All members of the Earlham, ESR and Bethany communities are automatically granted borrowing privileges at all Earlham library facilities.
Local community members, students at other institutions, Earlham contract employees (Metz and NMR), alumni of Earlham, ESR and Bethany, and family members of Earlham, ESR and Bethany Faculty/Staff may obtain borrowing privileges at the Earlham libraries by filling out an application for a library card.
The following items are among those that MAY be checked out:
NOTE: if any of the above materials do not have a barcode, bring them to the circulation desk and alert staff of this before checking out items. Circulation staff will need a few minutes to barcode these items and prepare them for checkout.
The following materials MAY NOT be checked out:
Library users may use the book drop to return items to the library. The book drop is located to the left of the main entrance when you are facing the library (south side of the main entrance).
Please note: Reserve items, equipment, and Board Games should NOT be returned via the book drop. Please return those to the Circulation Desk during library open hours.
Library users may also return items directly to the Circulation Desk during library open hours.
Library users who are off-campus may return items by mail if desired (mail to: Lilly Library 801 National Road West Richmond IN 47374). If you have questions or concerns about returning library materials, or are unable to return items for any reason, please email circulation@earlham.edu.
Materials on reserve have varied circulation periods, from 1 hour to 7 days, depending on the restrictions placed upon them by faculty and library staff. You will be informed of the loan period by circulation staff at checkout.
For more information on reserve policies and overdue fines on reserve materials, see the page for reserve materials.
Laptop computers and accessories (power cords and adapters) are available at Lilly Library. All items circulate for 6 hours.
For more information on laptop computer check out, see the Laptop page.
Games check out for 7 days at a time. They cannot be renewed. Maximum number of items checked out to one person: 10
At this time, games may only be checked out by Earlham, ESR and Bethany students, faculty, and staff, their families, and contract employees (Metz/NMR).
For more information on what games are available, see the Games page
Library of Things items have loan periods that vary between 6 hours, 3 days, and 7 days. Maximum number of items checked out to one person: 15
At this time, Library of Things items may only be checked out by Earlham, ESR and Bethany students, faculty, and staff, their families, and contract employees (Metz/NMR).
For more information on what items are available, their loan periods, and quantities, see the Library of Things page
For more information on renewal limits and how to renewal materials, please see the Renewals page.
Lilly Library Locker Pickup Service allows users to pickup Library Materials or items arriving through PALShare or ILL via lockers in the front entrance of Lilly Library. This allows contactless pickup, regardless of library open hours.
ILL items: Users may request Locker pickup in the ILL request form for books and media items.
Holds and PALShare items: When placing a hold request (see "Placing Holds on Items" below), select Lilly Library - Locker pickup in the drop down list under "Pickup Options".
Anyone who requests a locker pickup will receive an email from library staff once requested items have been placed in a locker. This email will include the number of the locker which contains your items and will provide you with the combination to access the locker and instructions for how to do so. Users may access the front entrance of Lilly Library 24/7, locate their locker, and follow instructions to open the locker and remove their items.
These lockers were made possible by an ARPA grant from the U.S. Institute of Museum and Library Services, administered by the Indiana State Library.
Search for items in the catalog, limit Held by Library to Earlham College, click the title of the item and click Request Hold.
On the hold form, please choose that you want "Specific Copies or Volumes" and select the copy you want from the Lilly or Friends collections listed).
Holds may be placed on items that are currently checked out, as well as items that are listed as available in the Lilly Library and Friends Collections. Holds placed on available items are part of our Grab and Go Service. At this time, holds are only available to students, faculty and staff of Earlham College, ESR, and Bethany.
Grab and Go service allows you to request library books and media owned by Earlham College Libraries, and they will be pulled for you from the shelves. To participate, place a hold request for an item that is owned by Earlham College and currently listed as available in the library catalog.
At this time we are unable to offer pickup services to members of the general community.
Items must be placed on hold by 8am in order to be available for pickup same day/next business day (i.e. holds placed by 8am Tuesday will be available for pickup Tuesday; items placed on hold after 8am will be available for pickup the following business day). You will receive an email when your items are available for pickup.
Please note: Friends Collection and College Archives materials are pulled on days when the Collection is open for use, depending on staff availability. Check for the hold pickup email to verify that your materials are ready before coming in to the library.
Pick up locations: Circulation Desk (Pick up available during regular library hours.) OR
Lockers in lobby area (24/7 pickup - see information above on Locker pickup for more details)
User notification: Notices are sent from a noreply@oclc.org address and may get caught in your spam filter; if you think your item should have arrived and you haven't seen an email, please check your spam filter.
If you have problems locating an item in our catalog or placing a hold, please contact circulation@earlham.edu for assistance.
Holds may also be placed on items that are currently checked out. Requesting a hold on an item that is checked out prevents the item from being renewed. It does not change the due date. When the item is returned, the person who placed the hold will receive an email notifying them that the item they requested is available for pickup.
Pick up locations: Circulation Desk (Pick up available during regular library hours.) OR
Lockers in lobby area (24/7 pickup - see information above on Locker pickup for more details)
User notification: Notices are sent from a noreply@oclc.org address and may get caught in your spam filter; if you think your item should have arrived and you haven't seen an email, please check your spam filter.
