Borrowing
Learn about the Robert W. Woodruff Library's borrowing privileges and policies.
Table of Contents
What Can You Borrow?
- Books
- Journals
- McNaughton books (popular reading)
- Course Reserves
- Equipment (laptops, cameras, etc)
- Media (Blu-Rays, CDs, DVDs, etc)
- Materials at other libraries and locations
- Other materials (umbrellas, dry erase markers)
Who Can Borrow?
- Emory patrons: faculty, undergraduates, graduates, staff
- Family of Emory faculty, staff, students
- Emory alumni
- Emory Retirees: based upon status prior to retirement
- ARCHE / GETS
- Purchased account
- Visitors (library use only)
Purchasing an Account
Borrowing privileges may be purchased at $75 for six months or $100 for one year. Privileges are not transferrable.
- Checkout period: 28 days
- Borrow limit: 50
- Libraries: Woodruff Library, Pitts Theology Library, Music and Media Library (books and scores only). Does not include the Science Commons.
- Current photo ID is required.
The above loan periods are for most library materials. Some items (bound journals, reserve items, or new books) may have shortened loan periods.
Proxy Privileges
A proxy acts on another person's behalf regarding library materials. Only Emory faculty, teaching graduate students, and persons with disabilities are eligible to register proxies.
Proxies cannot access your Emory personal ID, password, or contact information. Proxy privileges end August 31 of each year.
To submit a proxy request, please complete the online Proxy Request Form. Please have ready the name and employee ID number of the faculty who needs a proxy and the name and student ID number of the student who will be the proxy. If you have any questions, contact Ask a Librarian.
To setup up a proxy Interlibrary Loan account, please contact the ILL department.
How Long Can Items Be Borrowed?
- Undergraduate: 28 days
- Graduate: 120 days
- Faculty: 365 days
- Staff: 365 days
- Family of Faculty, Staff, Students: 50 items for 28 days
- ARCHE / GETS: 50 items for 28 days
- Alumni: 50 items for 28 days
- Emory Retirees: based upon status prior to retirement
- Purchased account: 50 items for 28 days
Course Reserves physical materials (books, equipment, and media) are available for short-term loans. Please visit the Course Reserves materials page for more information.
Audio/visual equipment, laptops, and other equipment are available for loan on a first-come, first-serve basis from the Library Service Desk on Level 2. See borrowing equipment for more information.
- Undergraduate: 28 days
- Graduate: 28 days
- Faculty: 28 days
- Staff: 28 days
- Undergraduate: 14 days
- Graduate: 14 days
- Faculty: 14 days
- Staff: 14 days
- Alumni: 14 days
- Purchased account: 14 days
Compact Discs are requestable through Library Search and can be picked up at the Library Service Desk on Level 2.
- Undergraduate: 3 items for 14 days
- Graduate: 7 items for 14 days
- Faculty: 50 items for 120 days
- Staff: 7 items for 14 days
- Family of faculty, staff, students: 3 items for 3 days
- ARCHE/GETS: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Alumni: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Visitors: 3-hour checkout
Items must be returned to the Library Service Desk on Level 2 only.
LPs are requestable through Library Search and can be picked up at the Library Service Desk on Level 2.
- Undergraduate: 3 items for 7 days
- Graduate: 7 items for 7 days
- Faculty: 7 items for 7 days
- Staff: 3 items for 3 days
- Family of faculty, staff, students: 3 items for 3 days
- ARCHE/GETS: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Alumni: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Visitors: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
Items must be returned to the Library Service Desk on Level 2 only.
Other audio materials, including audiocassettes, are requestable through Library Search and can be picked up at the Library Service Desk on Level 2.
- Undergraduate: 3 items for 3-hour checkout
- Graduate: 7 items for 7 days
- Faculty: 7 items for 7 days
- Staff: 3 items for 3-hour checkout
- Family of faculty, staff, students: 3 items for 3-hour checkout
- ARCHE/GETS: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Alumni: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Visitors: 3-hour checkout
Items must be returned to the Library Service Desk on Level 2 only.
This includes DVDs, Blu-rays, Videocassettes, Laserdiscs, Video CDs (VCDs), 16mm films, and Media kits (mixed-media materials). Visual media is requestable through Library Search and can be picked up at the Library Service Desk on Level 2.
- Undergraduate: 7 items for 7 days
- Graduate: 7 items for 7 days
- Faculty: 7 items for 7 days
- Staff: 7 items for 7 days
- Family of faculty, staff, students: 3 items for 3-hour checkout
- ARCHE/GETS: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Alumni: 3 items for a 3-hour checkout
- Visitors: 3-hour checkout
Items must be returned to the Library Service Desk on Level 2 only.
- Dry erase markers: 1 day
- Umbrellas: 7 days
Items must be returned to the Library Service Desk on Level 2 only.