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Circulation Information

This guide will explain how items circulate in the library and reserve procedures.

Reserves: General Information

Oakton College Library Course Reserves are available at both campus as well as online. Physical reserves are held behind our circulation desks in both libraries, and items on reserve can only be requested in person. You can search for items on reserve using our O.W.L. (Oakton's Whole Library) Catalog's Course Reserve search box. Digital reserves held by Oakton's library will also be shown in the O.W.L. catalog. Digital items put on reserve by faculty not held by Oakton's library will only be available through a link on your course D2L page.

Requesting an Item

You must have a current library card/OWL card to check out an item.

You will need to know the following information to request a textbook reserve item:

  • Course number (example: EGL 101)
  • Instructor name

Semester calculators, hotspots, Chromebooks, and iPads can only be checked out by credit students.

Textbook Reserves

Items on our textbook reserves are generally available for 2 hours at a time to be used in the library only. If no one is waiting for a turn to use material, students can extend their loan time by an additional 2 hours. A few items have longer checkout periods and may be used outside the library. Instructors can place textbooks on reserve for student use, however not all textbooks used at Oakton are on reserve in the library.

The library's policy is to purchase textbooks available at Oakton's bookstore meeting the following criteria:

  • All items purchased must be required material for a class.
  • We do NOT purchase workbooks, handout packets, CDs, or access codes.
  • EGL & MAT 0## courses: we purchase all required books for both campuses.
  • All other courses:
    • Des Plaines: If 3-4 classes are using it at DP or online and it is $75 or more; if 5 or more classes require it, we purchase no matter the price.
    • Skokie: If 2-4 classes are using it at Skokie or online and it is $75 or more; if 5 or more classes require it, we purchase no matter the price.

Reserves: Loan Periods

Physical reserve items can be borrowed at the circulation desk for the following lengths of time: 

Items Loaned In-House for 2 Hours

  • Computer Logins: District residents and non-credit students who don't have a MyOakton login can borrow a generic computer login to use our computers

  • Textbook reserves

  • Class reserves

    • Rock kits

    • SK: Learning Center bone kit

    • SK: topographical maps

Items Loaned In-House for the Day

  • Phone chargers: iPhone, USB C, and Micro USB

  • Universal laptop chargers

  • Remotes for viewing stations

  • Headphones

  • DP: ethernet cords

  • SK: extension cords

Items Loaned One Day

  • TI-84 graphing calculators

Items Loaned for 1 Week

  • Business calculators

  • TI-30 Scientific calculators

  • TI-83 and 84 graphing calculators

  • ESI-R kits

Items Loaned for 3 Weeks

  • iPads

Items Loaned for 4 Weeks

  • DP: Plays

Items Loaned for the Semester

  • Chromebooks

  • Hot spots

  • TI-30 scientific calculators

  • Ti-83 and Ti-84 graphing calculators

  • Physics Kits