Circulation services

The circulation services unit of the Library is responsible for the borrowing and returning of all Library materials. Once a user is registered with the library they have the privileges of borrowing any Library material that can be loaned out. There are various categories of resources in the Library and each category is treated differently when it comes to its circulation. You should be aware of the requirements of each category.

Open Shelves Books – These books are available on the ordinary shelves and can be borrowed out.
Reserve Books – These are books on demand and are very few. They are borrowed for a short period.
Reference Books – These books are only for use in the Library. They are intended to be used as reference materials only e.g. Dictionaries, Encyclopaedia, Past examination papers, Dissertations etc.
Periodicals, Serials and Year Books- In this category are newspapers, magazines, universities’ prospectus, journals etc. These cannot be borrowed but are available for use in the Library.
Government Publications Materials – In this section are official government publications that include Budgets, Monetary Policy, Commissions Reports, Parliamentary reports etc. These materials are only for use in the Library.
Audio-Visual Collection- This section contains CDs, DVDs and other audio-visual materials. They can be borrowed for a short period of time.

Borrowing Books

The Library reserves the right to recall borrowed items or to shorten the loan period when the library material is required by other users urgently. Books can be borrowed at the circulation desk. Borrowing of books starts at 0800hours. Only a registered patron can borrow books. Patrons can borrow books if they have their ID cards. Swapping IDs is a very serious offence (Refer to the Library’s Rules and Regulations). Different categories of users have different borrowing privileges as indicated below:

Undergraduate Conventional Students – Can borrow a maximum of five books at a time- One from Reserve and four from Open Shelves. Open Shelves books can be borrowed within fourteen (14) days. Reserve books can be borrowed for a maximum of 24 hours.
Undergraduate Block Release Students – Can borrow a maximum of five books at a time – One from Reserve and four from Open Shelves. Open Shelves book can be borrowed for a maximum of one month. Reserve books can be borrowed for a maximum of 24 hours.
Postgraduate Students – Can borrow a maximum of six books at a time- One from Reserve and five from Open Shelves. Reserve books are borrowed for a maximum of 24 hours while Open Shelves books are borrowed for a maximum of one month.
Lecturers– Can borrow a maximum of 5 books for a period of two months.
Senior non-academic staff – Can borrow a maximum of 5 books for a period of one month.
Junior non-academic staff – Can borrow a maximum of 3 books for a period of one month

Returning Books

Books can be returned any time when the Library is open. It is NOT an offence to send someone to return your book. Patrons are advised to constantly check the dates when they are supposed to return books on the date due slip. If a book is returned later than the original date, a fine will be charged (Please refer to the current fines and penalties for returning of books late. Also note that fines are subject to change any time).

Patrons are advised to desist from returning books to the shelves. If you return a mutilated book you will be asked to replace that book with a new book. Patrons are also advised to report as soon as possible to the Reference/Information Desk if they have lost a Library book. Any delay in reporting may result in the book accruing some additional charges.

Patrons are encouraged to activate their Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) account during library registration to continuously check if they have any overdue items, fines and to make purchase suggestions via the OPAC.