Equipment Borrowing Policies
User Policies
University of Alabama faculty, staff and students are able to check out most equipment available from the circulation desks of Bruno Business Library, Gorgas Library, and Rodgers Library for Science & Engineering, and from the reference desk of Hoole Special Collections Library.
A valid UA Action Card is required to check out any equipment. No other form of ID will be accepted. Some media equipment is limited to checkout by currently enrolled UA students only.
All patrons must adhere to and abide by the University Libraries Code of Conduct and Acceptable Use Policy. Failure to abide by any of these policies may result in loss of Circulation privileges.
Before checking out equipment for the first time, patrons are required to sign a patron agreement form that acknowledges the acceptance of the equipment borrowing policies and procedures.
Some equipment may not be allowed to circulate over extended semester or holiday breaks.
Equipment must be returned to the owning library. Upon return of equipment, patrons should be prepared to wait for staff to check functionality.
To checkout SLR resources, patrons must first complete an online training and pass a training quiz in the Sanford Media Center. You must first log into Blackboard Learn before attending online training session. The SLR training is available online at: https://ualearn.blackboard.com/webapps/blackboard/execute/enrollCourse?context=Course&course_id=_50667_1.
No proxy forms may be used. Patrons are not allowed to check out equipment on behalf of other individuals, campus groups, units or departments. The student who checks out equipment is solely responsible for any and all fees and fines associated with each piece.
Patrons may not use any services or equipment to support work for a private company or a personal gain.
Reservation Policy (Not all equipment requires reservation)
Patrons are encouraged to reserve equipment. Priority will be given to patrons who have made a reservation in advance. Laptops must be reserved for checkout.
Back-to-back reservations cannot be made in advance.
Reservations for laptops are limited to one laptop per week per location.
When making multiple reservations, your request may be limited at the staff’s discretion if your request impedes the overall availability of resources. Equipment requiring reservation may circulate for up to 72 hours and may not be renewed. Once equipment is returned, it may be checked out again, if available in the reservation system.
After 30 minutes into a reservation, a late patron forfeits his or her reservation.
To cancel or reschedule equipment reservation, please contact the owning library’s Circulation Desk at least one hour prior to the appointed time.
Equipment Policy
Equipment checkout times vary from 4 hours to 72 hours. Some equipment is for in-library use only and may not be taken outside the building.
Patrons may check out one of each type of equipment at a time, but cannot check out multiple items of the same type.
Patrons must check in/out equipment at the Circulation Desk during the hours of operations. Equipment must be returned to the owning library. No exceptions will be made.
The late fee for equipment is $5.00 per hour per piece of equipment. Late fees will be assessed from the time the equipment is due.
Equipment will remain checked out to the patron until all accessories (wires, cables, batteries, manuals, etc.) are returned. Late fees will accrue until all items are returned. If a patron decides to return an item without all pieces in order to avoid late fees, the cost of the missing piece(s), and shipping and handling for the order will be charged to the patron’s account. There is no grace period.
If equipment is declared lost, the total replacement charge (ranging from $50-$4,500), any late fees (up to $100.00), and a lost processing fee of $10.00 will be billed to the patron’s account.
Patrons are responsible for any damage done to equipment while checked out to their account and will be charged repair fees or a replacement fee, whichever is less.
Patrons will be charged a replacement fee if equipment is reported missing or stolen while checked out to their account.
There are fixed categories of replacement costs. Replacement charges will be between $50 and $4,500, depending on the item’s established category.
A full refund of replacement charges (not including overdue and processing fees) will be given if lost billed items are returned within one week of the due date in the same condition as it was upon checkout.
A partial refund of replacement charges (not including overdue and processing fees) will be given if lost billed items are returned within two weeks of the due date in the same condition as it was upon checkout.
No refund of replacement charges (including overdue and processing fees) will be given if lost billed items are returned after two weeks of the due date.
Applicable fees and fines will always be charged directly to the patron’s account of the person who checked out the equipment. Payments cannot be made at the Circulation Desk.
Broken equipment must be processed through the University and will not be given to the patron responsible for replacement.
Rev. 9/6/2023