Borrowing Information

Your ADFA Card is also your Library card.  The primary responsibility when borrowing is to abide by the following conditions of Card use: 

• Always present your ADFA Card when borrowing.  
• Your card is not transferable.  
• You agree to accept responsibility for all items issued on your card and agree to return all items by the due date/s. The due date/s may change if the item is recalled.  
• If your card is lost or stolen notify the staff at the Academy Library immediately on 0434 369 043. Until the Library is notified, you are responsible for items borrowed with the card.  
• Replacement cards can be obtained through the ICTS Service Desk.  

Additional borrowing responsibilities are as follows: 

• Return items including recalled items by the correct due date/s. If items are overdue, you will be unable to borrow any further items and may be fined.  
• Ensure that any items on loan are returned to the Library before you travel and/or are on extended leave or deployment.  
• Pay any accrued fines and penalties. You will be blocked from borrowing once your Library fines reach $20. You will be blocked from enrolling or graduating once your Library fines reach $100.   

Note that myLibrary is the easiest way to check your borrowing information and communications from the Library. 

Further conditions for using library facilities, study spaces, and resources are outlined in the Library Conditions of Use. 

The Academy Library sends notifications to borrowers via email. Notices about loans, recalls, requests and fines are sent to your official University staff or student email address. For non-UNSW clients notifications are sent to the email address provided when applying for a membership.

These notifications* include information about:

• the availability of requested materials; 
• due date changes (recalled items) and overdue items; 
• as well as courtesy messages about approaching due dates. 

*Library notices are a courtesy. You are responsible for returning or renewing loans on time, regardless of receipt of library notices. Check your myLibrary account regularly to keep track of your loans, holds and any recalls. 

Facilitating the receipt of notices 

If you use a SPAM filter, we recommend that you include "no_reply@unsw.edu.au" as a legitimate sender of emails. 

How do I avoid fines? 

To avoid fines we would recommend the following: 

• Return borrowed items by the due date 
• Ensure that the items on loan to you are returned to the Library before travelling, leave or deployment 
• Keep your contact details up to date. 
• Review myLibrary regularly and check your email for Library notifications If you have any questions regarding fines, submit an Ask Us query. 

Note: Library notifications are sent as a courtesy only and are not a substitute for checking myLibrary regularly. 

General conditions for fines & penalties  

If items are not returned by their due date borrowing privileges are suspended until the overdue items are returned. Fines and penalties only apply on items that are: of high use (Course Readings); required by others (Recalls); supplied by other libraries (Interlibrary loans/Document Supply); or lost or damaged.  The fine or penalty charged varies in accordance with type of item. 

The following fines and penalties may apply on items not returned by their due date/time.  

Note: If you return overdue items outside of staffed library hours, you may not be able to borrow again until the next working day. 

To Pay Fines & Penalties

For Staff: Fill in the UNSW@ADFA Library Payments form (available at Library Service Desk). Take the form and cash to the Defence Bank. Pay the fine or fee and bring the receipt back to the Library. Please note there is no option to pay with a credit/debit card. 

For Students: Go to the UNSW Online Payments page and select 'Other Payments', then 'Library Fines & Fees.' 

Please note it may take up to 48 hours for fines to be cleared once payment has been made. 

Students can also pay using the UNSW@ADFA Library Payments form (available at Library Service Desk) if the Online Payments system isn't available.

Maximum renewal periods

The following borrower groups can access automatic renewals: 

• Undergraduate and postgraduate coursework students (maximum renewal period: 16 weeks) 
• Postgraduate research students (maximum renewal period 24 months) 
• UNSW staff (maximum renewal period 24 months) 

When will loans be renewed?

Items that can normally be renewed through myLibrary are renewed seven (7) days before their due date, if your loan(s) and account satisfy the automatic loan renewal criteria. You are also welcome to manually renew items prior to their due dates via myLibrary.  

Please note, items can still be recalled at any time and the due date will change if the book is recalled by another borrower.  

How will I be notified & what do I need to do? 

Eligible borrowers will not receive a Library notification for a loan being automatically renewed (except seven days before the maximum renewal period is reached). It is important that you as a user, you must check your myLibrary account regularly for the most up-to-date information on your borrowing status. 

Non-UNSW members are not usually able to renew online. To renew items, please call the Library on 0434 369 043, or contact us via our Ask Us service. Please note, recalled items cannot be renewed. The Library requires you to return these instead. 

During opening hours, return items via the returns chute near the Library Service Desk.  

After hours, return items using the external chute just to the left of the main door.  

Off-campus students clients can return any home delivered items by post to:

Academy Library 
UNSW Canberra 
PO Box 7916 
Canberra ACT 2610 

It is your responsibility to return items safely to the Academy Library by the due date.

We support online students with electronic material where-ever possible. 

We mail library materials upon request to students registered in the Student Administration System as ‘Off-Campus’.

Eligible Materials

Off-campus students can request delivery of any item within the Academy Library general collections and the UNSW Sydney Libraries main collections. 

The collections excluded from this service are: 

• Course Reading 
• Special Collections
• Defence Collection 

Items that are checked out to another person can be recalled and delivered to your home, however expect that there will be delays as items need to be returned to the Library once recalled before being sent to the next requestor.

As part of the University Libraries Australia and New Zealand (ULANZ) scheme, UNSW Canberra staff and students can register for borrowing privileges at most other Australian University libraries.  

Visit the University Libraries Australia and New Zealand (ULANZ) website for a listing of participating libraries. 

You can then apply directly to the participating library upon proof of UNSW Canberra enrolment/employment. 

Canberra has a number of other publicly accessible libraries that staff and students can visit and join including the National Library of Australia and the ACT Libraries Services.