Borrowing, Returning, and Renewing Materials


Borrowing Materials

Anyone may come to the library to use library materials during the seminary's regular business hours when the library is open. This can vary by campus, but at the Mill Valley campus, that is 8:30-4:30, Monday through Friday, or by appointment.  Anyone who is not a Golden Gate Seminary student, faculty, staff, SBC pastors, or SBC associational employees will pay $80/year for borrowing privileges.

For students living more than 100 miles away and not regularly commuting to a campus, you may also request the library to send you items through the mail.

The library will ship books, but not media items or non-circulating items such as Reference or Limited Access. Materials will only be mailed to locations within the United States including Alaska and Hawaii. 

The library mails the books to you free of charge up to your patron group limit. You are responsible for returning the books to the Golden Gate Seminary Library. Patrons are responsible for materials including overdue or lost fines/fees until they are returned to a Golden Gate library.

Borrowing privileges depend on patron and item type.

NOTE: A patron may only borrow materials using his/her own account. If the materials are for another person, the patron assumes all responsibilities for the borrowed materials.

Proxy Patron:

A proxy patron is a patron authorized to check out books using another patron’s account. A patron may only check out items for another person if they are a proxy patron on the other patron’s account.

In order to create a proxy patron for your account, the library must have written documentation stating which person has permission to check out books on your account.

Returning materials

You may return items one of the following three ways:
  • to the circulation desk when the library is open
  • in the after-hours book drop (please use only when the library is closed)
  • by mail (but they are still due by the due date)

Renewing materials

See the Patron Privilege Table for information on how often you may renew items.

An item may not be renewed if a hold has been placed on it, or if the patron has outstanding fines on his/her account. Returned items must be placed back on the shelf for at least 24 hours before they can be borrowed again.

You may renew materials in the following ways:
  • online through your library account
  • in person – you may bring either the items, or a list of the items, to be renewed