Circulation Policies

You must have a valid, current Suffolk University ID to borrow a book. Periodicals and reference books may not be borrowed.

Books may be borrowed for 28 days. A book may be renewed twice, each time for 28 days. Books may be renewed via the Web, by using a terminal or computer workstation in the Sawyer Library, or by bringing it to the Circulation Desk.

A book may be recalled after 14 days if requested by someone else.

If a book is not returned when it is due, an overdue notice will be sent requesting the return of the book within 10 days of the date on the notice. If the book is not returned after the 10 days, a bill will be sent for $50.00 per book. Forty-five dollars is the cost of replacing the book and $5.00 is a handling fee. A copy of the bill is sent to Student Accounts and the total amount is added to your account. If the book is returned after the bill has been sent, the $45.00 replacement cost will be removed from your account, but the $5.00 handling fee must still be paid.

InterLibrary Loan and Document Delivery Policies

Sawyer Library happily provides document delivery (ILL) services to members of the CAS and SBS Suffolk Community.  We will attempt to obtain any material needed for academic research that the Suffolk Libraries do not already own or have direct access to.

Local Resources

There are many other libraries in Boston to which Suffolk University faculty and students have access. If the materials being sought are available from these libraries, the requester is urged to visit these locations in person to use their collections directly. This approach is particularly useful if time is an issue in obtaining needed materials. The Reference librarians will help identify which library has the materials the requester is seeking. Or, to check for local holdings yourself, please use our WorldCat.  Most local libraries are open access and all have photocopying facilities that may be used to copy periodical articles.

Faculty and Ph.D. Students

The Reference staff makes all reasonable accommodations to further faculty and Ph.D. student research. Interlibrary loan requests are accepted and processed within the constraints of available staff resources (see below). The Library cannot fill ILL requests for materials that are already available in the Sawyer, Suffolk Law, or NESADSU libraries in print, microform, or electronic formats.

Master’s Degree and Undergraduate Students

Students should always start with the many resources available at Sawyer Library. Please come and consult a Reference Librarian to make sure that you are taking full advantage of our many fulltext databases, ebook and print collections. If you need something beyond what we own or have electronic access to, you are encouraged to visit and use the collections of other libraries in Boston. Suffolk students may borrow books directly from members of the Fenway Library Consortium. Please consult a Reference Librarian for assistance in identifying a local library where you can walk in and copy or checkout the material you need.  And to locate where a material is held locally, you may also consult our WorldCat.

Master’s and Undergraduate students may also request interlibrary loans of articles or books not owned by the Sawyer, Suffolk Law, or NESADSU libraries, but since students often have a shorter time-frame than faculty to finish their research--e.g., "My paper is due next week"--it must be understood that ILL takes time. Please allow two weeks--especially for books. In unusual circumstances, the location and receipt of materials may take even longer. Please consult a Reference Librarian for assistance in finding a local library that will allow you to use, check-out, or photocopy materials from their nearby collection.

The Library will always make reasonable accommodations to obtain materials for students with disabilities.

Turnaround Time

Interlibrary loans requesters must allow at least two weeks for materials to arrive. In some cases materials may not be available for loan or photocopying or provisions of the copyright law may restrict the library from requesting materials.

Number of Requests

Due to limited staff resources, requests may be limited to two per day.

Requesters will be notified by phone or e-mail when their materials have arrived in the library. In some cases, articles received electronically may be converted to PDF and emailed to a user’s email account as an attachment.  Some materials may be limited to use within the library by the lending institution. If there is a photocopying restriction, it must be honored. Materials must be picked up and returned to the Reference Desk. Books are checked out to the requester for the loan period determined by the lending library. Renewals are at the discretion of the lending library. Anyone who borrows a book is responsible for any charges for late, lost or damaged materials. When materials are returned late, or lost, it jeopardizes not only the requesters borrowing privileges, but also the borrowing privileges of the Sawyer Library. Photocopies or faxes that are not picked up will be discarded 30 days after receipt. Anyone who consistently abuses interlibrary loan borrowing privileges will be denied the use of the service.

Alumni Access to Licensed/Subscription Library Databases

Because of copyright licensing agreements with the information vendors, these databases are available only to current students and faculty of the College of Arts and Sciences and the Sawyer Business School.

For more information, please see Alumni Library Services under Library Services. 

Usage of the Library’s Instruction Lab

The Sawyer Library’s Instruction Room is primarily for the use of classes being instructed by library staff in research methods and information resources.

Because library classes are scheduled (sometimes at short notice) at the request of the academic faculty throughout the semester, no courses can be scheduled in the room on a regular, recurring, basis. The room is kept locked when not in use.

The room may be reserved for instructors occasionally requiring specialized electronic resources by calling the Reference Department (617-573-8532).