Library policies

Who can use the library?

All hospital employees, house staff and attending physicians have full library privileges. A current Children's Memorial Hospital or Northwestern University ID is necessary for library registration. Medical school and allied health students and non-hospital residents on rotation at Children's Memorial must have the appropriate department director or division head approve borrowing privileges.

Faculty members of Northwestern University's Feinberg School of Medicine, residents, and medical school students with the medical school's ID have all library privileges except interlibrary loan. Interlibrary loan requests can be obtained through the Galter Health Sciences Library.

Borrowing policy

Books and audiovisual material circulate for two (2) weeks and bound journals overnight. Unbound periodicals do not circulate.

Reserve and reference materials do not circulate.

Overdue charges and fines

The date that an item is due is stamped on a card found inside the back cover of that item. A 25-cents-per-day fine is charged for overdue materials. If overdue material is returned and the fine is left outstanding, all library privileges will be suspended until the fine is paid. When the material is returned and the fine paid, it must be placed on the shelf for 24 hours before being checked out again by the same patron.

Notification of overdue materials

A first notice will be sent to you two days after the material is due. A second notice will be sent two weeks after the material is due. It will inform the patron of the loss of library privileges (including circulation, interlibrary loan, and literature searches) until the material is returned and all fines are paid. The third and final notice will be sent four weeks after the material is due. A copy of this notice is sent to the patron's administrative head/chairperson.

Lost or destroyed materials

Borrowers must pay the replacement costs for lost or destroyed material. The borrower will be charged the cost of the material plus a $10 processing charge. Fines on lost or destroyed material must also be paid in full.