Procedure 307.08: Circulation of Library Materials

Registering as a User

Students are automatically registered for the quarter in which they are enrolled. All employees are registered automatically once their employment documents are completed. Community users register at the main library counter, and must provide picture ID and proof of residence within Grays Harbor or Pacific Counties. Community user registration expires on June 30^th, after which it may be renewed.

General Notes About Community User Privileges

Informational materials (books, DVD’s, etc.) may be borrowed by a community patron, but are subject to recall if requested by a student or employee for college related use. Community users may not borrow equipment without special permission from the Director of Library Services. Conditions of access to on-line services are typically governed by contract with the company providing the service (see that section below.) Interlibrary borrowing is not provided to community users.

Circulation Periods, Availability of Renewals, Notices, How Overdue and Lost Status is Determined

1. Printed books in the main collection:
   1. Circulation period: 2 weeks for students, staff, or community users; faculty for 90 days; loans to other libraries for Interlibrary Loan are for 30 days. All items may be renewed twice, unless another user has requested it. Other special circulation periods may be established if usage requires.
   2. Status: Materials kept beyond the stated due date will generate three overdue notices: A courtesy notice on the due date. The second notice seven days after the due date. And a third notice fourteen days after the due date. 14 days from the third notice, 28 days from the due date, the status of the materials will be designated as being lost and will be dealt with as explained in section E below.
2. Non-circulating printed books: certain books may be designated non-circulating, so they may be reliably available for quick reference; also, certain expensive or irreplaceable materials may also be designated as non-circulating.
3. Printed journals:
   1. Circulation period: 2 weeks for students or employees. Requests from other libraries will be met by scanning and emailing the article (consistent with copyright law) rather than lending the issue. Journals do not check out to community users.
   2. Status: Overdue processes are the same as for books (see section C.1.2 above.)
4. Audio Visual Materials (discs, tapes, etc.)
   1. Circulation period: students, staff, and community users 3 days, faculty 28 days,
   2. Status: Overdue processes are the same as for books (see section C.1.2 above.)
5. Electronic Resources: we will attempt to offer all e-materials to all users at all times and at all places with electronic access. However, contracts with individual providers may prohibit this, and we will comply with those contracts. The most common contracts allow use of the e-resources by anyone from computers within the library, but prohibit remote use by persons other than GHC students or employees, who will need to authenticate to verify their student/employee status when attempting to use from off campus.
6. Equipment: Only students and employees may borrow equipment. We request faculty to notify library staff of projects being assigned, and students will need to identify the class project to qualify for loan.
   1. Regular equipment:
      1. Circulation Period: Due dates set individually, based upon the use of the equipment.
      2. Status: Overdue processes are the same as for books (see section C.1 above.)
   2. Expensive: equipment either higher priced, or delicate, will be designated expensive, and may be restricted to in-library use only. These are only available to students or employees.
      1. Circulation period: Due dates set individually, based upon the needs of the project or the request of the department who owns the equipment.
      2. Status: Failure to return at stated time due will result in its immediately being designated as lost (no overdue notices).
7. Academic Reserves: (Printed materials and equipment)
   1. Library owned:
      1. Circulation periods available include: 3 hour library use only; overnight; 3 day; 2 weeks, or for full quarter, as selected by the instructor or the material type. Instructor may contact us with permission to offer variance for an individual circumstance.
      2. Status: Failure to return at stated time due will result in its immediately being designated as lost (no overdue notices.) We may contact the course instructor to assist in obtaining the return of overdue or missing reserve materials. Reserve materials do not have the same privacy as other library materials, and an instructor can be notified which students have course materials.
   2. Instructor owned: Circulation periods and status designations are the same as for Library owned. Materials will be bar coded, and if requested by the owner can be secured like other library materials. We may contact the course instructor to assist in obtaining the return of overdue or missing reserve materials. Reserve materials do not have the same privacy as other library materials, and an instructor can be notified which students have course materials.
8. Interlibrary Loans which we borrow: due dates, renewal availability, and all status determinations will be set by the lending library.

Use of Installed Equipment: Including Guest Computers, Printing, etc.

Access and conduct regarding computers as described under Board Operational Policy 407, section IV.A.21 and Board Operational Policy 521 shall apply to all library users, and all equipment types. Most computers are available to registered students only; a limited number of machines are set up for general access. Since these are intended for quick reference use is restricted to 30 minutes, although students may use them longer when no other machines are available. Excessive printing is discouraged. Free printing is not available to community users.

Fines, Fees, Costs, and Penalties

1. No penalties are levied solely on the basis of an item’s being overdue from the collection of the John Spellman Library.
   1. However, as described in section C above, after a period of time items will be considered lost, and replacements may be ordered, and the policies described in this section will apply.
   2. Materials borrowed from another library through Interlibrary Loan may have penalties established by the loaning library for overdue materials. See section 2.2 below.
2. Amounts due for lost or non-returned information resources:
   1. Books, journals, audio visual materials owned by the Spellman Library: once an item has been declared lost costs will be charged at its original purchase price, plus $7.50 processing fee. If that original price cannot be determined, cost will be estimated at an average cost of $40.
   2. For Interlibrary Loans borrowed from another library: Fines due to a lending library for overdue or loss/damages will be passed on to the borrowing user; routine costs of borrowing such as shipping, or transaction fees charged by the owning-library, will be absorbed by us.
   3. Under Board Operational Policy 517, registration in classes, campus service, etc. may be denied if a fine or fee is owed to the library. Individual voluntary arrangements for remittal of outstanding debt may be arranged.
3.  Equipment:
   1. If not returned, then costs will be charged at full original cost plus $7.50.
   2. Kits returned with parts, media cards, or cables missing: with permission from library staff, borrowers may be allowed to replace the missing pieces. Advanced permission must be obtained, however, to ensure the replacement is acceptable. If not replaced, patron will be charged the amount of the damaged part, a processing fee of $7.50, and any cost incurred for repair, including through the GHC IT department.
   3. Damaged: if damaged beyond our ability to repair, then costs will be imposed as if it were lost.