C. Guidelines
1. General information.
a. Library hours are posted on the front door of the libraries and on the library's web page. Hours between terms, during holiday periods, and during the summer may be modified.
b. Food, drink, and tobacco products are prohibited in the libraries.
c. The library has a rich collection of print and non-print resources. The key to using these resources is our on-line, integrated library system, ALCUIN. It is available through computers in the libraries and across campus.
d. Library personnel include the library faculty, support staff, and students assistants. They are organized to maximize their knowledge, skills, and talents in order to meet patron needs in the most cost-effective manner. Library departments include Acquisitions, Cataloging, Circulation, Collection Development, Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan, Government Documents, Reference, Special Collections and the Music. Within each department, support personnel report to library faculty. Librarians report to the Director of Libraries, who reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean.
e. The Director of Libraries, in consultation with appropriate library personnel, faculty committees, and University administrators, shall be responsible for:
(1) Developing, directing, administering, and evaluating policies and procedures for library operations
(2) Selecting, supervising and evaluating library personnel and defining and delegating responsibilities to appropriate library personnel
(3) Providing an environment in which library faculty and support staff can work effectively and grow professionally
(4) Developing and administering the annual library budget
(5) Monitoring and evaluating library services and operations in relation to the University's mission, goals, and policies, its Strategic Plan, Institutional Self-Study Reports, consultants' recommendations, comparative studies of similar institutions, and generally recognized standards of academic library management
(6) Serving as liaison among the University administration, the Library Committee, other University operations and library personnel
(7) Assuring that library operations are within the guidelines of appropriate federal and state laws and regulations
(8) Representing the University and the library at various local, state, regional, and national meetings.
In the absence of the Director, the line of authority for decision making moves to the Associate Director who will consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the University, if necessary.
f. The Library Committee is a faculty committee composed of six (6) faculty members elected by the faculty, with two (2) students members appointed by the President of the Association of Furman Students (AFS), and two (2) administrative members (usually the Director of Libraries and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean or his designee) appointed by the President of the University. The committee is charged with making recommendations on the policies and operations of the library and establishing guidelines for the disbursement of budgeted library acquisition funds. Traditionally, the committee also assigns library study carrels to faculty.
2. Library File Summaries
This section provides a brief summary of each of the specialized library files in the Policies and Procedures Manual/Faculty Handbook. For detailed information on each topic, please refer to the file number cited.
a. The library provides information access primarily to Furman administrators, faculty, staff, and students. While the library is available for use by other patrons, access and services are more limited and may require prior arrangement with appropriate library personnel. (See File 172.1.)
b. Library acquisitions is dependent on collaboration between faculty and librarians in developing a collection that meets the informational needs of the library's patrons. Each faculty member is responsible for recommending new items for acquisition and marginal items for withdrawal. (See File 178.2.)
c. Six closed study carrels are available for use by faculty engaged in research and writing. (See File 178.3.)
d. The Circulation Department's main goal is patron service. (See File 172.2.)
e. Library materials are housed in collections depending on format, level of use, how classified, and/or when purchased. (See File 176.2.)
f. A selective U. S. Government Documents Depository is maintained by the library in compliance with Title 44 U. S. Code to serve the citizens of the Fourth Congressional District and Furman University. (See File 176.3.)
g. Monetary and in-kind gifts are an integral part of the library's development. Materials received as gifts are fully as important and valuable as items which are bought, and consequently, they are given the same degree of care and handling as purchases. (See File 176.4.)
h. The library, in cooperation with the academic officers, shall publish annually its regular operating schedule and special hours for the entire year. (See File 170.2.)
i. The library will request on interlibrary loan any item which is needed by a patron, but not owned by the library. Items are ordered on a cost recovery basis. (See File 174.1.)
j. The Robert J. Maxwell Music Library is administered by the university libraries. It is located in the Herring Music Pavilion. (See File 176.2.)
k. Patrons have access to reference services and library instruction. (See File 174.2.)
l. Reserves are a collection of materials placed in a controlled access area from which students may obtain a limited number of items which are required reading for all students in a course. (See File 178.1.)
m. Special Collections houses those items which are of archival and/or monetary value and which require limited access to preserve the materials. (See File 176.1.)
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