Books: Fourteen-day loan period. Items may be renewed up to three times unless another patron has a request for the item and has placed a material hold.

Audiobooks (Books on CD): Seven-day loan period. Items may be renewed once unless another patron has a request for the item and has placed a material hold.

DVDs: Three-day loan period, two item limit. Items may be renewed once unless another patron has a request for the item and has placed a material hold.

Calculators: Two-week loan period. Must be presented in person at the reference desk for renewal. If a calculator has been designated as a part of the Reserve collection, it may be checked out for a two-hour period of in-library use. Calculators designated as part of the Reserves collection may be renewed once unless another patron requests the item and has placed a material hold.

Laptops: The Auvenshine Library has 5 student laptops available for in-library use. Laptops may be checked out for up to 4 hours. Laptops may be renewed once unless another patron has a request for the item and has placed a material hold.

Flash Drives and Headphones: Items may be checked out for in-library use.

Reference Materials/Periodicals/Course Reserves: These materials are available for in-library use only.

Conference Rooms (HCC and BHEC only): 2-hour conference room reservations must be scheduled with library staff at the library's reference desk. Same-day reservations may be renewed if no other reservations are scheduled. Room reservations may be made up to 2 weeks in advance. Priority use of conference rooms goes to current Hill College students, faculty, and staff.

All lost materials are subject to item replacement cost, assessed as a fee applied to the patron’s account. Replacement costs will vary as they are specific to the item that needs to be replaced, and replacement cost may be affected by the library’s ability to find a comparable item. When an item rolls to lost status, fees will be assessed, and a hold will be placed on the patron’s account until payment has been made or materials have been returned. A hold on a patron account may prevent class registration, access to official transcript, and library materials loans. All replacement costs will be determined at the Director's discretion.

All loaned items that are returned damaged are subject to either a $10.00 repair fee or an item replacement fee, assessed at the Director’s discretion. When a fee is assessed for a damaged item, a hold will be placed on the patron’s account until payment has been made.

Holds are placed on accounts of patrons with lost materials and the hold will remain on the patron’s account until payment has been made or materials have been returned. A hold on an account may prevent class registration, access to official transcript, and library materials loans.

Books, Audiobooks (books on CD), and DVDs: items more than 21 days overdue will roll to lost status. Items in lost status are subject to item replacement cost. When a fee is assessed for a lost item, a hold will be placed on the patron’s account until payment is made. Returned items will have all fees forgiven and the hold on the patron’s account will be removed.

Calculators: overdue more than 3 days will roll to lost status. In lost status, calculators are subject to a replacement fee of $110. When a fee is assessed for a lost item, a hold will be placed on the patron’s account until payment is made. Returned calculators will have all fees forgiven and the hold on the patron’s account will be removed.

Laptops: lost or damaged laptops are subject to a replacement fee determined by the cost of a comparable device. When a fee is assessed for a lost or damaged item, a hold will be placed on the patron’s account until payment is made. Laptops returned in good working condition will have all fees forgiven and the hold on the patron’s account will be removed.

Flash Drives and Headphones: when these items have been approved for outside the library check-out, items more than 21 days overdue will roll to lost status. Items in lost status are subject to item replacement cost and a processing fee of $10. When a fee is assessed for a lost item, a hold will be placed on the patron’s account until payment is made. Returned items will have all fees forgiven and the hold on the patron’s account will be removed.

Damaged items: all loaned items that are returned damaged are subject to either a $10.00 repair fee or an item replacement fee, assessed at the Director’s discretion. When a fee is assessed for a damaged item, a hold will be placed on the patron’s account until payment has been made.

Payment Methods: materials fines may be paid at campus libraries by cash or check. Fines may also be paid in the campus business office by cash, check, credit card, or debit card.

The computers at Hill College Libraries are primarily for academic purposes, especially during peak hours. Guests and community patrons may request a guest login for purposes such as applying for federal financial aid, completing Apply Texas College applications, and job search-related endeavors, and library staff will approve those requests when appropriate. Priority use of computers goes to current Hill College students, faculty, and staff.

Computers in the libraries are equipped with the MS Office productivity suite, which includes MS Word, Excel, PowerPoint, and several other specialized applications.

Library computers and the Hill College network may not be used for unauthorized commercial or illegal purposes pursuant to the Texas Penal Code, Chapter 33 Computer Crimes. Computer users are expected to follow the guidelines in the College’s Code of Conduct Policy. Violation of either the Texas Penal Code or the College’s Code of Conduct Policy may result in suspension of computer use, referral to the Dean of Students for appropriate disciplinary action, or referral to law enforcement.

When saving files accessed or created Hill College library PCs, use cloud, network, or portable storage. Files may be temporarily saved to the computer desktop for later use (such as attaching a document or other file to an email or for upload into the Hill College Brightspace Course Management System). Files saved to the computer hard drive are erased upon network log off.

