The Chesapeake Information and Research Library Alliance

Direct Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement for Faculty, Graduate Students and Institutional Researchers

The Chesapeake Information and Research Library Alliance (CIRLA) is devoted to the acquisition, distribution, and sharing of information and research resources in support of faculty research and teaching, and graduate and undergraduate study and research. To that end, members of the Alliance will provide reciprocal borrowing privileges to the duly registered graduate students, current faculty, researchers and fellows of the other institutions comprising CIRLA.

Policy

CIRLA Libraries agree to extend direct, reciprocal, in-person borrowing privileges to faculty, graduate students from member universities and researchers and fellows from member federal agencies. Each home library will establish eligibility for direct borrowing privileges. The lending library determines specific privileges, including the maximum number of checkouts and the specific ending date for borrowing privileges. Borrowers under this program are subject to the regulations and loan periods established by the lending library.

These privileges will:

• be valid no later than the expiration date indicated on the CIRLA Direct Borrowers Form;
• provide direct borrowing privileges only for matriculated graduate students and institutional researchers;
• be reviewed and reaffirmed by June 30 of each year.
• apply only to the following libraries at each institution:

  George Washington University	Gelman Library
  Georgetown University	Lauinger & Blommer Science Libraries
  Howard University	All Libraries (excluding Law and Health Sciences)
  Johns Hopkins University	Eisenhower Library
  National Agricultural Library	Beltsville Library
  Smithsonian Institution	All Libraries (excluding FreerSackler, Hirshhorn, SAAM/NPG)
  University of Delaware	All Libraries
  University of Maryland	All College Park Libraries

Each institution agrees to:

• to provide addresses and other necessary information on direct borrowers to the lending library to allow for proper enforcement of the lending regulations;
• to be ultimately responsible for reimbursing the lending libraries for items determined to be lost;
• to cumulate a final annual notification of any outstanding obligations for the preceding calendar year by March 1. Cumulated obligations will be declared permanent on June 1.

Procedures

Registration of Borrowers

• Faculty and graduate students requesting direct borrowing privileges must obtain the CIRLA Direct Borrowers Form at the Circulation Desk of the home library.
• The patron must present the CIRLA Direct Borrowers Form and an institutional photo ID card at the Circulation Desk of the lending library.
• The lending library will, upon presentation of a properly completed CIRLA Direct Borrowers Form and photo ID card, register the student for borrowing privileges.
• The lending library will establish a specific end date for privileges.
• The lending library will provide a library card and information regarding library policies and loan periods.
• The lending library may refuse to renew a patron's borrowing privileges if there are outstanding fines or books on the patron record.

Overdue Notification

• The lending library will send overdue notices and bills to the borrower.
• The lending library determines the replacement cost of materials.
• The lending library will not charge any overdue fines to the home library.
• If the lending library declares a book lost and they cannot obtain the reimbursement from the borrower, the home library will be responsible for paying to replace the material, including a processing fee.
• On March 1, the lending library will give the home library a list of borrowers who have long overdue materials outstanding.
• On June 1, the lending library will give the home library a list-of borrowers who have long overdue materials outstanding and a bill for their replacement.
• Upon receipt of payment from the home library, the lending library will remove the replacement and processing fees from the borrower's record. It is left to the discretion of the lending library to remove or keep the associated fines active on the borrower's record.