Using the Library: Circulation Policies

​​​​​Faculty, Staff, & Students

• Faculty, Staff, and Students automatically receive access to the library when their staff/student ID is activated. Permissions include access to databases both on and off campus, as well as to the Thorne Library Collection, OhioLINK, SearchOhio, and Interlibrary Loans.
• Specific loan rules and limits are below.

Guest Patrons

• Guest patron accounts are for community members who wish to become patrons of the Thorne Library. Such patrons receive access to library databases when on campus and may request items from the Thorne Library Collection, OhioLINK, SearchOhio, and Interlibrary Loans.
• Specific loan rules and limits are below.
• Want to become a guest patron of the Thorne Library? Request a library card here:

Visiting Patrons

• This means that you are a patron at another OhioLINK institution. You will be able to receive items at our library through Pick-Up Anywhere or checkout items through the Visiting Patron process, but your loan rules will be determined by your home library.

MVNU patron process

• If you are an Thorne Library patron, you can request materials from the MVNU Catalog, OhioLINK, or SearchOhio. Simply have your last name and patron ID ready to enter, and follow the prompts on each page to request items. 

Visiting patron process

• This means that you are a patron at another library within the OhioLINK network, but you are checking out materials from our institution (or vice-versa).
• E.g. you walk into the Ohio State library and see a book you would like to check. You can take that book to their circulation desk and say, “I am a visiting patron.” They will then look you up by your institution (Mount Vernon Nazarene University) and check the item out to you via your MVNU patron account.
• How do I know if a library is part of OhioLINK? Consult this list: https://www.ohiolink.edu/members/print-list

Pick-Up anywhere process

• This means that you are a patron at another library within the OhioLINK network, but are having materials delivered to out institution (or vice-versa). So, in this process, three libraries are involved: the one you belong to, the one sending the requested item, and the one receiving the requested item.
• E.g. You are a patron at Ohio State. However, you live in Mount Vernon. You request that an item be sent from Bowling Green to MVNU. Then, you will check that item out using your Ohio State patron account.
• How do I know if a library is part of OhioLINK? Consult this list: https://www.ohiolink.edu/members/print-list

Contact us!

library@mvnu.edu

(740) 397-9000 ext.4240

Winter Break Hours:

Monday - Friday: 8:00am - 4:30pm (December 12 - January 8)

CLOSED 12:00 PM December 20 - January 5

Spring semester hours begin January 9, 2025

In order to log in to your library account, you will need:

Name: (only your last name is necessary)

University ID: (if your ID number starts with a zero, drop the zero . E.g. 041111 would become 41111)

Summary

• If an item is unavailable through OhioLINK or the local MVNU catalog, you may see the option to request it through Inter-Library Loan. This will send a request to your local library staff, who will then identify libraries in the nation (or around the world) that can fulfill your request. There are two categories of materials that can be requested

Loans

• A loan will send a physical copy of the material requested to your local library (Books, Media, etc.). Delivery times vary for these since they may come from anywhere in the nation.

Copies

• If you are requesting an article or section of a book, the lending library can send copies of the material. It is recommended that the requested pages be <20 pages. This will be delivered to you as a digital file via email.