5.B.3 Policies, regulations, and procedures for systematic development and management of information resources, in all formats, are documented, updated, and made available to the institution’s constituents.
Before commenting on this indicator, view these items.
1. All of the library’s policies are available on the website. Each is a detailed policy.
2. Please take special note of the Collection Management Policy, updated at least every 3 years.
3. All library procedures are documented and constantly revised in the Library Operations Manual. (view Table of Contents) The manual is in print form at the front desk and in electronic form on one of the shared drives.
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9 comments:
At our last meeting we really breezed past this indicator on policies. As hotlinked in this post, the Library's policies are posted on our website. I would like to request that each of you review one of these policies and comment, even briefly, with observations or questions you may have about that policy. To avoid duplication, please review the policy attached to your name.
Student Borrower--Suzanne, Marci; Community Borrower--Alan; Collection Management--Candace,Mike; ILL--George; Faculty/Staff Borrower--Danny,Dave; Course Reserves--Joella. Thanks!
The community borrower policy seems very clearly laid out. It instructs the potential user to provide contact information to use the resources and forewarns them of consequences for not returning items. I would suggest that instructional media materials ie. Career dvds be used in the library on two hour reserve or as reference materials
Good analysis, Alan, on the community borrower policy. As you observed, we require some documentation from the borrower, trying to strike a balance between being friendly and open to the Helena community and being responsible stewards of the college's library collection.
As for your suggestion on career items on reserve or reference, as outlined in our Course Reserves Policy, faculty and staff can always ask to have items placed on reserve. We follow this guidance from them.
I've copied the student borrower policy below.
My one comment might be to add wording that the business office may place a hold on the student's account if the replacement fees are not paid. The hold will prevent the student from registering as well as accessing other services such as transcripts.
Students usually don't worry about transcripts, but they get panicked when they can't register because of a hold. The word "hold" has power in their college vocabulary.
A current UM-Helena student ID is necessary to check out library materials. You can obtain a student ID from Admissions & New Student Services.
• Books in the general collection may be checked out for a period of 2 weeks.
• Videos, CDs, DVDs and other audiovisual materials may be checked out for 1 week.
• The most recent issues of magazines do not circulate, but may be used in the library. Back issues of magazines circulate for 2 weeks.
• All items are renewable once if they are not requested by another patron. Renewals may be made in person or by phone. All items are subject to recall after 2 weeks, if requested by another patron.
• Library materials more than 30 days overdue are considered lost. If an item is lost, you will be billed the replacement cost of the item. If the item is no longer in print, you will be billed the average cost for a book/video in the same general subject area. If a magazine issue is no longer in print, you will be billed a flat $15 fee.
• Bills for lost library items will be transferred to the Business Office for collection. The Business Office will add the amount due to your student account and may withhold academic transcripts and other university services from you until the amount is paid in full.
• Borrowing privileges will be suspended if your bills are transferred to the Business Office, and/or recalled items and interlibrary loan materials are not returned on time.
Great suggestion, Suzanne. The more explicit,the better. I will make an edit to our policy and on our website.
• Videos, CDs, DVDs and other audiovisual materials may be checked out for 1 week.
I like the time you can check out a DVD, 1 week, but like our book inventory, not enough selection. I know the library's job is not to be a movie rental, but having some entertaining selections would bring students in and foster a favorable concept of UMH in the student's mind.
I was wondering if it was time to starting drafting. Earlier Janice had divided the policies among us. Would that be a place to start?
Interlibrary Loan Policies:
We have an extensive system of interlibrary loaning, not just fron the UM system, but the entire state, including Public librarys. Everyone benefits, UMH can get books it could never collect from Missoula or elsewhere, and small, severely budget challenged librarys from the numerous little towns in Montana can get books from us. The catch, a relativly strick system of replacement costs and /or fees is enacted to make sure the parties involved give the borrowed items back. If not, the loaner can cut off the loanee. In my view, this is the only way it can work. The interlibrary loan polices are built on trust and responsibility, if a particular library violates this, stickem.
At the December 19, 2008 meeting of this committee, it was asked what has been the formal approval process for the library's policies, regulations, and procedures? After discussion with the Academic Dean, I have added the following entry to the introduction of the Library Operational Manual to clarify this point.
"This manual documents the procedures, guidelines, and conventions that direct the day to day activities of the UM-Helena Library, as approved by the Library Advisory Board and reviewed by the Dean of Academic Affairs. It is revised on an ongoing basis and is reviewed at least once a year for accuracy and currency."
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