid fines at the end of a semester will not receive their grades and will not be allowed to register for classes the following semester. Students who have graduated or transferred will not be able to receive transcripts until any outstanding library fines have been paid.
• Items that are long overdue will be considered lost and a replacement fee will be charged. If the item is returned after this time, the patron must still pay the applicable overdue fines plus a processing fee of 75 Dhs per item.

Fines for regular standard materials:

• Includes General Collection, Leisure, Media, Music, and Periodicals (Journals).
• Items that are overdue for less than 1 month: No overdue fines will be issued.
• Items that are overdue for more than 1 month: Will be declared missing and a replacement fee will be charged.
• Items that have been requested by another patron (i.e. recalled or placed on hold) and not returned on time: 1 Dh. per day for 30 days.

Fines for laptops:

• Begin accumulating from the time the item is due.
• Must be returned with the included charger.
• 20 Dhs. per hour up to 10 hours. After 10 hours the item will be declared lost and a replacement fee will be charged.
• Loan period is 5 hours.
• Loan periods will be shortened to 1 hour before library closing.

Fines for laptop peripherals:

• Begin accumulating from the time the item is due.
• 1 Dhs. per hour up to 10 hours.

Fines for room keys:

• Begin accumulating from the time the item is due.
• 10 Dhs. per hour up to 10 hours. After 10 hours the item will be declared lost and a replacement fee will be charged.

Fines for hourly reserve items:

• Includes reserves with 1 hour, 2 hour, 3 hour, 5 hour and 1 day loan periods.
• 1 Dh. per hour up to 10 hours.
• After that time the item will be declared missing and a replacement fee will be charged.

Fines for multi-day reserve items:

• Includes reserves with 3 day, 7 day, and 28 day loan periods.
• 1 Dh. per day up to 30 days.
• After that time the item will be declared missing and a replacement fee will be charged.

Replacement fees:

• Charged for items that are missing, lost or damaged beyond repair.
• Include the current cost of the item plus a 75 Dhs processing fee.
• Processing fees may be more for multi-volume sets or rare materials.

Fine Payment

Registered students and staff can pay online by credit card through the AUS website.  For instructions, visit the AUS Finance Department’s Online Payment Guide.

To check library fines, log in to My Library Account with your AUS username and password

Returning Library Items

• Users living on campus or with access to campus can return items in the return bins located outside the library entrance (Engineering side) or the Student Center.
• Return items via the post to the address below. Borrowers are responsible for all return postage costs. We recommend that you get proof of postage when sending your items back to the Library. We will take the postage date as the return date of the book.

American University of Sharjah Library
Access Services
Al Muweileh St. University City
Opposite Sharjah Airport.
Sharjah, UAE

Questions? Contact us at circulation@aus.edu