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LIBRARY MISSION

LIBRARY POLICIES

LIBRARY STAFF AND LOCATIONS

LIBRARY HOURS

Library Mission

The Briarcliffe College Library System is dedicated to providing high quality support and research services to students and faculty. In order to achieve this outcome, the libraries seek to:

• Support the goals of the College, the academic departments and the administrative divisions;
• Support the bibliographic and general informational standards of the diploma, associate and baccalaureate degree programs;
• Provide students information literacy instruction to improve their basic research skills and prepare them to continue their education after graduation as well as begin their careers with investigative research proficiency;
• Aid in the development of analytical, critical thinking and organizational skills in students; and
• Maintain an ongoing enhancement of services that further support the bibliographic and informational needs of the College.

Library Goal Statement

The goals of the Briarcliffe College Library System are:

• To improve the information literacy of students by providing information literacy training for all relevant classes;
• To develop and implement a plan to provide support and services to online students;
• To provide students and faculty the resources in all formats (print and electronic) to support academic programs;

Library Policies

• Borrowing Policies
• Collection Development
• Computer Usage
• Interlibrary Loan
• Lost Book Policy
• Non-Briarcliffe Library Usage - Library Research Program
• Printer Policies
• Student Orientations and Workshops
• Textbooks on Reserve Policy
• Event Requests

Borrowing Policies:

All Briarcliffe College students, faculty, and staff are permitted to take out circulating material with proper identification that has been entered and bar-coded into the library systems. Specific rules of circulation are as follows:

Reserve Books - Loans are for 2 hours. Students may not remove books from the library unless there has been an arrangement made between the instructor and the library. Late books receive a penalty of $1 per day until the end of the current day then $10 a day thereafter. Books that are over a week late will result in the borrower being billed for the entire value of the book as well as any accrued late fines.

Circulation Books - Patrons may take out circulation books for up to 28 days with a maximum of 7 books. Books that are late accrue a late fine of 15 cents per day. Severely overdue books will result in being charged for the entire value of the book and accrued late fees.

VHS Cassettes/DVDs - Video recordings are for faculty use only. Students may take out videos only with the express permission of the managing Librarian. Those borrowing copyrighted material for classroom usage must follow Briarcliffe College Copyright Clearance Protocols.

Collection Development:

In order to support the mission of the College, the library has developed a collection development policy.

Budget priority will be given to the purchase of new materials to directly support curriculum needs of the major disciplines in the college. This will be followed by general education materials and then lastly to popular and general interest materials.

In order to acquire materials of direct relevance to the students, the College Librarians will take the following steps to address collections needs:

1. Review current literature and reviews of material including, but not limited to Choice, Publishers Weekly, and Booklist
2. Consult faculty in appropriate areas to a) recommend new materials to be acquired and b) find what research students are doing so that new materials may be purchased to support student needs.
3. Acquire quantitative and qualitative feedback on current materials and databases, including trial databases.
4. Measure current usage of materials to discern the needs of particular subject areas in the curriculum.

Computer Usage Policies:

In order to efficiently promote the use of library resources for academic work, content filters have been enabled on designated work stations.

We understand that there are many sites that you need in order to do research. If you find that there is a site that you need unblocked send an email to: JDevito@bcl.edu or leave a note for the library director at the circulation desk. The message must indicate the following:

1. The URL (internet address) of the site you wish unblocked.
2. The reason why you need that site unblocked (it must be for valid academic purposes).

If approved the unblocking process can take up to 24 hours. Your feedback will enhance the resources available here at the library.

Interlibrary Loan Policies:

Briarcliffe College is a member of LILRC, and can access books and articles that are owned by other libraries. To request specific articles please come to the library during normal operating hours and fill out an interlibrary request form located at the circulation desk. Please allow up to two weeks before arrival of requested materials. You may also request material from other branch libraries for overnight delivery. Just speak to one of the staff at the circulation desk.

Lost Book Policy:

All borrowers are included in this lost book policy. A borrower is responsible for returning materials in the same condition in which the materials were loaned and to return them in a timely manner. The library alerts borrowers when an item is overdue. Lack of notice, however, does not mean the borrower is exempt from these responsibilities.

Borrowers are notified when an item is overdue. At the end of the month the item was due, if the item was not returned, the borrower will be charged for the replacement cost of the item plus a $20 processing fee. The charge is applied to the patron's account at the Bursar. If the item is returned, the charge is reversed and the patron will only be responsible for overdue fines.

If a patron claims an item has been returned but it is showing as "overdue" or "lost" in the catalog and is not on the shelf, a Fine Appeal and Claim Form must be completed by patron. The item will be classified as "claimed returned" for a two month period (or until the week before the end of the semester) and the patron may continue to borrow books for that time. The library staff will make a concerted effort to locate the item. If the item is found, the patron will be notified and all charges removed. If the item is not found after that two month period, the item will be classified as "lost" and the patron will be charged for the replacement.

Any patron with library fines over $5 will have their account blocked until the fine total is brought under $5. Patrons who repeatedly have lost, overdue or damaged material may have their borrowing privileges temporarily suspended.

Other Library Usage:

Briarcliffe College as a member of the LILRC consortium has access to other research libraries in the Long Island region. Please enquire about gaining access to these libraries at the circulation desk during normal operating hours. For more information concerning this program and the list of participating libraries please see http://www.lilrc.org/progsvce/rlp.php.

Printer Policies:

Printing is free up to 50 pages per student per day. If a print job is going to be more than 50 pages, the patron should contact the librarian to determine whether the print job can be consolidated or if there can be a waiver in this policy.

After 50 pages, there is a 10 cent per page charge.

Student Orientations and Workshops:

Faculty may request, in advance, for an orientation with the Librarian. Please feel free to email Jennifer Devito at JDevito@bcl.edu to request an orientation. Please include the course code, number of students, date, time, and content of class.

Textbooks on Reserve Policy:

It is our goal at the Briarcliffe College Library to create an environment supportive of the programs of study and the intellectual development of Briarcliffe College students. Reserve copies of some textbooks are available in the library. Textbooks may be used in the Library for up to two hours. A valid Briarcliffe ID is needed. Reserve textbooks are not a substitute for purchasing your own copy of the required class textbooks.

Textbooks are a part of a student's expected cost of education and it is the student's responsibility to acquire them. An instructor may choose to place a copy of a textbook on reserve for a particular course.

Required textbooks for classes are generally not purchased by the Library. There are several reasons for this:

• Textbooks are designed to be used by students in a course of study. They are needed throughout the course and frequently in class.
• Purchasing textbooks puts us in direct competition with the bookstore. Libraries generally try not to do this.
• Textbooks are updated frequently. It would be a strain on the library's budget and the library staff's time to maintain a current selection of textbooks on all three campuses.
• The library has limited funds to spend on materials. Purchasing textbooks for three campuses would significantly impact our ability to purchase other important material.

Possible Exceptions:

• A faculty member may donate a textbook to be held on reserve.
• The library may purchase a textbook if it is determined to provide the only or the best coverage of a particular subject or topic.

Event Requests:

The library encourages the use of its space for special events and presentations. Please contact the Library Director if you have a presentation that you would like to have in the library.

Library Staff and Locations:

BETHPAGE LIBRARY INFORMATION

Located at 1055 Stewart Avenue, Bethpage, NY 11714

Phone - 516-918-3627

PATCHOGUE LIBRARY INFORMATION

Located at 225 West Main Street, Patchogue, NY 11772

Phone - 631-730-2006

QUEENS LIBRARY INFORMATION

Located at 30-30 Thomson Ave., Suite 502, Long Island City, NY 11101

Staff Directory