As a current USC student, faculty member, or employee, you can borrow up to ten (10) books from the circulating collection. Click here for information on our Print Collections.
Alumni and Visitors, please see Services for Alumni & visitors.
How to Borrow
Bring the library items you want to borrow to the Circulations Desk, Ground Floor, Main Library and show your USC ID card to begin the process. If you decide not to borrow something, please place it on a re-shelving cart for library staff to replace.
Loan Times
| Who? | What? | How Long? |
| Student, Faculty & Staff | Open Stack books | 3 weeks |
| Student, Faculty & Staff | Reserve Books | 3 days & 7 days |
| Student, Faculty & Staff | Course Reserve books | 3 hours |
Some resources are available for use within the libraries and cannot be borrowed:
- Reference books
- Some required textbooks & course reserves
- George Simmons Materials
- West Indian Materials
Returning Items
All items should be returned to the Circulations Desk, Ground Floor, Main Library.
Renewals
Only items found in the Open Stacks Collection can be renewed. You can renew items as early as 7 days before their due date. Items can be renewed in three ways:
- Log into your My Library account and select the items for renewal.
- Items can be physically renewed at the Circulations Desk.
- Items can be renewed by emailing circdesk@usc.edu.tt.
However, patrons should note that items cannot be renewed after the due date.
Overdue fines
To maintain availability in our print collection, fines will be incurred if library items are not returned on or before their due date. You cannot borrow anything else from the Library until you return overdue items and/or pay your fines. Notification of fines is done via your USC email address. To ensure you receive emails from the library, check your spam or clutter filters regularly.
After a certain period, you will receive a bill for the replacement cost plus a TT$10 processing fee. See the table below to see when the replacement cost comes into effect and the associated fines for each category of loan period or collection.
|
Loan period |
Fines |
Replacement Cost period |
|
3 weeks loans |
1.00 per day | 3 weeks of the due date |
|
3-day loans |
2.00 per day | 3 days of the due date |
|
7-day loans |
2:00 per day | 7 days of the due date |
3-hour loans |
2.00 per hour | 3 hours of the due time |
Lost or damaged items
You are responsible for Forde Library items you have borrowed. If an item is lost or damaged, please contact us immediately. We will work with you to find the best way to replace it. Click here for contact information.
Library Account
Log in to your library account to manage it, renew online, and place holds. Student library accounts are created automatically, while faculty, staff, alumni, and visitors are created manually.
Students click here for more information on library account.
Faculty and Staff, click here for more information on library account.
Alumni and Visitors click here for more information on library account.
Holds
Use the “Hold for Me” button to request any item that has already been borrowed. When it is returned or retrieved from the shelves, we will check it out for you and email you to come pick it up at the library front desk.
Recalls
We rarely need to get something back from you sooner than the original due date. However, if a book is in high demand, we may require you to return the item sooner. Rest assured that we will communicate this to you via your USC email address or mobile. Additionally, if the item you have is required for Course Reserve, we may ask you to return it as soon as possible, but you are free to continue using it in the Library for 3 hours at a time.
Kindly note that failure to return recalled items will result in replacement charges.
| Loan Period | Fines when the recall was initiated | Fines after grace period |
| 21 days | $ 1.00 per day | $ 3.00 on day 3 after the recall date |
| 7 days | $ 2.00 per day | $ 5.00 on day 3 after the recall date |
| 3 days | $ 2.00 per day | $ 5.00 on day 3 after the recall date |
| 3 hour | are not recalled | are not recalled |
Inter-Library loans
If we don't have the title of a book or Journal article you need, we can request that another library scan a book chapter or journal article for free and email it to you. Click here for more information.
Questions?
If you have questions about our borrowing policies or need assistance using library materials, contact libuserservices@usc.edu.tt