Circulation Policy and Procedures
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Primary
Mission
Patron Registration
Checking Out Items
Returning Items
Non-Circulating Materials
BORROWING PERIODS
Assigned Carrels
Renewals
Recalls
Holds
Course Reserve Materials
Interlibrary Loan
Fines, Overdue Notices and Replacement Charges
Borrowing from Other RALC or WTC Libraries
Primary
Mission
The
primary mission of Morton Library is to serve the information, educational
and research needs of the students and faculty of the RTC.
The William
Smith Morton Library is the shared resource of the Union-PSCE community,
and through the consortial agreement of the Richmond Theological Consortium
(RTC), it provides access to its collection as well as bibliographic instruction
to the students and faculty of Union-PSCE’s consortial partners,
the Baptist Theological Seminary in Richmond (BTSR) and the School of
Theology of Virginia Union University (STVU).
The policies set forth in this document seek to
§ support the educational mission of the RTC schools;
§ ensure for all patrons maximum access to the collection;
§ preserve the collection;
§ satisfy consortial agreements beyond the RTC with
libraries involved in the OCLC interlibrary loan system, the Richmond
Academic Library Consortium (RALC) and the Washington Theological Consortium
(WTC); and
§ permit access to the library’s collection
to individuals in the church and the general public interested in pursuing
serious research and/or instruction.
Patron Registration
All patrons must present an up-to-date William Smith Morton library card with user barcode and patron ID number OR a user barcode affixed to the back of their school ID card in order to check out materials from the collection.
Individuals can register
for library patron privileges by
1. presenting a photo ID with current address,
2. completing a registration form available at the Circulation
Desk of the library,
3. presenting proof that he or she is 18 or older and
4. providing the following materials depending on the
patron status/privileges that the person seeks to obtain:
a) RTC and RALC Students and Faculty
In order to be classified as a student or faculty of the RTC or Richmond Academic Library Consortium (RALC), a potential patron must present an ID card from one of the participating schools in these consortia.
Students who serve as graduate teaching assistants for faculty members may also be registered as proxy patrons for the faculty member with whom they work. Notification of teaching assistant responsibilities must come from the Dean's office or an individual professor. This patron status allows the teaching assistant to borrow materials on behalf of the faculty member. This does require a second library card that is clearly identified as a proxy card, and students must use this card when borrowing material for a faculty member. The loan periods associated with this card are the same as loan policies related to RTC faculty and any circulation activity will display on both the faculty member and proxy patron accounts.
b) WTC Students and Faculty
In order to be classified
as a student or faculty of the Washington Theological Consortium (WTC),
a potential patron must present an authorization letter from the librarian
of the school with which he or she is associated. These authorization
letters must be obtained from their local librarian prior to coming to
Morton Library. The library staff will NOT call the participating library
in order to ascertain if an individual is a part of the consortium in
good standing.
c) Guest Patrons and Extension Patrons
Guest patrons must
present some form of photo identification that includes their current
address. Guest patrons living over 50 miles from Morton Library will be
classified as Extension Patrons. When checking out materials in person
at the library, Extension patrons must produce their patron barcode. Materials
shipped to Extension patrons will ONLY be shipped to the address on their
photo ID card.
d) Alumni/ae Patrons
Alumni/ae patrons are asked to indicate on their registration form the year of their graduation and degree that they completed.
Checking
Out Items
The circulating collection
is available during the regular business hours. Most items checked out
in person are charged and discharged from the main Circulation Desk and
must be checked out at least 15 minutes before closing time every day.
Visual media items (videos and DVDs) are charged in the Instructional Resource Center, between the hours of 8:00 AM and 4:30 PM, Monday-Friday. If you wish to charge visual media at any other time, please make arrangements in advance to have the item(s) left for you for pickup at the Circulation Desk.
Materials sent through the Extension service are charged and discharged
through the library’s Instructional Resource Center.
Returning Items
Borrowers can return materials at the Circulation Desk, in the book drop at the front of the Library when we are closed, or through the mail. Materials returned through the book drop will not be discharged until the following day. Materials returned through the mail will be discharged on the day the library receives the materials.
Non-circulating Materials
Most books, media
and curriculum items are available for lending to all patrons. But certain
materials in the collection do not circulate either because it is essential
that they be available to the entire community at all times or because
of their value. These include
§ Periodicals, bound and unbound;
§ books on course reserve;
§ Items marked “Ref.”, most of which
are located in the Reference room;
§ books marked “Rare”;
§ books bearing a star (*) above the call number;
§ unclassified graduate theses,
§ records or minutes of church courts and archival
records and manuscripts;
§ pamphlets and newspapers;
§ microforms; and
§ vertical file material.
Borrowing Periods
Different privileges
are accorded to different patron statuses.
If a patron falls into several categories, the most permissive of the
patron privileges will apply.
For a table showing details of borrowing periods for all patrons,
click HERE.
Assigned Carrels
No periodicals can be checked out to carrels. Starred (*) books can be checked out to graduate students or faculty with assigned carrels and used only in those carrels. However, any books checked out to a carrel are counted in the total number of books allowed to be borrowed under a person’s patron status.
Every book in a carrel must be checked out properly on the occupant’s account; no unloaned book may be left in any carrel. A fine of $5 will be levied for each periodical or unloaned book left in an assigned carrel. The second time such an item is found in a carrel, the occupant’s carrel privileges will be revoked.
Renewals
Renewals, where permitted,
may be initiated by the patron from the library’s online catalog,
or a patron can request a renewal in person, by phone or by email.
Renewals will not be allowed if a hold or recall is currently active on
that item or if a patron has more than $10 in fines or other charges.
