Borrowing Policy

Course Reserves Guidelines

• Campus Community Guides Policy & Guidelines

  Purpose: 
  Campus Community Guides are an online publication platform through which interested faculty and staff can share and promote BSU campus-related communities and events. This publishing service is provided by the Maxwell Library.
  
  Campus Community Guides are open to faculty to promote and share information about BSU initiatives, departments, programs, groups, communities of interest, and events.

  Goals:

  • Utilize the MaxGuides publication platform (LibGuides CMS, published by Springshare) for online delivery of information not directly related to Maxwell Library resources and services.
  • Provide an online publication platform to facilitate communication among BSU communities of interest.
  • Improve communication and interaction between BSU service providers and their constituents.

  
  Responsible Use:
  Campus Community Guide content must adhere to Bridgewater State University’s Responsible Use of Information Technology policy and to best practices.
  
  Policies:

  • Content must be related to BSU events, programs, centers, initiatives, departments, student groups, or outreach.
  • Faculty/Staff should contact the Campus Community Guide administrator to set up a Campus Community Guide. One or more faculty/staff may be assigned editing permissions to the same Guide.
  • Liaison librarians and the Campus Community Guides administrator will provide training, support and consultation to Guide content providers.
  • Course-specific related material, as a rule, should be placed in MaxGuides Course Guides. However, Campus Community Guides can be used for course-specific material that is not library-related. Faculty are urged to consult with a Maxwell Library Reference specialist when publishing course-specific material.
  • The LibGuides CMS platform provides cloud storage space for images that appear within the Guides. Neither the LibGuides CMS server platform, nor the Maxwell Library, provides server space for downloadable content such as PDFs, Word documents, or audio files.
  • The underlying software platform that supports the Campus Community Guides requires some mediated actions and services provided by a system administrator. While the Library is committed to providing as open an online publication option as possible to the BSU community, Campus Community Guides content providers cannot act in total independence of Maxwell Library staff.
  • While the underlying software platform allows for some customizations and user interactivity, Campus Community Guides do not and cannot provide a “blank-slate” web publication opportunity. The Campus Community Guides administrator will work with content providers as needed to optimize their Guides, with the underlying understanding of the platform limitations.
  • As a rule, students will not be allowed content-provider accounts. However, the Maxwell Library MaxGuides system administrator will consider, on a case-by-case basis, allowing student’s access when there is a documented need provided by the BSU faculty/staff member responsible for the Campus Community Guide.
  • When “friendly” URLs are assigned to Campus Community Guides or pages within the Campus Community Guides, users are asked to include “campus/” as part of the URL string (e.g. library.bridgew.edu/guides/campus/guidename).
  
  
  
  
   
• Children in the Library Policy

  While Maxwell Library welcomes patrons of all ages, visitors with children should be aware that the library is housed in a busy, multi-use facility. Classrooms, faculty and administrative offices, as well as various service units can all be found in the building. Multiple entries and exits points are located across the site.
  
  Because the library’s primary constituency is the students, faculty and staff of the university, along with visiting researchers from other institutions, we provide a wide range of materials—books, DVDs, journals and other resources—that express a variety of perspectives. Some content and illustrations may be inappropriate for use by children.
  
  Concern for the safety and well-being of children, recognition of the needs of the BSU community, as well as proper stewardship of library resources prompts the following:

  • A child is defined as anyone under the age of sixteen who is not registered as a BSU student.
  • A responsible adult (i.e., parent, guardian, teacher, etc.) must accompany children in the library at all times. Unaccompanied children will be reported to Campus Police.
  • A child who is disruptive, uses library resources inappropriately, or damages library materials or equipment will be reported to Campus Police.
  • Maxwell Library computers are intended primarily for the use of Bridgewater State University students, faculty, and staff. The computers do not have content filters. If children are given access to computers, the accompanying adult is responsible for the children’s use and viewing. (Separate, stand-alone computers provide access to just the library catalog.)

  Please note that the University’s Responsible Use of Information Technology policy applies to BSU students, faculty, staff and all other users. 
  
  Library staff members are not expected to act as police officers nor are they expected to search for accompanying adults or determine the ages of children. Any problems we encounter will be reported to Campus Police.

