Who can borrow material

Any member of the public may use the Social Welfare Library collection in the library without a library card.  Both desk and open stack items are available for use (see the library floor plan).  A photocopy machine is also available.  Checking out material for use outside the library requires a campus ID or library card for UCB students, faculty and staff.  Non-UCB-affiliated borrowers must obtain a library card from the Privileges Desk on the 1st floor of Doe Library. 

Loan periods

Most open and desk stack items	1 month (undergraduates, general public, UC staff) 3 months (graduates) 1 year (faculty)
Course reserve items	2 hours / overnight
Bound journals	2 hours / overnight
Unbound journals	2 hours / overnight
Reference items	Library use only

• Loan periods and due dates may vary among the campus libraries.  It is your responsibility to note the due dates for Social Welfare Library items and to return or renew them by those dates.
• 2-hour items may be checked out overnight within two hours of closing.
• OskiCat will note whether an item is on reserve, is a reference item, or has some other use restriction.
• Manage your library books through OskiCat. You can see what books are checked out to you from all libraries, when they are due, and renew them yourself online.

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Desk books

Part of the library's collection is shelved behind the circulation desk. This includes older books, low-use volumes, valuable or high-risk books, and all reserve readings for courses. Books shelved behind the desk will be indicated by a note in OskiCat, "Social Welfare Ask at Desk." Most desk books circulate for the normal 1-month, 3-month, or 1-year loan periods. If any circulation restrictions exist, such as 2-hour reserve reading loan periods or library use only status, they will be noted in OskiCat.

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Reference collection

The library maintains a reference collection which is shelved to the right of the circulation desk. The reference collection contains encyclopedias, dictionaries, statistical sources, directories, agency standards, and more. All reference books are for library use only and are identified by yellow tape over the spine. In-person reference assistance is also available.

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Holds and recalls

If you need an item that is checked out to another borrower, you may place a recall yourself online or in person at the circulation desk.  The other borrower will be notified to return the item within 7 days.  The library will then notify you that the item has arrived and  hold it for you for one week.  You may also log into "My OskiCat" in the OskiCat catalog to check on the status of the item. All notifications are done by email. You can update your email address online or in person at the circulation desk.

If you have a book that has been recalled by another borrower, please be considerate and return it by the new due date.  If you still need the item, you can place another hold at the time your return it.  The other borrower will have a week to use it.

Holds must be placed in person with a valid library card.  We do not accept hold requests by phone or email.

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Renewals

Semester-loan items may be renewed within one week of their due date.  You may renew in person or by calling the library at (510) 642-4432.  You may also renew items online yourself in OskiCat.  2-hour loans must be renewed in person and may be renewed overnight within two hours of closing.

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Searches

If you don't find the item you want on the shelf, be sure to ask at the circulation desk for assistance.  If library staff are unable to locate it immediately, you may place a search on the item and we will conduct a thorough search of the stacks and temporary shelving areas.  You will be notified with the results of the search by email.

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Items are considered returned when they are received by the library that originally lent them to you.  If you returned a Social Welfare Library book to another campus library, it will not be discharged and your record will not be cleared until it is received in this library.  Return material to the circulation desk during library hours.  After hours, return material to the book drop at the top of the brick steps on the west side of the building.

We discourage returns by mail, but if it is necessary to return an item by mail, be sure to insure the package for $160 per item enclosed.  (See Overdue items below for an explanation of this amount.)  You will be responsible for the replacement charges if the package fails to arrive.  Mail to:

Social Welfare Library
227 Haviland Hall #6000
University of California
Berkeley, CA 94720-6000

You are responsible for noting the due date and time of the item you borrow.  If the item becomes overdue, your borrowing privileges first are blocked at all campus libraries.  If the item is still not returned, you are billed $160 for its replacement.  This is a per item charge.  If you return the item after being billed, $150 is cancelled, and the remaining $10 is a non-refundable processing charge. This refund is available only within 90 days of the billing date. Bills will not be cancelled for any items returned after more than 90 days.

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Due to space constraints, some older or rarely-used material is shelved at the library off-campus site, the Northern Regional Library Facility (NRLF).  You may page this material directly through OskiCat or you may request it at the library's circulation desk. (If you page NRLF books at the desk, be sure to note the NRLF number in addition to the regular call number.)  The NRLF items you request may be from any campus library.  Allow two working days for the material to be delivered to the Social Welfare Library.  You may also go directly to NRLF and use the material there.

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Document delivery

BAKER is a retrieval service offered to eligible faculty, students and staff.  For a nominal fee, the library will obtain library material requested by the user. An account with BAKER is required.

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Interlibrary borrowing

The UC Berkeley Library maintains cooperative relations with academic and many non-academic libraries around the country.  Eligible users may page material from other institutions if it is not in the UC Berkeley collection.  Request forms are available online or at the Social Welfare Library circulation desk. Books may also be requested using the "Request" buttons on the search results screens of OskiCat or Melvyl.  See the Interlibrary Borrowing Services web page for details.

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