If the due date for a checked out item is far into the future, users may prefer to use the options "Interlibrary Loan - Request via PALShare" or "Request via Interlibrary Loan (ILL)" instead of a hold. This generates a PALShare or ILL request, respectively. For more information about PALShare and ILL, see the FAQs for PALShare and additional information on the ILL page.
If an item is overdue for three weeks, a lost item fee* is automatically assessed. A $20.00 processing fee is also charged.
Reserve items/equipment/Library of Things items are declared lost after 1 week. Lost item and processing fees are automatically assess at that time.
Every month outstanding student charges are sent to the Accounting Office and billed to student accounts. Once sent to Accounting, these charges are marked as paid in patron records in the library computer system. Therefore, if you receive a notice stating that you have library charges, your library account MAY NOT indicate that you have an outstanding charge. Questions about library charges should be directed to circulation@earlham.edu.
Once charges have been sent to the Accounting Office, you must return items directly to the Circulation Supervisor within six months of the time the account was billed in order to have the lost item fee removed from your student account. Any overdue fines associated with the items will remain charged to your student account.
* The replacement fee for lost items varies based on the type of item and is a minimum charge (if the item costs more to replace than the minimum charge, the greater amount will be charged to the patron). Charges by item type are listed below.
If the item is returned to the library after the patron is billed, the replacement fee will be removed from the account. The library reserves the right to retain the $20.00 processing fee if staff have gone to efforts to search for the item, process patron billing, or make efforts to replace the lost item. Any overdue charges that have accrued (if applicable) will remain charged to the account. In order to make sure that all fines are properly removed or credited, lost items should always be returned directly to the Circulation Supervisor.
Minimum replacement charges by item type (if the item costs more to replace, the full replacement cost will be charged instead):
Applications for a library card may be obtained online or from the circulation desk at Lilly Library and must be returned to the supervisor at the circulation desk. It is highly recommended that applications be turned in during normal business hours to prevent any lost or misplaced applications. An employee access card must be presented with your application in order to obtain staff permissions (we may also ask for a valid photo ID/driver's license). Contract employees receive the same loan permissions for physical items as Faculty and Staff, but they do not have remote access to electronic resources due to licensing restrictions (electronic resources may be used from a campus internet connection). Contract employees also do not have access to InterLibrary Loan services.
Contract employee accounts expire after 1 year. Accounts may be renewed in person by verifying employment. Persons who leave employment at Earlham may have their accounts changed to Community Member accounts by request.
Applications for a library card may be obtained online or from the circulation desk at Lilly Library and must be returned to the supervisor at the circulation desk. It is highly recommended that applications be turned in during normal business hours to prevent any lost or misplaced applications. A driver's license or other valid photo ID must be presented with your application, and the name of your family member must be provided. Family members of Faculty and Staff receive the same loan permissions for physical items as their family member, but they do not have remote access to electronic resources due to licensing restrictions (electronic resources may be used from a campus internet connection). Family members also do not have access to InterLibrary Loan services.
Family member accounts expire after 1 year. Accounts may be renewed in person by verifying employment of the related employee and confirming contact information. If the Earlham employee is no longer employed at Earlham, family member accounts may be changed to Community Member accounts by request.
Applications for a library card may be obtained online or from the circulation desk at Lilly Library and must be returned to the supervisor at the circulation desk. It is highly recommended that applications be turned in during normal business hours to prevent any lost or misplaced applications. A driver's license or other valid photo ID must be presented with your application and a current mailing address provided in order for library staff to process your request. The circulation supervisor will process each request within one to three business days, and the new card will be mailed to the patron within one week of application. Library materials may not be checked out until you receive your card.
Community member library accounts expire after 1 year. Accounts may be renewed in person by providing the library with updated contact information.
Students who attend institutions that participate in the ATLA Reciprocal Borrowing Program must fill out an application for a library card at the circulation desk at Lilly Library, or print the online form (see left). A valid driver's license or other photo ID must be presented at the time of application, in addition to a valid student ID for a participating ATLA institution. The top portion of this form must be completed by the patron and returned to the circulation desk with the items to be checked out. Circulation desk staff will record the items on the bottom of the application. When the Circulation Supervisor processes the application, the books will be added to the patron's account and a library card will be mailed to the patron.
ATLA student accounts expire after 1 year. Accounts may be renewed in person by providing the library with updated contact information and verifying student status at an ATLA Reciprocal Borrowing Institution.
Students and faculty affiliated with PALNI schools must present a valid ID from their home institution and a photo ID. Students and faculty from PALNI may check out items immediately, using their home institutions library/ID card. No application is required.
Students and faculty affiliated with ALI schools must complete an application and obtain an ALI Borrower's Card from their home institution . ALI students and faculty must present the ALI Borrower's Card, a current campus ID, and a valid photo ID that includes a mailing address to Circulation desk staff in order to check out materials. Circulation desk staff will record the items to be checked out, and when the Circulation Supervisor processes the application, the items will be added to the patron's account. Once the circulation supervisor has completed this process, a library card will be mailed to the patron. For more information on this program, see the Academic Libraries of Indiana Reciprocal Borrowing web page.
ALI affiliated library accounts expire after 1 year. Accounts may be renewed in person by providing the library with updated contact information and verifying their status at an ALI school.
Earlham College • 801 National Road West • Richmond, Indiana 47374-4095