Only licensed software may be utilized on campus computers. Patrons are not allowed to download programs or software without prior approval from the Hill College Information Technology Department.

Wireless Internet access is available for students, faculty, and staff of Hill College. Instructions for set-up are available at the library reference desk.

The Hill College library databases, electronic books, streaming video collections, and the Online Library Catalog may be accessed from off-campus sites 24 hours a day, 7 days a week. Current Hill College login credentials are required for off-campus database, electronic book, and streaming video collection access. Logging in is not required for off-campus Online Library Catalog access.

Hill College Libraries strive to provide a food friendly environment. However, we do have some basic restrictions so that we maintain a clean environment and protect electronic equipment. Drinks should have covers and food should not be highly aromatic. When considering whether to bring food or snacks in the libraries, patrons should consider whether their food or drink could cause damage to library property or disturb other patrons.

Patrons should dispose of all food and drink trash using one of the many trash receptacles in the libraries. Patrons should notify a member of the library staff if there is a spill so that it may be cleaned up immediately.

Hill College Libraries strive to offer an atmosphere conducive to study and research. Library patrons are asked to set cellular phones to silent or vibrate when inside the library. If a patron must accept a phone call, they must keep it brief and quiet or take the call to the library foyer or completely outside of the library.

The lower level at the Auvenshine Library is a designated quiet space. No phone calls should be taken, and conversations should be kept to a minimum. The upper level at the Auvenshine Library is designed to be a social, collaborative space. Patrons should still be respectful and not engage in activities that are disruptive to study and research activities.

Hill College utilizes the PaperCut print management system in campus libraries and computer labs. Black & white printing jobs are charged at 10 cents per page and color printing jobs are charged at 25 cents per page. Printing double-sided counts as two pages. Each student enrolled in a credit class receives a $20.00 print credit on their PaperCut account at the beginning of a new semester. If allotted print credits become exhausted, patrons may add money to their account at either campus library or Business Office.

Hill College Libraries offer the use of copy machines for students, faculty, staff, and community patrons. Faculty and staff may use college assigned access codes; students should check with a Library Specialist for assistance. All other patrons are subject to a charge of 10 cents per side for a standard size copy, and 20 cents per side for a legal-size copy.

3D printing is available at the Auvenshine and Cleburne Campus Libraries. Please schedule an appointment with Library staff to discuss printing options, and schedule availability. Contact information for the libraries can be found at the bottom of the main library page. 3D printing jobs are charged at 5 cents per gram of the printed object with an additional charge of $1 per 8 hours added should printed object take longer than 8 hours.

The TexShare Card is a statewide library card that lets you borrow books and other physical materials from more than 500 libraries across the state. Hill College students, faculty, and staff can apply for and pick up a TexShare cards at any Hill College library reference desk. TexShare cards are issued for the duration of the current college semester, but there is no limit on the number of times you may apply for a card. Patrons using TexShare cards must abide by the lending library's policies. Please refer to the TexShare website for additional information: https://www.tsl.texas.gov/texshare/index.html.

Interlibrary loan services are available for all Hill College Library patrons. Please note that users of this service are subject to access and loan period regulations from the lending libraries. In some instances, a fee for access or shipping may be required. When requesting an interlibrary loan, please plan accordingly. The length of time for the loaned item to arrive at the requesting library is dependent on the lending library’s time to process and ship the item, as well as the carrier’s in-transit time.

The Hill College Libraries strive to compile an information collection that supports the curriculum and research requirements of Hill College. The collection development policy centers on the acquisition of materials that are relevant to Hill College instructional programs and curriculum, and the ability of the libraries to provide access to them.

Hill College library patrons may request materials for acquisition by campus libraries. All requests are evaluated by the Director to determine if the material is suitable or necessary for the library collection.

The libraries do not order or place textbooks in the regular circulating collection. An instructor may place a textbook on reserve for in-library usage.

For additional information on collection development policies, see the Collection Development page in our Library Information LibGuide

The Hill College Libraries welcome and appreciate gifts and donations. The libraries accept donations of books and other materials with the understanding that items will be adopted for the collection only if deemed relevant and appropriate. The libraries cannot appraise the value of donated materials but may provide a document acknowledging receipt, including a description of the items. If donated materials are adopted for the collection, the donor may request that a book plate denoting donation detail be placed inside the front cover of a book or material holding case. If donated materials are not adopted for the collection due to duplication, condition, or outdated information, the libraries will dispose of them as the Director deems necessary. This may include giving them to charitable organizations, offering them to library patrons, or discarding them for recycling. Donors may also request that unadopted materials be returned to them.

Send an email message to library@hillcollege.edu or use the Library Services Request form