  
   
• Intellectual Freedom Policy

  Intellectual freedom is essential for the development of library collections and services offering diverse perspectives to meet the educational and research needs of the Bridgewater State University academic community. Maxwell Library endorses the intellectual freedom guidelines expressed in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights and the Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries as adopted by the Association of College and Research Libraries. These documents provide the basis for the principles listed below.

  1. The library acquires materials in support of Bridgewater State University’s instruction and research programs reflecting a wide variety of viewpoints on subjects that may be considered controversial. Material will not be excluded from the collection because of the political, moral, religious, sexual, social, economic, or scientific views expressed.
  2. The library’s preservation and replacement efforts will attempt to ensure that balance in library materials is maintained and controversial materials are not removed from the collections through theft, loss, mutilation, or wear.
  3. The library offers open and unfiltered access to the Internet to the Bridgewater State University academic community for uses in compliance with the University’s Responsible Use of Information Technology policy to further research and learning through exposure to the broadest possible range of ideas and information.
  4. The library affords equal access to information for all in the Bridgewater State University academic community without discrimination on the basis of race, values, gender, sexual orientation, cultural or ethnic background, physical or learning disability, economic status, religious beliefs, or views.
  5. Maxwell Library has established procedures for material review. Individuals who wish a review of materials, displays, or exhibits may request a review by completing the Request for Review of Library Resources form.

  Review of Challenged Resources Procedure

  1. Individuals or organizations within or outside of Bridgewater State University who request a review of materials should read library’s Intellectual Freedom Policy and Procedure before completing the <Request for Review of Library Resources form>. Completed forms should be forwarded to the Chair of the Library Program Area (LPA) who will bring the issue to the entire LPA for consideration. 
  2. The LPA will review the concerns and contact the complainant. 
  3. The LPA Chair and Collection Development librarian will keep records of all requests for review of library materials. 
  4. The LPA Chair will submit a completed form detailing the challenged material to ALA’s Office for Intellectual Freedom for inclusion in their confidential database on challenged materials. 
  
  
  
  
   
• Library Instruction Room Use Policy

  Purpose:
  The purpose of this policy is to delineate the use of Library Instruction Room (L-112), also know as The Ratna Chandrasekhar Information Literacy Center (RCILC), in Maxwell Library at Bridgewater State University. The RCILC Room was designed for use by librarians to offer classroom instruction in library (or bibliographic) instruction, library orientation, research support, or information literacy. It is not intended to be an open-access lab, general-purpose classroom, or meeting room.

  Policy Statement:
  The RCILC enables librarians to teach information literacy to groups within the physical library environment, to have ready access to research materials, and to encourage users to become familiar with the wide variety of information resources.

  Applies to:
  This policy applies to all students, faculty, and staff of Bridgewater State University and to all other users who are authorized to access information technology at Bridgewater State University.

  Responsibilities:

  1. Faculty members may choose to schedule a library instruction session in their regular classrooms or in L-112. Faculty members who wish to schedule a library instruction session may do so by completing an <instruction session request form>.
  2. Once a class has met with a librarian for a session, the course instructor may request the use of L-112 one additional time in the semester so students may continue their library research. The faculty member must remain with the class during the session. The room must be reserved no more than one week in advance.
  3. L-112 may only be used for library orientation and research purposes and cannot be reserved for any other purpose, except as outlined in points 4-6 below. These exceptions are generally only made during non-peak instruction times.
  4. Other library departments may reserve the room for training and/or demonstrations. Such requests will be routed through a Reference librarian who will check the availability of the room.
  5. All other requests for using or reserving the room will be reviewed by librarians. The requester generally will be notified within 24 hours if the room is available for the intended use. (The room may be reserved no more than one week in advance.)
  6. The room may be opened at the discretion of the Reference Librarian on duty for use as an open-access lab, primarily during final examinations week

• Library Lost & Found Policy

  Found items may be turned in to the Access Services Desk on the first floor of the Library. Items considered a potential health risk will be discarded.
  
  At the end of each semester, unclaimed articles of clothing will be discarded or donated to charity, and all print or paper items will be recycled or destroyed.
  
  The owners of mobile phones, laptops, wallets, and other valuable items will be contacted if the owner's name can be determined. At the end of each semester, all lost items such as wallets, BSU ID cards, keys, mobile phones, and other valuable electronics will be turned in to BSU Campus Police.
  
