Borrowing
Use your Federation University ID card to borrow and access materials from Federation Library.
If you're not a current Federation University student or staff member, visit our membership page to see if you can join the library to access our collections.
You can request an item that is currently out on loan, or is held at another Federation University library location, including the Ballarat off-site store.
You can request items via the Federation Library catalogue, using the 'Request' button at the top of the entry for the item you require.
When your requested item becomes available you will be emailed a collection notice which will advise you when this item must be collected by.
You can return your library items by:
- placing them in the designated book return chutes at any campus library
- posting them to any campus library.
Your items must be returned by closing time on the due date to prevent overdue penalties.
Your items will be automatically renewed up to 20 times as long as no holds have been placed on your items and you have no long overdue items.
Exceptions to automatic renewals include laptops, tablets, and other equipment.
You can check the status of your loans anytime via your My Library login or the MyLibrary! app.
Students can borrow items from any campus library using their current student ID card.
Request journal articles from other campuses
Undergraduate students can request copies of journal articles held in print at campus libraries to be emailed to them. Request a journal article or book chapter >
Postgraduates can use the Document Delivery service.
Borrowed items become overdue if they are not returned by closing time on the due date. You will be sent overdue notices by email.
If you think you have damaged or lost an item you borrowed, please contact us as soon as possible.
You are responsible for the replacement cost, plus a processing fee, for any item deemed overdue, lost or damaged. You are invoiced for an item once it's six weeks overdue.
Penalties
While we do not issue fines for overdue items, a demerit point system does exist. You will accrue 1 point per day per item for items from most collections (eg. Main, Quarto, Textbook, TRC, Multimedia and Realia collections).
Items not returned within the grace period accrue demerit points from the date they become overdue.
There is a two-day grace period for most items. If items are not returned or renewed within or before the grace period, your borrowing entitlements are suspended at all campus libraries.
A further period of suspension of borrowing entitlements according to the number of demerit points accrued, as follows:
| Borrower type | Penalty |
|---|---|
| Federation students, Alumni, CAVAL, ULANZ, Infolink borrowers | 40-79 points - 14 day (2 weeks) suspension 80 or more points - 28 day (4 weeks) suspension |
| Federation staff | Borrowing entitlements are suspended. |
If you believe the item has been returned or was stolen, you can complete a statutory declaration (doc, 94kb) in order to be considered for exemption. We will accept a statutory declaration only as a last resort.
For more information about overdue and lost resources, see the Library terms of use (pdf, 160kb).
View your account
Your MyLibrary account displays helpful information including how many items you have checked out, how to renew, and how to opt in to your reading history. You can check how many demerit points you have accrued and if you are blocked from borrowing, the date when you can borrow again.
What can you borrow and for how long?
Borrowing limits vary depending on your membership type. Check your membership type below.
Some general limits apply to all borrowers:
- The Equipment and Realia collections can only be borrowed in person by Federation University students and staff.
- The Textbook collection can only be borrowed by Federation University students and staff.
- The Blainey, Creedy, Journal, Law, Reference and Research collections are not available for loan.
- Copyright regulations restrict non-Federation University borrowers from borrowing off-air video and audio recordings from within the Multimedia collection.
| Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection |
|---|---|---|---|
100 items | 20 | 14 days | 42 days |
Students studying online and off-campus have an extended borrowing period to allow for postage of items.
Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection | Multimedia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100 items | 20 | 42 days | 42 days | 14 days |
Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection | Multimedia |
|---|---|---|---|---|
100 items | 20 | 42 days | 42 days | 14 days |
There are three schemes that allow staff and students from other Australian tertiary institutions to borrow from the Federation University Library free of change. The schemes are:
- CAVAL Reciprocal Borrowing Program (Victorian institutions)
- University Libraries of Australia and New Zealand (ULANZ) (Australia and New Zealand institutions)
- TAFE National Reciprocal Borrowing Scheme (TAFE NRBS)
Students enrolled via Open Universities Australia are not eligible for borrowing. To borrow from our collection you will need to apply for a community borrower membership.
Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection |
|---|---|---|---|
10 items | 3 | 14 days | 14 days (2 weeks) |
Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection |
|---|---|---|---|
50 items | 3 | 42 days | 14 days (2 weeks) |
Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection |
|---|---|---|---|
10 items | 3 | 14 days | 14 days (2 weeks) |
VCE Students
Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection |
|---|---|---|---|
10 items | 3 | 14 days | 14 days (2 weeks) |
VCE Staff
Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection |
|---|---|---|---|
10 items | 3 | 14 days | 14 days (2 weeks) |
| Loan max | Automatic renewals | General collections | Recreation reading collection |
|---|---|---|---|
| 10 | 3 |
14 days (2 weeks) | 14 days (2 weeks) |
Your alumni library membership grants you access to selected EBSCOhost databases and a range of physical resources held at our libraries.
A user ID and password will be provided when your Federation Alumni Library membership has been processed.