Circulation Guidelines

Patrons may borrow circulating items from the library’s collections. Generally, patrons may have up to ten items on loan at any given time. Faculty may borrow an unlimited number of items. Borrowers are responsible for returning materials in good condition by the item’s due date. Most items may be renewed online at any time before they become overdue. You may also renew items by phone or in person. Although the library no longer charges overdue fines, patrons may now be suspended for overdue items. Patrons will be billed for lost or damaged items. Patrons with unreturned items and/or unpaid balances may be prevented from borrowing additional items, using library services, and/or obtaining academic transcripts.

  • Authorized Borrowers
    • STC Students – A current STC student ID card is used as a library card. STC ID cards are issued at the Student Information Center (956) 872-8311 or Student Activities Center at each campus.
    • STC Faculty and Staff – A current STC employee badge is sufficient to check out library materials. The employee will also need to provide his/her One Username, which is used for library employee accounts.
    • Community Users – A current STC community user library card is required to borrow items. Click this link to learn how to obtain a community user card.
    • TexShare Users – A current TexShare card from another library is used to check out materials. Here you can learn about the TexShare Card program.
  • Loan Periods
    Item Loan Period
    Books 14 days‡
    Magazines / Journals 7 days
    Videos 7 days
    Software 14 days
    Audiotapes 14 days
    Interlibrary Loan Items† Varies
    Reserves† 2 hours
    Calculators† Full semester
    Laptops† 4 hours (in library)
    AEDT & Bachelor Program Laptops† 7 days
    Hotspots† Full semester

    †Community users and TexShare users may not check out these items
    ‡Faculty may check out books for 28 days

  • Lost or Damaged Items

    If a library item is lost or damaged, the patron will be billed for the cost to replace the item, as well as a $30 processing fee for most items. If an interlibrary loan item is lost or damaged, the lending library will determine the replacement cost, as well as any associated fees. Bills for lost or damaged items can be paid with cash at any campus library.

  • Suspensions

    Students, community users, and TexShare users who have an overdue item will be suspended from borrowing any library items until the overdue item is returned. In addition, some item types may result in suspensions that extend after the item is returned, as shown in the chart below.

    Level Item Types Suspension Duration
    Level 1 Most Items Until item is returned
    Level 2 In-library laptops
    Models
    Reserve items    		 One day after item is returned
    Level 3 Calculators
    Hotspots
    ILL items
    Laptops for AEDT & Bachelor program students    		 One week after item is returned