  If you have lost an item and want to see if it has been turned in, please email [email protected] or call (508) 531-1392 to speak with a staff member.
  
  Please Note: If you believe you have lost an item elsewhere on campus, you can check with University Police to see if your item has been turned in. Contact the BSU Police Department at [email protected] or 508- 531-1212.

• Library Services for Massachusetts Residents

  As an academic library, Maxwell Library’s primary clientele are the students, faculty, and staff of the University. The Library also allows individual members of the community to register to borrow materials and to use online resources in person in the Library.

  Borrowing Registration:
  Individuals, 16 years and older, may register for a borrower's card with proper identification, such as a driver's license or other form of state photo ID with current address. All borrowers must register in person. The Library does not allow organizations or groups to register. Once registered, the borrower’s card is valid for one year from the issue date.
  
  Borrowing Privileges:
  Visitors with a borrower’s card are welcome to check out up to 6 (six) items from the library’s circulating collections at one time. This includes books, DVDs, and CDs. The loan period for books is 30 days. The loan period for DVDs and CDs is 7 days. Visitors are free to browse and use on-site newspapers, periodicals, reference materials and all other non-circulating items.
  
  Electronic Services and eResources:
  To use the library’s online databases, e-books, and online periodicals, visitors must request a temporary guest account (username and password) at the Access Services Desk by presenting a valid picture ID. The guest account is valid for the day that it is issued and expires when the Library closes. Guest accounts are available for request 15 minutes after the Library opens and up to 30 minutes before closing. Guest accounts allow visitors to print up to 15 pages free of charge. There are no Internet filters on any public computer, and all users of university computers must abide by the University’s Acceptable Use policy.
  
  Reference Services:
  Librarians and staff teach users how to develop research strategies and conduct research inquiries; we guide users into becoming independent researchers and life-long learners. Community visitors who need help with research projects may use the library’s online chat, contact Reference Services (508-531-1394) or the Educational Resource Center (508-531-1304).
  
  Interlibrary Loan, Document Delivery Services, and Commonwealth Catalog Services are not available to non-BSU affiliates but may be requested through local public libraries.
  
  Study & Meeting Space:
  At this time, the University cannot accommodate requests for study or meeting spaces.

• Library Users' Rights & Responsibilites

  The Maxwell Library is committed to creating a safe, welcoming space where mutual respect, intellectual collaboration, and active learning find a home on the BSU campus. All library users, librarians and staff share responsibility for maintaining a scholarly environment.
  
  As a library user, you have the right to:

  • A welcoming, inclusive study space
  • A clean, comfortable and safe building
  • Courteous assistance from librarians and staff
  • Access to library resources, regardless of one’s race, religion, gender, sexual orientation, ethnicity, national origin, disability, or age
  • Ask others to refrain from behavior that is not conducive to study and research
  • Request assistance from librarians and staff to maintain an appropriate scholarly environment

  As a library user, you have the responsibility to:

  • Interact respectfully with other users, librarians and staff
  • Carry your Connect card at all times when in the Library and present it to Library staff upon request
  • Refrain from disruptive behavior that hinders others’ access to an environment supportive of study, research and collaborative scholarship. This includes:
    • Behavior that contributes to excessive noise levels
    • Threatening, intimidating or harassing behavior
    • Behavior that is potentially unsafe (running, throwing objects, etc.)
  • Maintain a quiet atmosphere in designated quiet study areas
  • Help preserve library resources by refraining from marking, defacing or damaging library materials and equipment
  • Return borrowed items in a timely manner and in good condition (see Borrowing Policy).
  • Comply with directions and requests from librarians and staff.

  Library users may request assistance from librarians and staff at any time to address disruptive behavior. Library staff will identify themselves as staff members and request that users comply with Library rules. Failure to comply with requests to cease inappropriate behavior or to comply with library policies may result in the staff member asking to see a student ID, asking the user to leave the Library, or removal from the premises or other disciplinary sanctions. University Police may be called to assist if circumstances warrant. Multiple infractions may result in loss of some or all library privileges.
  
  If you have questions or comments about these rights and responsibilities, please contact the Maxwell Library administration (508-531-1255).