Circulation Policy

Provided they have a current, valid John Jay ID card, or another valid CUNY ID all patrons may borrow circulating ("stacks") books for 16 weeks with two renewals (maximum loan length: 48 weeks) permitted if another patron has not placed a hold request.
Circulating books are located in the stacks section of the Library.
Borrowing and renewal details below:

Renewal Policy

  • Renewals: Two renewals are permitted, provided there is no request for the book placed by another patron and the book is less than 10 days overdue. Books may be renewed online through My Account.
  • Overdue stacks books:​​​​
    • There is a 10-day grace period for returning or renewing books after their due date.
    • If a stacks book is not returned 20 days after it is due, it becomes a lost book. Borrowing privileges are suspended and books cannot be renewed.
    • We no longer charge overdue fines.
  • Lost books incur a charge of the replacement cost of the book as listed in Books in Print plus a $25 processing fee.
  • Reserve: the overdue fine is $6.00 per hour for overdue items on 3-hour library reserve, as determined by the Board of Trustees. See the Loan Periods section of the Reserves page for more information.
  • Up to 10 books may be borrowed at one time. For books on Reserve, only one may be borrowed at a time.
Borrowing books from other CUNY colleges


Students, staff, and faculty may borrow books from other CUNY libraries and have the book delivered to John Jay (or another CUNY library they select) using CLICS. The book will be held behind the Circulation Desk for pickup.

John Jay students and faculty may also visit other CUNY libraries and personally borrow books from other CUNY libraries with a valid John Jay ID card.*

*access to other campus libraries may be limited. Please contact the individual campus library before visiting.

CUNY-wide courtesy book return


Under a CUNY-wide courtesy book return agreement, books borrowed from one CUNY library may be returned to any other CUNY library. The books are then shipped to their home library via an intercampus delivery system.

Renewal instructions


Head to My Account in OneSearch (or the "Renew books" link on the Library homepage).

  1. Enter your CUNY Login credentials. Your CUNY Login account username will be in the format FirstName.LastNameNN, where "NN" is the last 2+ digits of your CUNY EMPLID. Most students will be prompted to claim/activate their CUNY Login account and set a password as part of the online student application process. If you have not set the password for your CUNY Login account, you can use the new user link at the bottom of the CUNY Login page.
  2. Select the book(s) to renew, then click Renew. (Note: if the item's status does not say Renewable at the right, it may be that you are blocked for fines or overdue books, or that someone else has placed a request for the book.)
  3. Log out when you are done to protect your personal information.

Users can review any fines or lost book fees that are due by clicking on the Fines & fees link. Requests you may have placed for books charged to another user can also be displayed.

If you have any questions or problems, please stop by the Library Circulation Desk, call (212) 237-8250 during Library hours, or email Prof. Joy Dunkley jdunkley@jjay.cuny.edu.

Recall Policy


The guaranteed minimum loan period after a recall will be 3 weeks, regardless of the initial loan period.

Reserves


The Library offers a number of textbooks, phone chargers, and other devices of Reserve. More about Reserve items »