Book Borrowing and Delivery

Book pick-up and delivery: 
Due to our building closure, UMGC cannot ship books for home delivery or serve as a book pick-up and drop-off location at this time.

If you have a book to return: 
Please do not return material to UMGC at this time.  Rather, please renew it and hold on to it until you've been contacted by library staff or see a notice here that it is OK to return it.  As of now, anything sent to UMGC will be returned to sender.  Please Contact the Document Management Team if you have questions or need assistance renewing material.

Books from the Library Catalog
(Available to users in the Continental US, plus overseas faculty)

• What is the Library Catalog?
• Who can borrow?
• Searching the catalog
• Requesting a book for pickup or free home delivery | Delivery options
• Renewing a book
• Returning a book
• Loan periods, fines, borrowing limits

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Books from DocumentExpress (books not available in the Library Catalog)
(Available to users in the Continental US only)

• When to use DocumentExpress to request books
• Who can borrow?
• Requesting a book for pickup or free home delivery
• Renewing a book
• Returning a book
• Loan periods, fines, borrowing limits

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Book chapters and tables of contents
(Available to all UMGC users, regardless of location)

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Need help?
Contact the Document Management Team

What is the Library Catalog?

The Library Catalog (catalogUSMAI) contains records for millions of books (as well as other materials) located in the libraries of the University System of Maryland and Affiliated Institutions that are available to borrow.

See our Circulation Policy for more details.

Who can borrow?

• In the Continental U.S.
  • UMGC students, faculty and staff.
  • Alumni can borrow from UMGC, UMCP and UMBC. See Library Services for Alumni for details.
• Outside the Continental U.S.
  • Current faculty.
  • Students and staff, please see book options for overseas.)

Searching the Catalog

To access the library catalog, go to the UMUC Library homepage and click on the Library Catalog tab.  You can search from this tab, or click on Advanced Search for more search options. 

Search by title

To search for a book by its title, choose "title beginning with..." from the drop-down menu and then type the title of the book  (omitting articles such as "a," "an," "the," etc.) within the search box:

 

You will then be brought to this page, listing all the records for this particular title:

Clicking on the link will bring you to this page of individual records for this title, detailing which universities own it, check-out availability, and publication information:

 

Search by author or subject

In addition to title, you can find books by author and subject. Simply choose the corresponding fields in the drop-down menu and type the appropriate terms within the search box:

Here is an example of a possible subject search in the  catalog:

Requesting a book for pickup or free home delivery

You can request a book for home delivery in the continental US (free of charge) or to hold for pickup at a USMAI library or Priddy Library at Shady Grove.  

1. Click on the title of a book to view the full record, then click the Availability link.
   
    
2. Then click the Request button.
   
    
3. Sign in, if prompted.
   Select UMGC as the campus, and then sign in with your UMGC credentials.
    
4. Select a pickup/delivery location and click send.
   

Delivery Options 

• Want to pick it up in Maryland?
  Select any USMAI library or Priddy Library at Shady Grove. You will be notified when the book is available, and then you should pick it up within a week. Bring your UMGC Library Card to that library's circulation desk.  Be sure and check the hours of operation. 
  This generally takes 3 - 5 business days.
• Want it delivered to you (for free)?  
  Select UMGC-UMGC Patrons Only and we will deliver the book to you.  We will contact you and give you the following choices:
  • Home delivery inside the continental US 
    We will deliver the book, via UPS, to your home address as entered in your Profile in MyUMGC. Books cannot be delivered to P.O. Box numbers.
    This generally takes 1 - 2 weeks.
  • Office delivery option for full-time UMGC faculty and staff 
    When the book is ready, we will offer you the option to have it delivered to your UMGC office via campus mail. 
    It generally takes 3 - 5 business days for the book to arrive at UMGC, then an additional 1 - 2 business days to deliver to your office.  
  • Delivery to APO/FPO addresses outside the continental US (faculty only)
    We will deliver the book, via USPS, to your APO or FPO address as entered in your Profile in MyUMGC in MyUMGC.
• NOTE: If you request a book that is currently checked out, it will be recalled from the current borrower. This may delay its arrival.

