In-person borrowing privileges to authorized patrons from other ACL institutions. Patrons, including faculty, students, and staff, have reciprocal access to the physical collections of participating Christian institutions
General Policies
Reciprocal borrowing is a voluntary program. It is not a requirement for CLC or ACL institutions.
Participation is open to any institution with at least one full individual ACL member.
As the term reciprocal indicates, participating libraries agree to both lend and borrow. The purpose of the group is to expand the resources available to patrons not to replace the institutional responsibility to provide a library for their students.
Participating libraries must have a physical library collection which authorized patrons in the reciprocal borrowing program may access.
Participating libraries are responsible for promoting the service to their own patrons, linking to the list of participating libraries on the ACL website, printing and/or providing electronic access to Authorization Form, and signing Authorization Forms in-person or virtually.
Lending libraries determine their own lending policies (such as loan periods, fines/fees, material types loaned, etc.) and are responsible for providing this information to patrons.
Borrower is ultimately responsible for paying any fines or fees for lost materials as determined by the lending library. However, staff at the lending library and home library are encouraged to work together to facilitate retrieval of overdue items or collection of fines/fees.
Borrowing Procedures:
The borrower obtains a signed Authorization Form from the home library to receive borrowing privileges from a participating library. This Authorization Form can be downloaded and signed digitally.
Currently employed faculty and staff and currently, enrolled students in good standing are eligible. The home library has the authority to issue or deny this privilege.
The home library determines the length of a valid authorization. The authorization period may vary depending on the status of the borrower but should be no longer than a year. When the authorization period expires, the borrower may request another signed authorization form from the home library.
The borrower takes the signed Authorization Form along with a photo ID to a participating library. Privileges and loan periods are determined by the lending library and may vary from those of the borrower’s home institution.
Borrower returns materials to the lending library by the requested due date and pays any applicable fines and fees for late, lost, or damaged materials as determined by the lending library.
Lending Procedures:
The lending library collects Authorization Form and any additional contact information needed from the borrowing patron in order to create a library record for the patron.
The lending library provides the patron with a due date and the applicable circulation/fines policies.
The lending library communicates directly with the patron regarding overdue/replacement fees, however, may contact the home library for assistance if needed.
As an Reciprocal Patron you can borrow: