Click on the following categories to view our detailed borrowing policy.
The circulation desk can be reached by phone at (315) 792-7246.
Library staff recognize and protect the rights of library users, including the rights to privacy and confidentiality as established by New York State law (CPLR § 4509).
All current students, faculty, and staff may borrow library material for free.
SUNY students at all campuses, and online students at the 64 SUNY institutions, can borrow and return library material at any SUNY library.
In addition, area college students may borrow Poly materials as community borrowers. Interested parties must have proper identification and proof of current registration.
- Colgate University
- Empire State College
- Hamilton College
- Herkimer County Community College
- Mohawk Valley Community College
- Rome Labs
- St. Elizabeth College of Nursing
- Utica College
Residents of Oneida, Herkimer and Madison Counties who wish to borrow material must obtain a Community Borrower’s card from the library service desk. Photo identification with proof of current address is required to establish an account. Community Borrowers may check out a total of ten books.
Your SUNY Poly ID is your library card. If you are not a student and do not have a SUNY Poly ID, a library card will be provided at the library service desk. See the 'Obtaining a Library Card' section for further information.
Your SUNY Poly ID is your library card. If you are not a student and do not have a SUNY Poly ID, a library card will be provided at the library service desk. Please notify the library and University Police if your card is lost or stolen.
Anyone registering or updating borrowing privileges will be asked to produce either proof of registration or some sort of identification with their name, picture and current address, for example, tuition receipt, parking receipt, alumni association card, registration receipt, course schedule, or driver’s license.
To borrow material, present a valid SUNY Poly ID or library card at the library service desk or the self-checkout PC
Any material charged to your account is your responsibility.
Items available to borrow are:
- Selected textbooks for the current semester (AKA Course Reserves) are behind the first floor Service Desk, and can be borrowed for 2 hours (in library use only)
- Games are located on display shelving on the first floor and can be borrowed for 1 week
- Book displays on the first floor such as New Books, Manga, and themed collections can be borrowed for 16 weeks (students and staff) or 49 weeks (faculty), and
- Items located in the stacks on the second floor can be borrowed for 16 weeks (students and staff) or 49 weeks (faculty)
If you are an online student, please contact the library via email with the title(s) you want, and librarians will ship it/them to you.
Borrowers are welcome to return their books to the Library Service Desk when the library is open. A book return slot in the building lobby facilitates after hour returns, and online learners can mail or ship books back to the library, at our expense, by requested a Fed Ex shipping label via library@sunypoly.edu
Books belonging to any SUNY library can be returned to Poly's library
The standard loan period for books is for 16 weeks from the date of checkout for students and staff.
Faculty members are granted 49 weeks.
Renewals are available.
A total of 30 books may be checked out to any SUNY Poly student, faculty, or staff member. All other users may check out up to 10 books.
If the book that you want shows as available in the catalog, then please email library@sunypoly.edu and we will contact you when we are ready for you to pick it up.
If the book you need is checked out, an Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request is recommended. Please ask the staff at the library service desk for assistance, or send an email to ill@sunypoly.edu.
There are no overdue fines.
If books are not returned by students by the last day of finals of the current semester, then a hold will be placed on their Banner account resulting in the inability to see grades, register for classes, receive a transcript or a diploma until the items have been returned.
Library users are responsible for all material checked out on their library accounts. Should an item become damaged or lost, users may replace the item or be billed the cost of replacing the item.
