Borrowing Library Materials

How can I check out a book? 

Visit the library or fill out our ship-to-patron form.

How long can I keep a library book?

Students and members of the public can check out books for 2 weeks, and can renew books twice. Doctoral students can check out books for 3 months, and CU faculty and staff have indefinite checkout periods. 

Books checked out through our shipping service are checked out for 7-week periods. 

Course reserves can be checked out for 2 hours at a time and technology can be checked out for 3 hours. 

Which books can be checked out?

Any book in the library's general collection can be checked out. There are some collections that are non-circulating, including:

• Archives and rare books
• Reference
• Theses and dissertations
• Journals and periodicals

How can I renew a book? 

Email us at library@carolinau.edu, call us at (336)714-7894, or visit the library and ask a staff member. 

How much does the library charge for overdue books?

The typical policy for overdue books is 50 cents per day. 

How do I pay a fine? 

• Pay in person at the library
• Pay online

Additional Information:

• If an item’s due date falls on a day the library is closed, the due date will be changed to the next open day.
• The library welcomes any who are not a part of the university family to use the library, but they must abide by library policies. Further, the library requires that those who are not part of the university family, involved in full-time Christian service, or members of a consortia library pay a one-time fee of $5.00 as part of the application procedure to borrow items.
• Patrons should not reshelve items. if you take an item off the shelf, please leave it on a table instead of re-shelving it. This helps to avoid the loss of items and also helps the library staff to keep statistics which are needed for reports to the government and accrediting organizations.
• A patron may not borrow items if he or she has an overdue item or fine. 
• When a patron returns an item which has been damaged or defaced while it was borrowed by him, he may be assessed a repair fee. In the event an item is severely damaged or defaced, a fee equal to its replacement value may be assessed. The item will remain the property of the library even if one of these fees has been paid.
• An item that is lost must be replaced or a replacement fee paid and, in addition, a $5 fee paid for replacement labor. The replacement fee will be commensurate with the current replacement cost for the item.
• A $25.00 fine may be assessed to anyone who takes out of the library an item that cannot be borrowed.