Walter Stiern Library

Borrowing Policies

Circulating library materials may be checked out to currently enrolled CSUB students, CSUB staff, CSUB faculty, Emeriti CSUB faculty, cardholding community borrowers, and currently enrolled CSU students.

CSUB ID or appropriate community borrower cards are required for all transactions.

For information on Faculty Borrowing, please consult the Faculty Borrowers page.

For information on Community Borrowing, please consult the Community Borrowers page.

For information on Course Reserves, please consult the Course Reserves page.

For information on Interlibrary Loan, please consult the Interlibrary Loan page.

Student and Staff Borrowers

CSUB students and students of other CSUs who are currently enrolled in classes may check out materials at the Walter Stiern Library. CSUB students must have their CSUB ID cards for all transactions. CSU students must have their current CSU campus ID and proof of enrollment to qualify for checkout privileges.

CSUB students completing work towards an incomplete grade may request an extension of library privileges with a signed letter from their professor indicating the need for prvileges and the term length of the extension.

CSUB graduate students completing work towards a thesis, project, or culminating and/or comprehensive exam must adhere to the campus policy regarding "Continuous Enrollment for Graduate Candidacy Standing" as per the current catalog.

"Graduate students who have been advanced to candidacy but have not completed the culminating experience (thesis, project, or comprehensive examination), may enroll in a special low-cost, 700-level, 0-unit course for the purpose of maintaining continuous enrollment at CSUB. The student will continue to register for this course each academic term until the culminating experience requirement for the master's degree is completed. Such students will then be allowed to use all university facilities, in particular the library."

Staff currently employed by the University as permanent or contracted temporary staff members with current CSUB staff I.D. cards enjoy the same check out privileges as students.

Student and Staff Loan Periods, Limits, Fines, and Fees

Library materials, with the exception of listening and viewing media, course reserves, and Interlibrary Loan items, may be renewed online or in person and are renewed for an additional 4 weeks per renewal request.

Listening and viewing media may be renewed online or in person for either 2 hours or 7 days depending on the media type; see the chart below.

Students and staff may renew items twice online, and then they must bring the items back to the Library. Upon returning the items, they can be checked out again at the Check Out Desk as long as there are no outstanding requests for the item(s). Library materials are subject to recall after 2 weeks.

Course reserves may be renewed by phone or in person at the Check Out Desk if there are no outstanding holds for the item. Course reserves may be renewed up to 7 days before they must be returned to the Library. Upon being returned to the Check Out Desk, these items may be checked out again if there are no outstanding holds.

Students may place holds on materials which are currently checked out. The student to whom the item is checked out will be unable to renew this item in those instances. Students may be referred to Interlibrary Loan to request items in high demand. Holds may not be placed on library materials or course reserves for a consecutive check out period if they are already checked out to the student requesting the hold.

For more information about renewing Interlibrary Loan items, please refer to the Interlibrary Loan page.

Overdue fines accrue regardless of whether or not the cardholder receives courtesy or overdue notices. CSUB staff are not charged overdue fines, but they are responsible for lost book replacement fees. Partial refunds may be available for lost library materials which have been lost for less than six months and are returned in good condition.

Keeping a course reserve past the time it is due, resulting in an unfilled hold request, will result in the assessment of an additional fine of $10.00 as well as any overdue fees. The maximum overdue fee for course reserves is applicable per week. Failure to renew or return a course reserve in 21 days will result in the assessment of lost item replacement fees for the reserve item. Refunds for lost reserve materials may not be issued once replacement materials have been ordered.

Failure to clear library obligations can result in a financial hold on your MyCSUB account preventing registration or the purchase of transcripts. The University routinely refers unpaid obligations to collections and/or the State Franchise Tax Board. If an account is sent to a collection agency or litigated, the patron may be required to pay additional costs of collection.