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 the replacement value of the book plus a $20.00 processing fee. In lieu of paying the replacement fee plus $20.00 processing fee, patrons may submit a new copy in good condition of the missing book instead. All fees will be added to the patron’s Student Account and must be paid to Student Accounts, not the library. Fines and fees may be waived at the discretion of Sawyer Library staff. Failure to pay outstanding fees to Student Accounts may impact a student’s ability to graduate.

Due to high demand for books on Reserve, patrons are asked not to check out books they know to be required for a class. Patrons who have checked out books that have later been designated to be put on Reserve will be notified that the book must be returned to the library as per the recall policy above. Failure to return a book designated for Reserve within 10 days of the recall notice may result in the cost of a replacement book plus a $20.00 processing fee to be assessed to the patron’s Student Account.

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.

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 the effective use of Sawyer Library 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 the use of electronic resources, although software and specialized applications cannot be installed on any Instruction Room machines.  To reserve the Instruction Room for a single class use, please call the Reference Department (617-573-8532) during desk hours.  At least 24 hours advance notice must be provided and all use of the room by faculty is contingent on previously scheduled library instruction appointments and the availability of library staff for room support.

Shooting Still Photography and Video/Film and/or Gathering Comments in the Library

Although we are proud of Sawyer Library and are happy to have it showcased, the library must be recognized as primarily an educational resource dedicated to scholarly collaboration and quiet study.  Since various forms of photography can be both disruptive and invasive, the library must ask that those interested in shooting in the library cooperate with the following conditions to preserve the integrity of Sawyer Library as a learning space and also to maintain the privacy of those who are studying here.

Casual Photography
If you are doing casual photography--you are a family making an evaluative "college visit" or a student who wants to send photos or video of the library home to friends--there should be no problem with this sort of shooting.  Whenever possible, please shoot the place and not the people (this shows a respect the privacy of students and staff), and avoid the use of flash and loud video narration.

Note: Library Staff reserves the right to stop any photography if it does prove to be disruptive to student or faculty studying here.

Serious, Organized, or Professional Level Shooting in the Library
Any shooting in the library that involves significant equipment (Professional Cameras, Lights, Reflectors, Shades, Power Cords, Pulleys, etc.) or requires the use of a large area of the library or which would require a disruptive level of light or sound MUST be pre-arranged through email exchange with the library director, Rebecca Fulweiler (rfulweiler@suffolk.edu) at least one week prior to the library shoot.  (The library director will then communicate this permission to library department supervisors if the shoot is to be conducted outside of the hours of the standard workday.)

It must be understood that permission is likely to be granted only during slower hours of the day or periods during the year.  Understandably, no such permission will be granted during peak-use periods like term-paper season or finals week.

If students (or other individuals in the library) are to be included in either still or video photography, it must be with the permission of said individuals, as recorded through the use of the Office of University Communications' Release Form. Supervisory library staff has the right to see such release forms at the time of the shoot.

Even if initial permission is granted for the shoot, the library director (or the supervisor of the circulation or the reference librarian on duty, in his absence) always has the right to suspend any shoot if staff deem the shooting to be a danger or major disruption for students trying to study, or if any damage is being done to the physical space or to the Sawyer Library’s equipment or collections.

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.