Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students may borrow books, media, and reserve materials at the Circulation Desk by using a valid Bengal Card. Anyone not affiliated with Buffalo State should check our Alumni and Visitors page.

Patrons who check out library materials become responsible for those materials until they are officially checked in again.

If you can't find an item in Butler Library, it may be possible to get the item from another library. View our Books from Another Library page for more details.

Stop by the Circulation Services Desk, BUTL105, or contact us if you have questions about borrowing and renewing materials, loan periods, course reserves, overdue fines, lost books, holds, searches, recalls, or lost and found items.

Loan Periods

Buffalo State faculty, staff, and students may borrow books, reserve materials, and media items at the Circulation Desk upon presentation of a valid Bengal ID Card. Patrons who check out library materials become responsible for those materials until they are officially checked in again.

Items with a semester loan due date are due back to the library on the last day of the semester in which they were borrowed. These items cannot be renewed. Please note, some items have loan period exceptions that fall outside the values listed below.

Students

Location	Loan Period	Renewal days
Archives and special collections	in house use	n/a
Curriculum materials lab	30 days	60
Equipment	varies with reservation	n/a
Media	14 days	n/a
Reserves	2 hours	n/a
Stacks	Semester loan	n/a

Faculty / Staff

Location	Loan Period	Renewal days
Archives and special collections	in house use	n/a
Curriculum materials lab	30 days	60
Equipment	varies with reservation	n/a
Media	14 days	n/a
Reserves	2 hours	n/a
Stacks	16 weeks	365

Community patrons (friends/alumni)

Location	Loan Period	Renewal days
Archives and special collections	in house use	n/a
Curriculum materials lab	30 days	60
Equipment	n/a	n/a
Media	n/a	n/a
Reserves	n/a	n/a
Stacks	30 days	60

Services for Buffalo State College faculty, staff, and students

Service Type	Loan Period	Renewals
Interlibrary Loan	Set by lending library, usually 28 days	Renew via ILLiad, subject to lending library's approval
SUNY resource sharing	30 days or 16 weeks	varies by campus
SUNY walk in borrowing	30 days or 16 weeks	varies by campus

Fines and Fees

Patrons assume the responsibility of keeping track of due dates and returning materials on time. As a courtesy, patrons will be notified by email before an item becomes overdue.

• Failure to receive a notice does not exempt patrons from fines.
• Unpaid fines can result in suspension of borrowing privileges, cancellation of registration, blocked transcripts, and delayed graduation.
• Overdue and other fines can be paid using cash, credit card or Bengal Bucks.

Item	Cost
Books	$0.50 per day to a maximum of $15.00
Media	$0.50 per day to a maximum of $15.00
Equipment Loan	$5.00 per day
Recalled Items	$2.00 per day
Reserves	$0.50 per hour

Pay Fines for Overdue Materials

 

Lost or Damaged Materials

Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff are responsible for all materials checked out on their Butler Library account. If an item is lost or damaged, the library should be contacted immediately. An item not returned within 28 days of its due date will be considered lost.

If a book or media item is lost, or damaged beyond repair according to library standards, the borrower will be charged as follows:

• Replacement cost of $90.00. This amount may be more if an item is of greater value.

Any accumulated fines if the item is overdue.

NOTE: This policy does not apply to materials borrowed from other libraries through ILLiad (interlibrary loan). If interlibrary loan materials are lost or damaged, Butler Library honors the policy set by the lending library and will pass on those charges to the borrower.

Pay Fees for Lost or Damaged Materials

 

Equipment Loan

Buffalo State students, faculty, and staff are responsible for all materials checked out on their Butler Library account. Patrons assume the responsibility of keeping track of due dates and returning materials on time. If an item is lost or damaged, the library should be contacted immediately.

If equipment is seven days overdue, the item will be declared lost and a $25 processing fee will be assessed to your account in addition to any accrued overdue charges. We will make three attempts to contact you by phone and e-mail. If we do not hear from you after these attempts, the full replacement costs of the equipment will be assessed to your library account.

