The following circulation policies apply to Princeton University faculty, staff and students, their spouses, domestic partners and dependents, as well as students and faculty at Princeton Theological Seminary, and members and staff at the Institute for Advanced Study. Guest borrowers and BorrowDirect+ borrowers should refer to their privileges and policies page. 

• Princeton students, faculty, and staff must present their University ID card (TigerCard) in order to borrow materials from the Library.
• Non-University borrowers must obtain a photo-ID card from the Access Office.

All cards are non-transferrable.

Please feel free to browse the library stacks for books of interest and bring them to the Circulation Desk to check out. If an item is not located in the stacks, faculty, staff and students may place a request and library staff will search for it. A search for a missing book may take several days. If the book is located by staff, it will be made available for the requestor to pick up; if it’s not found, an email will be sent to cancel the request.

Loan periods are based on affiliation with Princeton University. More information can be found on the Circulation Services page. 

Items borrowed from the library remain the responsibility of the card holder. Items should be renewed, on or before the due date, to avoid fines and replacement fees. Items charged to an individual must be returned in good condition, without evidence of defacement, mutilation, or other damage or fees may be incurred.

All patrons are responsible for honoring recall requests and are subject to recall fines at all times of the year. If circumstances require individuals to leave town, they should make arrangements for the prompt return of recalled items to the Library. In the event an item is recalled, a notice is generated with the new due date and sent to the current borrower. The current borrower will have up to 10 days to return the recalled item. Failure to return a recalled item by the new due date will incur fines of $1.00 per day, and the borrower will be prevented from borrowing again until the item is returned.

If a book is long overdue or damaged, a minimum replacement fee of $100 will be applied to the account. The Library reserves the right to adjust this fee upward if the cost is higher.  In some situations you may replace the lost item with a new book of the same edition and pay a $50 processing fee. 

Unpaid fines of $20 or more will result in the suspension of borrowing privileges for most patrons. Library fines can be paid by credit card at the Firestone Library Circulation Desk.  Students can also request payment by Student Account.