Students could find certain books missing from the Olin-Chalmers shelves, with the introduction of a new semester-long checkout policy.

Library and Information Services (LBIS) has switched from three-week checkout intervals, with a renewal option, to semester-long checkouts with no renewals, according to Joan Nielson, who oversees circulation as LBIS’s manager of access services. The change applies only to books — the checkout policy for other materials remains the same.

“It’s a partial shift where Kenyon-owned books will be more available to Kenyon students with the goals being ease, accessibility and a decrease in fines and renewal problems,” Nielson said of the new policy. Nielson explained that this semester will serve as an experiment to see how long students hold on to books and if they manage to keep track of them over long periods of time.

“I expect a lower number of checkouts and renewals, as well as a decrease in work needed to reshelve,” Emma Avery ’18, a circulation employee, said. Avery said this change will not affect the length of time for which Consort or OhioLINK books may be checked out.

Some students fear the policy change will make certain texts more unavailable.

“For books that we only have one of, I could see it causing problems,” Izzie Davies ’17 said. Davies recently checked out one of Kenyon’s limited number of books on Inuit populations, and said, as a forgetful person herself, she might keep the book for the entire semester accidentally.

Jen Cabiya ’18 agreed, saying. “I think this could lead to more competition among students, especially students in the same classes, as the limited number of books on some subjects might cause some tension,” she said.

All LBIS books checked out by Kenyon students this semester — with the exception of those professors have reserved for use in their courses and texts checked out on a year-long basis to senior honors students — will be due on Dec. 15, 2015.