Recalls
Any patron can request
the recall of any item in the circulating collection once the item in
question has been on loan for 3 weeks or in the case of media, once the
media item has been borrowed for its normal loan period.
The library always reserves the right to recall any item from circulation
at any time if it is required for Course Reserves or other instructional
use.
Items that are not returned within four days of a recall notice are fined
at a rate of $1.00 per day.
Holds
On the library’s
online catalog, a patron can place a hold on any item in the circulating
collection that has been charged out to another patron. If a hold is placed
on an item, that item cannot be renewed by the patron who has borrowed
it.
Patrons will be notified when an item that they have requested be placed
on hold has been returned to the library and is now available. The material
will be held at the Circulation Desk for one week after notification.
If the hold was placed on behalf of an extension patron, the material
will be mailed as soon as possible after it becomes available.
Holds cannot be placed on items that are currently available on the shelves
of the library.
Course Reserve Materials
Most materials placed
on reserve are located in the library’s Reserve Reading Room.
However, media will be kept on reserve in the Instructional Resource Center, and items on
closed reserve will be available at the Circulation Desk.
Material on reserve must be used in the Reserve Reading Room (except for
photocopying) or, in the case of media, in the Instructional Resource Center.
Some reserve material can be checked out overnight. A patron can borrow
no more than two reserve books or two reserve visual media items overnight, and such
materials can only be checked out 2 hours before the library closes. Such
items must be returned by 9:30 a.m. the following morning or an overdue
fine will be attached to the patron’s record. See fine schedule
below.
A faculty member may check out items that they have placed on reserve
to use in class. In this instance, the circulation staff will enter a
due date for the material to be returned to the reserve collection.
Interlibrary Loan
The library provides
interlibrary loan services only to RTC students and faculty. Because Morton
library is responsible for returning items on time to the library from
which an interlibrary loan has been received, it is essential that patrons
return such materials on or before their due date.
An overdue notice will be sent to a patron via email the day after an
interlibrary loan item in his or her possession is due. The notice will
indicate that a fine of $1 a day per item is being charged to the patron’s
account. Items overdue 7 days or more will cause a library patron’s
privileges to be suspended.
Patrons holding an overdue interlibrary loaned item are responsible for
all fines and/or replacement costs charged to Morton Library by the lending
library.
Fines, Overdue Notices and Replacement Charges
A. Fines (All patron classes are subject to fines and library charges)
Circulating
Collection overdues: 10¢ per day per item
Course Reserve overdues: 50¢ per hour per item
Interlibrary Loan overdues: $1 per day per item;
Interlibrary loaned Items overdue 7 days will result in suspension of
library privileges.
Recalled items not returned within 4 days of recall notice: $1 per day
per item
Replacement charges: The library staff will determine
the appropriate charge for items that must be replaced in the collection
because of lost items or excessively overdue items. If a hard copy of
an item is in print, replacement charges will be include the cost of the
hard copy plus $30 processing fee. If an item is not in print and a valid
replacement cost cannot be identified, the replacement cost will be $60.
When a patron’s bill for fines or replacement costs exceeds $10.00, that patron’s borrowing privileges will be suspended until the items are returned and the full bill paid.
In extreme cases of noncompliance with Library policy, the patron's privileges will be revoked and the patron barred.
B. Overdue
Notices and Replacement Charges
a. First
notices: As a courtesy to patrons, an email will be sent to patrons
one week prior to a borrowed item’s due date.
b. Second notices: Patrons will be sent either by U.S.
mail or via e-mail (if an email address is available to the library) a
notice that a borrowed item is overdue one week.
c. Third notices: Patrons will be sent either by U.S.
mail or via e-mail (if available) a notice that a borrowed item is two
weeks overdue. This communication will indicate the patron’s borrowing
privileges have been suspended and warned that the next notice will include
a bill for the replacement of the overdue item (replacement cost plus
processing fees).
d. Final notice: A final notice will be sent via U.S.
mail or via e-mail (if available) when a borrowed item is one month overdue.
This notice will be a bill for replacement costs plus a $30 processing
charge. If an item is not in print and a valid replacement cost cannot
be identified, the replacement cost will be $60.
e. Suspension
of Patron Privileges: A patron’s privileges will be suspended
if fines and/or charges to his or her account exceed $10. Privileges will
be restored when all financial obligations have been settled and overdue
items returned. All patrons will be sent a bill for unpaid overdue charges
by June 1 of each year. No patron privileges will be renewed until fines/bills are paid.
Borrowing from Other RALC or WTC Libraries -- Permission Pass Required
Faculty, staff and currently-enrolled students of Union-PSCE, STVU and BTSR also have the privilege of borrowing items from other member institutions of the Richmond Academic Libraries Consortium (for a complete list of those libraries, click HERE). You will need to come to our Circulation Desk or our Reference Desk and ask for a "RALC slip" -- a small piece of paper that we will fill in for you, allowing you to borrow up to five items at a time free of charge from one of these libraries. You need a new "RALC slip" every time you visit one of these libraries with the intention of borrowing items. We will ask to see your current and valid William Smith Morton Library card or student ID with barcode.
Patrons who wish to borrow media items from RALC libraries should make those arrangements with the staff in our Instructional Resource Center.
RTC faculty, staff and currently-enrolled students also have the privilege of borrowing items from the member institutions of the Washington Theological Consortium (for a list of those libraries, click HERE). To do this, you will need to come in person every semester to our Circulation Desk to request a Consortium Form. We will ask to see your current and valid William Smith Morton Library card or student ID with barcode. The lending library will require the Consortium Form and photo ID. They may also limit the number of items you are permitted to borrow, and they will require you to return the items to the library from which they were borrowed.
The borrower will be responsible for returning all items when they are due, and liable for any overdue fines or other penalty charges.
