Library Borrowing Policy

PRL Library provides membership to research scholars (JRF, SRF, RA & PDF) and permanent staff. The membership remains valid until the user is listed on the PRL staff list. The membership is also extended to retired employees with a fresh set of personal contact details like personal email address and mobile number.


1. Check-Out Privileges


All permanent staff members, students (JRF & SRF), PDFs and Project Associates are entitled to borrow a total of 10 items at a given time. Loan periods differ with the type of documents as follows :


Document(s) Loan Period Renewals
a) Books, Thesis, Hindi books 30 days 2 (twice)
b) Bound Volumes of Journals 7 days 2 (twice)
c) Reference Book-Encyclopedia; Dictionary; etc. Over night -
d) Loose issues, Maps, AV material 3 days -
e) Items for Long Term Loan (Faculty) 6 Months -
f) Item(s) for Divisional Use (Long Term Loan) 6 Months 1 (once)
2. Reservation of Documents


Reservation of Documents can be done in person or through e-mail to [email protected].

3. Renewal of Documents


  1. Renewal can be done in person or by sending an e-mail to [email protected].
  2. Users can send requests through email for online renewal 2 times (maximum). If the document is not on reservation/hold, it will be renewed. After 2 online requests, the user is required to bring the document(s) physically to the library counter for return on or before the due date.

  3. The online renewal request for a document(s) through email should be received before 17:15 hrs. of the last day of the loan period. Failing which document will be considered as overdue.
  4. There will be no renewal of item(s), if the user account reaches the fine amount of Rs. 100 or more.

4. Overdue of Reminders


PRL library sends 5 reminders to the borrowers on a regular basis. The first reminder is sent 3 days in advance of the document(s) getting overdue as “Advance Notice of Item Due” and the second reminder is sent on the overdue date as “Item Due Notice”. The remaining three are sent after 7 days, 15 days, and 30 days of the due date.

5. Overdue Fine


  1. An overdue fine of Re 1/- per day per item will be levied after the due date.
  2. Renewal request has to be sent before/on the due date. Failing to do so, overdue charges will be levied from the due date to the renewal date.
  3. No documents will be issued if there is any overdue material.
  4. A consolidated list of the employees from whom overdue fines are to be recovered along with the fine amount will be sent to the Accounts Section of PRL by the 15th of every month for deduction from the member’s salary/stipend.
  5. Same overdue fines will be levied to retired staff and scientists who continue to borrow documents from the library. They have to pay the overdue fine by cheque to PRL.
  6. The user has to ensure that the issued documents are returned/renewed before the due date, thereafter, no excuse for delayed documents will be accepted by the library.


6. Divisional Use for Long Term Loan


  1. In case documents are needed for divisional use on a long-term basis, an e-mail will have to be sent from the respective Divisional Head to the Head, Library & Information Services. A document on the long term for a Division can be issued for 6 months. And renewed once (one time) only. The renewal request can be made by an e-mail.
  2. If the documents in the divisional use are not renewed before the due date, the holding division must return all documents in the Library, failing which the document(s) shall be considered as lost and the recovery process shall be initiated.
  3. The division head will be responsible to decide and give the name of the member who will pay the required fine for the overdue and replacement cost.


7. Loss or damage of borrowed documents


  1. If a library document is lost/damaged by a member, it has to be replaced by a new copy in addition to the fine for the overdue. Failing which the current list price of the document (in rupees) will have to be paid to PRL.
  2. If the book is out of print, then double the current list price (in rupees) and the overdue fine has to be paid by the member to PRL and will be deducted from the member's salary/stipend account.
  3. The replacement cost of documents acquired through donation or exchange from the other libraries, will be fixed by the Librarian/Library committee
  4. If a journal issue or document belonging to a multi-volume set is lost, then the borrower will have to pay twice the listed price of the issue of the journal or the full cost of the whole set whichever is less as a replacement cost.
  5. The replacement cost once recovered or replacement copy once accepted will not be returned even if the original document is traced by the member


8. General


  1. Members are requested to return all the borrowed documents, before proceeding on leave or official tour exceeding more than a week. Someone else may need them in their absence.
  2. Books/articles/journals not available in PRL library can be obtained from other libraries through the Inter Library Loan (ILL) service