How secure is the Library?
Who may borrow books and for how long?
What does recall mean?
How can I renew overdue books?
Are there charges for overdue, lost, or damaged books?
Printers and photocopiers?
What is storage? and how can we get books shelved there?
Can I check out a Reserve book?
How do you decide what books or electronic resources to buy?
Does the Library accept gifts?
Is there anything else I should know?
Backpacks, bags, purses, and other reasonable carry-on items will be allowed into the library. However, any of those items left unattended while leaving the library for a prolonged period, will be placed outside the premises.
Please do not use our tables & carrels as storage facilities for your personal belongings.
While we like to think of the library as a "safe space," items have been stolen from here. Please do not leave valuable items on the tables or carrels.
Please alert the person at the circulation desk about any unusual packages or activities in the stacks.
Who may borrow books, and for how long?
Hebrew Union College users may check out books for a 90 day period. This category of users includes current staff, faculty and students, as well as alumni from all campuses.
University of Southern California staff, students and faculty are eligible to check out five (5) books at a time for a thirty day period.
Area theological schools that belong to SCATLA (Southern California Area Theological Libraries Association) are eligible to check out five (5) books at a time for a thirty days period. They must present a SCATLA card from their home institution.
Borrowing privileges for visiting researchers will be determined by the Librarian.
Patrons from the community at large may check out two (2) books at a time, and will be required to leave a deposit of no less than $50.00 per book.
All users are eligible to use the Library's Inter Library Loan system to request items from the other HUC-JIR branch libraries.
Note: "All items must be checked out 15 minutes before closing time."
If you have had a book for more that thirty (30) days and another patron requests it, you will be asked to return the book even if is not due yet.
If you have had a book that a professor wants for a class reserve, you will be asked to return the book even if you have not had it for 30 days yet.
How can I renew overdue books?
Checked out items may be renewed twice: in person, online through the catalog, via email or through the telephone.
You cannot renew items that have been recalled for another patron or for class reserves.
Are there charges for overdue, lost, or damaged books?
Overdue fines of 25 cents a day will be imposed on items for a period of three months. Any item overdue more than 90 days will be considered lost , and its full value plus a replacement cost fee of $25.00 will be assessed against the borrower. All borrowing privileges will be terminated until all fines are paid.
HUC-JIR students who fail to return overdue books will have a hold placed on their registration and transcripts until the matter is settled.
Patrons with a history of overdue problems will lose their borrowing privileges.
Cost Replacement
A cost replacement fee will be applied to all damaged, vandalized and
lost books. Please check the items you wish to borrow, and point out
any damage to the Circulation staff BEFORE checking the items out.
There is one photocopier available for use in the library - each page costs 10 cents.
The photocopier also acts as the printer for all the library's public access computers, again at 10 cents per page.
You can also use the photocopier to scan and email pdf files. There is no charge for this service.
What is storage? And how can we get books that are located there?
Circulating items in storage
Some areas in the stacks were moved into Library Storage to make room for our bound serials/periodicals upstairs. The call numbers of these areas are listed throughout the library. Items from storage will be retrieved (paged) according to the following procedure:
Items requested by 10am will be available for pickup beginning 11am.
Items requested between 11am-2pm will be available for pickup beginning 3:30pm.
Items requested after 3:30pm will be available for pickup beginning 10am the following morning.
Paged books will be kept behind the circulation desk for 48 hours only, unless other arrangements are made.
Additional paging arrangements will become available during midterms and finals, when the library offers extended evening and Sunday hours.
Can I check out Reserve books?
No. Reserved items DO NOT circulate, unless otherwise determined by the class instructor.
How do you decide what books to buy?
The Frances-Henry Library of Hebrew Union College-Jewish Institute of Religion collects, preserves and makes available a carefully selected variety of library materials in support of all the educational, professional and vocational needs of its stakeholders.
The Library concentrates on collecting items that fall within, or are relative to, the realm of Jewish and Hebraic studies, as well as general historical, religious, sociological and cultural studies as they relate to the research and curricular needs of its users.
The collection is firmly based upon primary Jewish texts and classical commentaries in the areas of Hebrew Bible, Talmud, Midrash, Rabbinic literature and philosophy, supplemented by selected critical works and translations.
Other important areas of collection concern are Biblical archaeology, theology, gender studies, synagogue liturgy, Hebrew language and literature, Jewish education, Jewish communal service, Jewish history, American Jewish history, modern Israel, Zionism, Holocaust studies, Jewish customs and ceremonies, Jewish art and music, and Jewish-Christian relations.
Major practical works of reference in the above mentioned areas, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, concordances, bibliographies, and indexed databases are routinely acquired.
Most materials acquired are in English or Hebrew, while occasional items are purchased in German, French, Italian, Spanish or Yiddish.
The selection and purchase of books and other materials is done by the Librarian, in consultation with library staff and faculty members.
The item's original format is the preferred one for acquisition, i.e., hard copies of print publications, electronic data on CD ROM. In the event that two or more original formats are available, the format most useful in the library's setting is purchased.
De-accessing / Weeding:
De-accession of duplicate, damaged and dated items is performed during routine shelf-readings. Damaged books & pamphlets are repaired in house. Other media resources are replaced when possible.
The Library does not subscribe, as yet, to the practice of replacing print format sources with electronic ones.
Does the Library accept gifts?
Yes! Gifts of Jewish books, sound recordings and other academic materials, a few items or
whole libraries, are accepted according to our collection development policy. Items not owned
by the Library are integrated into the collection according to their subjects. Duplicates are
offered to the other HUC-JIR libraries, and to academic institutes with which we collaborate.
The remainders are eventually sold at the Library's annual book-sale that takes place during
Jewish Book Month (celebrated during the month preceding Hanukkah).
The Library Director must approve all gifts prior to their delivery/pick-up. Please use
the "Contact US" link if you wish to donate books and other academic materials.
Cash donations to the Library are welcome as well. Please see our information regarding
Friends of the Library.
As of May 2009, the Library no longer accepts prayer books, hymnals, Bibles, and other
sacred texts printed after 1870.
If you wish to find an appropriate place for sacred texts that are beyond repair, please
contact your local Jewish Burial Society.
Is there anything else I should know?
No food or drinks are allowed in the library (except for water in a closed container). Patrons found eating or drinking on the premises will be asked to leave.
The use of cell phones or pagers inside the library is forbidden.
Library phones are not for public use.
Please be considerate of others when using the computers or the photocopying machine.
No software should be downloaded onto any of the computers without consulting the Network Administrator.
The computer by the card catalog is for searching the catalog or indexes only. (It is NOT for checking email or word-processing)
All items must be checked out 15 minutes before closing time.