What is a Recall?

A recall is used when someone needs an item that another person has checked out. Unlike a "hold", which lets the first borrower keep the item until the due date, a recall will sometimes shorten the due date.

How is the new due date determined?
Every person is guaranteed to have an item for 14 days, unless needed for course reserves. A recall will shorten the due date to a week from when the recall is placed, unless the new due date would fall within the first 14 days of the loan, in which case Day 14 is the new due date. Items recalled for course reserves are due in 3 days.

How is this fair?
The recall seems unfair to the person who was expecting to keep an item until the original due date, but a recall is the best way to balance the needs of everyone who wants access to library material. When loan periods were only 2 weeks long, recalls were not necessary. But as loan periods increased, recalls became necessary to help provide access for those who could not wait a month or more for an item to be returned. While recalls are an inconvenience to the original borrower, they are very helpful to subsequent users.