The resources and services of Penrose Library are developed and maintained primarily for members of the University of Denver community. By showing identification upon entering Penrose, all DU students, faculty and staff have unrestricted access to collections and services as well as a range of borrowing privileges described below.

Penrose Library is open to the public, and the faculty, staff and students of other institutions under certain conditions. Please see our visitors page for more information on conditions and fees. The following explain the Penrose Library lending policies, including length of loan, fine structure for overdue and lost materials, renewal privileges and procedures, and hold, recall, and trace procedures. For information regarding the confidentiality of your library record see the Penrose Library Privacy of Records Policy.

Library cards
The DU Pioneer card serves as the library card. Pioneer cards can be obtained only at the Pioneer I.D. card office in Driscoll Center.

Alumni wanting to use the library must first stop at the Leo Block Alumni Center, 2190 E Asbury Ave., telephone 303.871.2701, to obtain an Alumni card which serves as the library card.

Loan periods

Videos and DVDs circulate for 7 days unless they have been placed on Reserve for a class.

Reserve material has a check-out period of 2 hours.

Borrower responsibilities:
The check-out of any library material from Penrose library constitutes agreement by the borrower to abide by the rules and regulations contained in these policies.

Return of materials:
Material is due on or before the due date. Books may be placed in the outside return slot or the return slot next to the Circulation Desk. Reserve items must be returned to the Reserve Desk. Return receipts are available at the Circulation Desk and are strongly suggested to avoid future confusion regarding book check out status.
Borrowing for others is strongly discouraged. If you lend library material checked out to you to someone else and they do not return it, you are liable for overdue fines, replacement charges, and processing fees.

Current address:
Be sure to keep your address up to date by informing the Circulation Desk, or update your record yourself on http://myweb.du.edu.

Lost card:
Be sure to inform the Pioneer Card office of a lost or stolen card.

Response to notices:
You are required to respond immediately to hold or recall notices, even if you have a book checked out for an entire quarter. For example if a book is recalled you must return it by the new due date to avoid overdue fines and other possible charges.

Overdue and replacement charges:
Fines for overdue material accrue at the rate of $.50/day/book to a maximum of $15.00. Borrowing is restricted when records show two or more overdue books or when fines total $45.00 or more. Fines for overdue recalled material accrue at the rate of $1.00/day to a maximum $25.00 fine. Books are declared "lost" after being overdue five weeks.

A patron who loses or damages a book must pay the replacement cost and a $25.00 processing fee.

Lost books that are returned carry a $15.00 overdue fine.
Reserve Fines: $.50 per hour, maximum $15.00 fine.
Prospector Fines: $.50 per day for books; $2.50 per day for videos. Maximum $15.00 fine.

Reserve replacement charges:

Traces/Holds/Recalls:
If you are unable to locate a book in Penrose, you can request a "trace" at the Circulation/Reserve Desk. We will search for the book and notify you of our search results. However, as soon as you request the "trace," you will be able to place a Prospector request or a request through Interlibrary Loan for the item.

If a book is checked out by another borrower, you can recall the book. To recall a book, view the book's record in the Peak catalog and verify it is not available. Click on the "Recall" button at the top or bottom of the screen, enter your name and ID number, then confirm your request. When the book is returned, we will hold it for you at the Circulation Desk and you will be notified by e-mail that it is ready to be picked up. All borrowers are subject to recall 21 days after having checked out a book. Books may be recalled from all borrowers. All books are subject to recall.

If a book is checked out by another borrower but you don't want to Recall it, you can place a "hold" on the book at the Circulation/Reserve desk. You may also place an Interlibrary Loan request or Prospector request for an item checked out to another borrower.

Borrowing from other Libraries:
There are a variety of options for borrowing materials not found at Penrose Library, such as requesting items electronically via Prospector and Interlibrary Loan, or visiting other libraries. Reciprocal agreements allow DU students, staff and faculty access and borrowing privileges at the following libraries when they present their DU Pioneer ID card:

• Auraria
  
• Bel-Rea Institute
• Colorado College
• Colorado School of Mines
• Colorado State University
• Denver Public Library
• Fort Lewis College
• Iliff School of Theology
• Johnson & Wales University
• Regis University
• St. John Vianney Seminary
• University of Colorado, Boulder
• University of Colorado, Colorado Springs
• University of Colorado, Health Science Center
• University of Colorado, Law
• University of Denver Law
• University of Northern Colorado
• University of Wyoming