Renewing a book

Use the MyAccount feature in the Library Catalog to renew the book. It will show you items borrowed and give you the option to renew.  

Returning a book 

• Drop it off at a Maryland location.
  A number of drop off locations are available throughout the state, including the following. Be sure and check the hours of operation.
  • UMGC Academic Center at Largo - [Currently closed.]
  • Any USMAI library
  • Priddy Library at Shady grove
• Return it by mail.
  If you received the book by mail, at least 1 week before a book is due (2 weeks if you are overseas faculty), repack it and use the free return label provided. If you have questions, please contact us.
• Return it by campus mail.
  If you are at a UMGC location in Maryland, you may return the book to the UMGC Library by campus mail. Please send it back at least 2 business days before the due date.

Loan periods, fines, borrowing limits

Loan periods

Loan periods are determined by individual USMAI libraries and vary. The check-out period will be at least 28 days. Note: Books may be recalled by another borrower, shortening the due date.

Fines

You may be fined for overdue or lost books. You will receive a notice with information on how to make payment. NOTE: Fines must be paid to the institution that owns the book. Do not send the payment to the UMGC Library.

Borrowing Limits

There is no limit on the number of books you can borrow.

When to use DocumentExpress to request books

Use DocumentExpress to request books not available in the library catalog. UMGC will try to obtain the book from another library system. 

See our Interlibrary Loan Policy for details.

Note: DocumentExpress does not supply required text books.

Who can borrow?

• Books:  Current students, faculty and staff in the continental U.S. can request books from DocumentExpress. 
• Book chapters:  All current UMGC students, faculty, and staff may request chapters (up to 20% of a book) or tables of contents, regardless of location. We will attempt to scan them and deliver them electronically.

Requesting a book for pickup or free home delivery

• Home delivery inside the continental US
  We will deliver the book, via UPS, to your home address as entered in MyUMGC. Books cannot be delivered to P.O. Box numbers.
  This generally takes 1 - 2 weeks for the book to arrive at UMGC, then an additional 3 - 5 business days for delivery to your home address.
• Office delivery option for full-time UMGC faculty and staff
  When the book is ready, we will offer you the option to have it delivered to your UMGC office via campus mail.
  This generally takes 1 - 2 weeks for the book to arrive at UMGC, then an additional 1 - 2 business days for delivery to your UMGC office.

Renewing a book

Log in to DocumentExpress one week before the due date and select Books You've Checked Out. Then click on the Transaction Number of the book. If renewal is allowed, you will see an option to Renew at the top of the screen. Some books cannot be renewed and ALL items are subject to recall by the lending library.

Returning a book

• Drop it off at Largo. [Currently closed.]
• Return it by UPS.
  At least 1 week before the book is due, repack the book and use the free return label provided. If you have questions, please contact us.
• Return it by campus mail.
  If you are at a UMGC location in Maryland, you may return the book to the UMGC Library by campus mail. Please send it back at least 2 business days before the due date.

Loan periods, fines, borrowing limits

Loans periods

Loan periods are determined by the lending library and vary, but 1 month is typical. Note: books are subject to recall, shortening the due date.

Fines

If books are not returned within three (3) weeks of the due date, you may be liable for a $50.00 to $500.00 replacement fee per item charged by the UMGC Library on behalf of the lending library.

Borrowing limits

• Students and Faculty
  Unlimited number of items per semester or eight-week term.
• Staff
  Unlimited number of items, but these must be directly related to job responsibilities. DocumentExpress items for personal use are not accepted.

Need a book chapter or table of contents?
Request book chapters (up to 20% of the book) and tables of contents for electronic delivery through DocumentExpress. We will attempt to scan them and deliver them electronically.

Who can request? 
All current UMGC students, faculty, and staff may request chapters or tables of contents, regardless of location.

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