Maine Reciprocal Borrowing Program

Bates College is not currently participating.

Colby, Bates and Bowdoin colleges are transitioning to a new library system which does not currently integrate with the MRBP.

We have contracted to get an integration built. We hope to be back in this wonderful walk-in patron system for Spring 2024.

The first priority of the Ladd Library is to serve the needs of the students, faculty and staff of Bates College. Reference services are available to the public, but are limited by the library’s responsibility to serve the Bates community first.

The MRBP does not replace the need for strong public and school libraries, which are essential to the life of the community. The library asks you to rely on your own library for reference and recreational reading materials. Materials continue to be requestable and delivered to patron’s home library through MaineCat.

Ladd Library provides library services to the public, we do not provide the public with word processing, printing, internet searching or other general computing services. We ask that you use your own equipment or your home library for such services. As a limited resource and in fairness to other patrons, public access computers may be limited by library staff. Our equipment and database licenses allow walk-in patrons to use resources such as the catalog, periodical indexes, government information, and other electronic collections for your research. Licensing for some of the college’s databases restricts access to use only by Bates students, faculty, and staff and those resources are not available to guest patrons.

Interlibrary loan (Illiad) borrowing services through Bates College are not available to MRBP patrons. ILL borrowing services must be requested through your local library.

Circulation Policies for MRBP 2019 Pilot
Adults in good standing from participating MRBP libraries may borrow from the Ladd collections on a limited basis. A valid library card and a photo I.D must be presented at check out.

  • A maximum of 10 items total may be checked out at any one time.
  • Books circulate for 4 weeks, with one 2 week renewal period.
  • Video and sound recordings are limited to one item at any one time. They circulate for 1 week, with no renewal.
  • Reference materials, periodicals, and newspapers may not be taken from the building.
  • Fines may be assessed for overdue, lost or damaged materials by your local library. Contact your local library for all questions regarding due dates, fines, and renewals.
  • Borrowers must comply with all regulations of the library.
  • Borrowing privileges may be revoked without notice.

All materials are subject to recall for course purposes and must be returned immediately.

Material borrowed must be for personal use; nothing taken from the library may be placed on reserve or other similar use at another library or school.