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Checking Out Materials

Current University of Houston-Downtown students, faculty, staff, and alumni may visit the W.I. Dykes Library to borrow materials. Students, faculty, and staff from other University of Houston System campuses may borrow materials under the same borrowing privileges as their UHD counterparts. Other borrowers affiliated with UHD may borrow library materials on a limited basis. Please see the My Library Account webpage to view items that you checked out or want to renew. 

Questions about the catalog? Check our Catalog FAQ.

To borrow library materials, students, graduate students, faculty, and staff must do the following:

  • Be enrolled/employed in current term
  • Present a Gator Card, the official university identification card, as a library card.*
  • Keep a library account valid and in good standing with fines or fess less than $25.00.

 *Borrowers may obtain a Gator Card from the Office of Student Leadership and Involvement in room S204 of the One Main Building.

Borrower Responsibilities

Borrowers are responsible for understanding library borrowing and lending policies.  Disregarding the library's policies could result in fines or fees assessed to your library account, suspension of library privileges, or withholding transcripts or diplomas. 

  • Do not let others use your your Gator card.  Library borrowing privileges are non-transferable. You are responsible for all items checked out to your account.
  • Update your information.  The library sends notices to your email address on file (not necessarily your Gatormail or UHD email address).  You are responsible for returning items on time regardless of whether or not you receive a notice. 
  • Handle library material carefully. You must return your items in the same condition as when checked out. For example, do not write or highlight in books, turn pages down, use paper with adhesive to flag pages of a book, or remove pages. You are financially responsible for any lost or damaged borrowed items. However, if you notice damage before checking any items out, please bring it to the attention of library staff. Library staff will note the damage in the appropriate records, and will not hold you responsible for them upon return. 
  • Notify library staff immediately if your Gator Card is lost or stolen.  Before you report the loss, they will hold you responsible for any items checked out to your account.   

Requests

Borrowers may request items be pulled from the library's shelves and held for them at the fifth floor circulation desk by using OneSearch, the library's online catalog. An online request can also be placed to have an item transferred to any UH System library. Items ineligible for online request include course reserves, special collections, and anything else that is library use only. To request online, please follow the instructions below:

  1. Go to the library homepage at www.uhd.edu/library.
  2. Choose the gray OneSearch option.
  3. Type your search terms into the “Search for articles, books and more…”
  4. Click on the gray box with the magnifying glass to search.
  5. Choose the desired item’s blue title link to access its record.
  6. Press the blue "Sign In" link in the yellow field underneath the “Get It” heading.
  7. Pick the UH-Downtown link underneath the “Login using:" heading.
  8. Log into your library record with your university credentials on the “UHD Web Authentication Service” page:
    1. Place your username in the “Network Account”
    2. Place your password in the Password box.
    3. Click on the red Login button.
  9. Tap the blue Request link underneath the “Get It” heading. 
  10. Select the desired option in the "Pickup Location" drop box.
  11. Click the green "SEND REQUEST" link.
  12. Confirm that "your request was successfully placed" in the green field. 

You will receive an email when the item is ready for pick-up. Library staff will not process requests placed after 3:00 PM until the following day. Items requested from other campuses will generally arrive in 3-5 business days. Library staff will return items not picked up after one week from the hold shelf to its home library. 

Returns

Return items on or before the due date to avoid fines and fees. 

Borrowers may return items at the following places:

  • The One Main Building’s 5th floor circulation desk
  • The One Main Building’s 5th floor east wall book drop
  • The One Main Building’s 1st floor book drop
  • Any library within the University of Houston Library System

*Borrowers must return media items to the 5th floor circulation desk.