The Equipment Loan office can be reached at 716-878-6237 or at equipmentloan@buffalostate.edu

 

Change of Address

Patrons are responsible for notifying the library of any change of address or phone number. Address information is not received directly from the Registrar's Office. Failure to notify the library may result in problems when trying to contact patrons regarding holds, overdues, and fines. Failure to receive mail is not grounds for reduction or cancellation of fines.

 

Suspension of Borrowing Privileges

Library privileges are suspended whenever fines of $50.00 or more have accumulated, or when a bill of replacement has been sent. Privileges will be restored when all fines have been paid.

Searches

Patrons who cannot locate library materials that should normally be on the shelves may request a search for such items at the Circulation Desk. These materials may be on book trucks in transit to the stacks, misplaced, or lost. Please allow approximately two to three days for search results.

Holds

If a patron wishes to obtain an item that is checked out, a request to put a hold on that item may be made through the library catalog, Primo. If the item is available, it will be placed on the hold shelf for seven days. If it is checked out, the requestor will be notified as soon as the item is returned. Once the item is returned, it will be held for seven days for the new borrower on the hold shelf. All notifications are sent via Buffalo State College email.

Renewals

Books can be renewed online, at the Circulation Desk, or by telephone (878-6303). To renew books online, click on My Loans from the Library Card menu in Primo. You will need to log in with your Buffalo State College network credentials.

• Renewals should be made on or before the due date.
• Some renewals process automatically.
• Renewals are restricted by Renewal days as defined under Loan Periods in the menu for this page.
• Charges for overdue books will be added to your library record.
• Books cannot be renewed that are on hold for another user, or if your library record is blocked (e.g. due to a late fee).
• Reserve material and media items cannot be renewed.
• You can request renewals of interlibrary loan materials through your ILLiad account unless "no renewals" is listed as a restriction. It is at the discretion of the lending library to renew a book or decline your request.

Renewals are usually not granted for overdue books so be sure to request your renewal a few days before the book is due.

Returning Materials

All library materials, including reserve items, must be returned to the Circulation Desk.

• Users are encouraged to request receipts when library materials are returned.
• No claims regarding return of library materials will be honored without a library-issued receipt.
• Outdoor book drops may also be used to return books. Please do not put reserve or media items in the book drops. Book drops are located in the front of the library to the left of the front door and at the back of the library on the loading dock.

Course Reserves

Reserve materials are items such as library books, personal books, and videos that faculty would like kept separated from the general library collection and assigned shorter loan periods to assure greater availability to students.

Students who wish to borrow reserve materials can search Course Reserves. Reserve material may not be renewed.

Faculty will find information about placing materials on reserve for class use in Butler Library's reserve guidelines.

Requests

Items may be suggested for purchase through the Purchase Request Form

Distance Learners

Students who are enrolled in a distance learning course at Buffalo State who do not reside on campus and who do not attend any other classes on the Buffalo State campus are eligible for distance learning library circulation services, including a Buffalo State Bengal ID Card. Butler Library will make every reasonable effort to mail books owned by the library directly to distance learners, with return mailers for your convenience.

Please note that we cannot mail items to a post office box. Interlibrary Loan services are also available to distance learners for items not owned by Butler Library.

Distance learners accept responsibility for the care and protection of library materials and are subject to standard fees and fines for lost, damaged, and overdue materials.

We are an Empire State AcademicShare library. Therefore, AcademicSHARE Member libraries minimally agree to allow on-site access and lend materials to any current college student, staff, and/or faculty member from another Empire State AcademicShare member academic library. However, at minimum, a verifiable valid college I.D. is required. The library may choose to treat the college I.D. as confirmation the student/faculty member is in good standing. Other proof of identification or status may be required.

In addition, all Western New York Library Resources Council AcademicSHARE Members agree to provide on-site access to resources to all current InfoPass cardholders or individuals who present an AcademicSHARE Pass. Safety restrictions and borrowing privileges will vary by institution; please contact the individual library for more information.

Circulation Desk:
(716) 878-6303
library-circ@buffalostate.edu

Bengal Card Office:
(716) 878-3416
bengalcard@buffalostate.edu