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Borrowing or Obtaining Library Materials
Get a library card
For students, faculty, and staff of UMass Amherst, Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College and Smith College, your college ID (the UCard at UMass) is your library card. Adult residents of Massachusetts and secondary students under 18 years old can get a library card after completing the borrower card application. UMass faculty, staff and special needs students may designate an individual to check out books for them with a proxy card.
Renew an item
You can renew most library materials in person (at the Circulation Desk on the Entrance floor of the library), online, or by written request. Some library materials, such as reference and law, and those in Special Collections and University Archives, are designated as non-circulating. Loan and renewal policies vary.
Check on my library account
My Library Accounts provides links to various library accounts and logins, such as: Five College Libraries Borrowing, Interlibrary Loan, and RefWorks Citation Manager.
Get an item not at UMass
Look for the Request Item ( ) link from within the Full View of the catalog record in the Five Colleges Libraries Catalog (Smith, Mt. Holyoke, Amherst, and Hampshire). The request form will ask you for your library barcode number, which is located on your UCard. This service is only available to UMass faculty, students, and staff with a valid UCard.
If unavailable from the Five College Libraries, use Interlibrary Loan to get an item from another library. You will need to set up an account to use the service online.
Request delivery of an article or book from the UMass collections
Current UMass Amherst faculty, students, or staff may use the Library Express service to request delivery of materials from the W.E.B. Du Bois Library and the Integrated Sciences and Engineering Library for a fee of $5.00 per article or book.
Recall a book from another user
Recall an item that is checked out to another user through the Request Item ( ) link within the Full View of the catalog record. If you have an item recalled by another user, you will receive a Recall Notice. See Request Items, Recalls & Five College Delivery for more information.
Check on the status of my requests
Check the status of your Five College Library requests through the Five Colleges Libraries Catalog My Account Link. To check on your requests outside of the Five College system), login to your Interlibrary Loan (ILL) account.
Borrow a laptop computer
UMass Amherst students (only) with a valid UCard may check out laptop computers from the 3rd floor of the Du Bois Library in the Reserves / Media Department. Wireless access is currently available on the Lower Level, Entrance Level, 2nd, 3rd, 4th, 23rd, and 24th Floors and is expanding through the middle floors.
Change my e-mail address with the Libraries?
UMass students, staff members, or faculty members, contact the Office of Information Technology (OIT - http://www.oit.umass.edu) to change your email address. If you are a member of the community-at-large, send a message from your new email address to: circadm@umlibr.library.umass.edu or notify a circulation staff member in person when you next visit the library.
Last Edited: 14 July 2009
