The Circulation Department provides access to most of the collections of the Sibley Music Library. Circulation staff maintain patron records, check materials out and in, monitor overdue and lost items, collect overdue charges, reshelve materials and maintain the stacks in good order, search for and hold requested items, provide paper for and help with photocopying equipment, and provide library security during all opening hours.
Authorized Borrowers
Charging Materials
Loan Periods
Returning/Renewing Materials
Overdue Fines
Lost and Damaged Materials
Stacks
Holds and Recalls
Missing Item Searches
Materials Not Located in Public Stacks
Intercampus Loans
Authorized Borrowers
Current students, faculty, staff members, and alumni of the Eastman School of Music and the University of Rochester are eligible to borrow library materials. All borrowers must have a valid University of Rochester identification card to be able to take materials out of the library. Those not affiliated with the U of R or Eastman who wish to borrow materials must apply at the Circulation Desk and be approved by the Circulation Services Supervisor before a community borrowers card can be issued.
Faculty members may designate another person (for example, a TA or a family member) to be authorized to check out materials in the faculty member’s name. Please note, however, that the faculty member is responsible for anything checked out by the authorized borrower.
Charging Materials
All materials must be checked out at the Circulation or Reserve Desk before leaving the library. All patrons must have a valid University of Rochester ID card to borrow materials; this card becomes your library card and must be presented for every transaction. You are responsible for all items charged to your account, do not allow anyone else to use it.
The library has a security system at the exit. Because the library does not desensitize any materials upon checkout, all charged materials must be passed to the Circulation Attendant each time you leave the library.
Loan Periods
Loan periods vary with each category of borrower and type of material. Below is a summary of the most common material types, followed by the loan periods that apply to them:
Regularly Circulating Materials: these include most books and scores.
Restricted Circulation Materials (formerly designated as “Closed shelf”): these are books and scores that, although shelved with normal materials, are usually non-circulating. Items are designated as Restricted Circulation for various reasons: either the item is too brittle to allow for too much handling, the item is an edition that is no longer in print and therefore would be difficult to replace if lost, or the item is in heavy demand and needed by many different library patrons. Restricted Circulation items are marked with either an asterisk above the call number, the words “closed shelf” or “RCirc.” or “cl. sh.” above the call number.
Recordings and Videos: are located in closed recordings stacks on the third floor and are accessible by asking for them at the Reserve Desk.
| Material | Faculty | Graduate Students | Undergraduates and Others |
| Regularly Circulating Books and Scores | June 1 | End of Semester | 4 Weeks |
| Restricted Circulation Books and Scores | End of Semester | 2 weeks with permission | None * |
| Recordings and Videos | 2 weeks | 1 week | 3 hours, in house* |
*Exceptions can be made for class presentations. Ask at the Circulation Desk.
Returning/Renewing Materials
When the library is open, materials (including LPs and CDs checked out of the library by faculty and graduate students) should be returned at the Circulation Desk in the return slots. At other times, materials may be returned in the book drop located outside of the entrance to the library.
All regularly circulating materials may be renewed before they become overdue. To renew materials in person at the library, you must present your ID card and either the items to be renewed, or the barcode number for each item (all barcode numbers begin with 39087…). It is also possible to renew items online using our catalog, or over the phone (585-274-1300). When doing so, please give us your ID barcode number and the barcode number of each item to be renewed. Materials that have been recalled or requested by another cannot be renewed.
Overdue Fines
Overdue fines for normally circulating items are no longer levied. However, if an item is more than 30 days overdue the system assumes that it is lost and the appropriate charges (see below) are applied, thereby blocking you from borrowing anything else until the item(s) in question are returned.
Fines for recalled items accrue at $1.00 per item, per day. Fines for special class loan materials accrue at $0.25 per item per hour or any part of an hour without a grace period.
Do not put markings (including pencil markings) or tape in library materials. These actions, along with folding or tearing of pages, intentional breaking of spines etc. is considered mutilation. Fines will be levied at the discretion of the Access Services Manager and Conservator for any markings or minor damages found in Library materials that you return.
Lost Or Damaged Materials
You are responsible for all materials checked out in your name. If an item is lost, damaged beyond repair, or simply not returned to the library, you will be asked to pay to replace the item. Such a charge includes the current replacement cost, a $25 processing fee for processing, binding, and cataloging, and any overdue fines that apply. Out-of-print works are billed at the discretion of the appropriate librarian(s) at a minimum of $60. The best way to avoid such high fines is to take care of all library materials and return them on time.
Stacks
All materials, except recordings, microforms, and rare or archival items, are arranged alphanumerically in the Library of Congress classification system, and are accessible to all. The lower level (second floor) contains microforms, scores M5-M2199, and mini-scores; the third floor contains books with call numbers ML1-ML3930, folio scores, and books with call numbers beginning with A-L and N-Z; and the fourth floor contains books with call numbers beginning with MT and collected editions of composers’ works and historical sets (M1-M3). Unbound periodicals are found in the Current Periodicals Reading Room, on the third floor.
Please do not reshelve materials after browsing. Instead, place materials on the shelves marked “Items to be Reshelved” or return them to the Circulation Desk.
Holds And Recalls
If an item cannot be located in the stacks, it may be currently charged out to another patron. Check the status of the item in our catalog. If an item is checked out, our catalog will say “Charged”, “Overdue”, or “Renewed”. You may request that a circulating item be held for you when it is returned. If you need it sooner than the current due date, you may also recall the item. Once recalled, the item should be back in the library within two weeks and will be held for you at the Circulation Desk. Please remember that materials may be recalled from you as well. If you receive a notice informing you that an item you have checked out has been recalled, the due date will shorten to one week from the day the item was recalled. There is also a seven day grace period for recalled items. Overdue fines for recalls accrue at $1.00 per item, per day.
Missing Item Searches
If an item is not checked out, but cannot be located on the shelves, you can ask that a search be done for the missing item. Ask at the Circulation Desk for a search request card, or use the Request This Item function in our catalog (please write in the notes field that the item is missing from the shelf). You will be notified of the item status after the first search, or when the item is found.
Materials Not Located In Public Stacks
(does not include Recordings or Special Collections)
Some library items have temporary locations within the library, and will not be found on the shelf. The locations are indicated in our catalog (for example, “Temporarily Shelved at Sibley Music Brittle Books”). Some of the items are still in the process of being cataloged and may have a call number such as “Gift 9/97.” To request any such item, use the “Request This Item” link in our catalog. Depending on the location and status of the item, retrieval will take between a few hours and a few weeks. Please note that not all requests can be filled.
Intercampus Loans
Eastman students, faculty, and staff may request materials belonging to other libraries in the University of Rochester Libraries system by using the Place Request function in our catalog. Once requested, the item will be sent to Sibley, usually in a day or two, and held at the Circulation Desk. An email will be sent to the requestor to let them know when the item has arrived. Materials from other U of R libraries may also be returned at the Sibley Circulation Desk.
