Library Circulation Policies & FAQs

Library Card Policies (Summary)

• Students, staff, faculty, and approved courtesy borrowers may all check out books.

• Patrons with items past their due dates will not be able to check out more items or place holds. 

• If an item is lost or damaged, the account holder will be held accountable.

• Items can have holds placed on them for pickup at the front desk. Please allow 24 hours for hold requests and available items to be processed and ready for pickup. You will receive an email notification once your hold is available.

• Holds not picked up or canceled within 7 days will be returned to the shelf or offered to the next customer with a hold. 

Checking Out Items, Limits, & Due Dates

To borrow materials, a valid St. Edward's ID or St. Edward’s courtesy borrow card is required. When checking out physical items, please present either a physical or digital version of your ID.

Library materials may not be checked out to an account if a patron has an overdue item.

Physical items: 

Patron Type	Books	Board Games	Holds
Students (Undergraduate & Graduate)	Up to 5 items 14-day checkout One renewal	Up to 3 items 21-day checkout One renewal	Up to 2 holds
Staff, Faculty, & Adjunct Faculty	Up to 10 items 28-day checkout Two renewals	Up to 5 items 28-day checkout One renewal	Up to 2 holds
Courtesy Borrowers (e.g. TexShare card holders, Holy Cross Brothers, Alumni, etc.)	Up to 2 items 14-day checkout One renewal	n/a	n/a

Digital resources: Access is available to all current St. Edward’s staff, faculty and students. Borrowing limits vary by platform.

Placing Holds 

Physical materials: Students, staff, and faculty may have up to 2 holds. Courtesy borrowers are unable to place holds. 

Circulating items can have holds placed on them and pulled from the shelves for pickup at the Munday Library front desk. Holds can be placed by logging into the catalog using your SEU credentials. 

Holds not picked up or canceled within 7 days (excluding holidays) will be canceled and returned to the shelf or offered to the next customer in line. This policy decreases the number of unclaimed holds and the wait time for Library items. 

An email notification from no-reply@oclc.org will be sent to your stedwards.edu email address when the item is available at the front desk. Hold notifications are sent at the top of every hour. To ensure our emails go to your inbox rather than a spam or junk folder, we recommend that you add our notification email address to your Contacts and/or allowed sender list: no-reply@oclc.org. 

Renewing Items 

Physical materials: When items are renewed, the new due date is calculated from the date of the renewal.

Munday Library items may be renewed either one or two times (see below for limits), except for items that have holds placed on them by other patrons. As long as an account is in good standing, eligible items may be renewed online by logging in through your catalog account. Your SEU credentials are required for this service. Items cannot be renewed or checked out if a patron has an overdue item.

Patron Type	Books	Board Games
Students (Undergraduate & Graduate)	one renewal	one renewal
Staff, Faculty, & Adjunct Faculty	two renewals	one renewal
Courtesy Borrowers (Holy Cross Brothers, TexShare card holders, Emeriti, Alumni)	one renewal*	n/a

*Courtesy borrower checkouts will be automatically renewed one time (except for items that have holds placed on them by other patrons). However, courtesy borrowers are unable to renew their own items online. 

Returning Items

During open hours, Munday Library books can be returned to the front desk or the book drops. During closed hours, Munday Library books can be returned to the outdoor book drop.

Return more delicate items like board games directly to the front desk during open hours. 

Munday Library materials may also be mailed to us using the university’s address: 

Munday Library 

St. Edward’s University

3001 S. Congress Ave. 

Austin, TX 78704

Course Reserves & Non-Circulating Items

Magazines and newspapers do not circulate. However, older editions in the baskets on the lower shelves of the periodical area are free to take!

Instructors may have arranged for items assigned in their courses to be held in reserve for use in-library only. Students may borrow these items to use in the library for up to four hours. During that use period, they’ll be marked in the catalog as “In use.”

FAQs

Can I check out materials or pick up holds for someone else?

You are unable to check out physical items on someone else’s account, or to pick up someone else’s holds. This remains true even if you have their SEU ID. 

Where can I pick up my hold? 

After receiving an email that your hold is available for pickup, visit the front desk. Your holds will be behind the front desk and you will need a library staff member to retrieve them and check them out to you. 

How do I cancel a hold?

You are able to cancel hold requests using your online account while the request before the hold is ready for pickup.

I need a print book right away! What is the fastest way to get it? 

If the item is available for checkout at Munday Library, the fastest way to get it is always to visit the Library in person and get the book from the shelf. 

Items can have holds placed on them for pickup at the front desk. Please allow 24 hours for hold requests and available items to be processed and ready for pickup. You will receive an email notification once your hold is available.

Can I place a hold over the phone then come pick it up? 

We do not place holds over the phone, but we are happy to walk you through placing holds online. Please allow 24 hours for hold requests and available items to be processed and ready for pickup. You will receive an email notification once your hold is available.

If I bring a book to the desk to check out and it has a hold on it, can I still check it out? 

You cannot check out an item if someone else has a hold on it. However, you can place your own hold on it. You will receive an email notification as soon as it is ready for you to pick up. [3 days to pick up hold, cannot renew items with holds] 

I lost or damaged a physical item. What do I do? 

Munday Library charges the replacement cost or (if that information is unavailable) $30 for lost or damaged items. Alternatively, you may find your own replacement copy of an item. It must be in good condition (though it can be used) and have the same ISBN as the original copy. If the library accepts your replacement copy, the fee will be waived. Email library@stedwards.edu to learn more. 

Who is eligible to check out physical items from Munday Library?

Current students, staff, faculty and approved courtesy borrowers may check out physical items from Munday Library. 

How do I become an approved courtesy borrower? 

TexShare card holders, Holy Cross Brothers, emeriti and alumni are all welcome to become courtesy borrowers. Please email library@stedwards.edu to book an appointment with a staff member.