The University of South Dakota

Printable Policies

Introduction

The University Libraries strive to maintain an environment that is conducive to our mission of supporting the research and other academic endeavors of the USD community of faculty, staff, and students. As a public institution and government document depository, the general public is also welcome to use our facilities. The Library Use Policy has been created to protect the rights and safety of Library patrons and staff to preserve and protect the library materials, equipment, and facilities.

The Libraries and their staff are committed to providing:

• Space that is conducive to research and study.
• Tools for users to find information quickly and efficiently.
• Courteous and respectful service.
• New services and changes to existing services, as needed, to fill users evolving informational needs.
• Access, within legal and license requirements, to the library collections and collections from other institutions.
  

General Library Use Expectations

The University Libraries are committed to: 1) providing an environment conducive to teaching, learning, study, and research, and 2) ensuring a safe and secure environment for its users and staff. Library users are asked to respect  those using or working in the libraries as well as the collections, equipment, and facilities.

The University Libraries are responsible for maintaining the facilities and resource materials for future use. Please assist us in this effort by taking these steps:

• Treat library materials with care.
• Refrain from marking materials with pencil, ink, post it notes, tape, or paper clips; bending corners of pages; or laying books open facedown.
• Copy materials rather than ripping or cutting out pages.

·         Food and drink are permitted in the library, except in areas designated “No Food or Drink.” Please take care when eating or drinking not to spill on library materials and properly dispose of any trash and recyclables in the appropriate receptacles provided throughout the building.

 

The University Libraries strive to maintain a welcoming environment where individuals feel safe to conduct their academic research activities. In support of this goal, the following activities are not acceptable:

Library staff will ask parties engaging in any of these activities to cease the behavior and/or to leave the building. Public safety will escort persons refusing to comply from the building.

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Bicycles & Mopeds |  Cell Phones & Noise  |  Children  |  Community Patrons  |  Computers  |  Computers& Web Use  |  Dress & Clothing  |  Fax  Machine  |  Food & Drink  |  Intellectual Freedom & Web Access  |  Lockers  |  Lost & Found  |  Pets  |  Posting Flyers & Posters in the Building  |  Privacy & Viewing of Controversial and Sensitive Material  |  Publicity  |  Publicity & Solicitation  |  Reserving Space  |  Reserving an Area of the Library for an Event or Class  |  Research Rooms  |  Rooms & Spaces  |  Soliciting  |  Study Rooms  |  Skateboards & Rollerblades  |  Table Tents or Other Publicity on Tables  |  Trash & Recycling  |  Vending Machines  |  Web Content Disclaimer  |  Web Use by Children  |  Wheeled Vehicles
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Cell Phones & Noise

The 1^st Floor of the I.D. Weeks building is a service and group environment characterized by respectful, conversational noise level (this is not a quiet floor). As you move upwards in the building, the level of acceptable noise declines. Individual study rooms provide complete quiet; patrons using group study rooms are requested to keep noise to a minimum so as not to disturb patrons in adjacent study spaces. The 3^rd Floor is the quiet floor.

The University Libraries have designated the interior stairwells other than the central staircase as cell phone friendly locations. These locations have been selected to minimize the impact of cell phone conversations on library users. The entry tower area, library lobby and central staircase are areas that amplify conversations and should be avoided.

Out of respect for those who visit the University Libraries to study and work quietly, please turn cell phones to vibrate or silent at all times while in the building. Please excuse yourself and move to the nearest designated cell phone area if you need to take a call received while at a library service point.

Children

Children are welcome in the University Libraries. The University Libraries cannot, however, assume responsibility for the safety of children left unattended and does not provide a monitoring service. Children under 12 must be accompanied by an adult at all times who is responsible for supervising the child’s behavior, including the child’s use of the Internet. Unaccompanied children will be asked to leave the building by library staff or Public Safety. Library staff will grant an exception to this policy when the child is making bona fide use of government documents or when a letter of sponsorship from a teacher or group leader is sent to the Dean of Libraries noting the child’s need to use research materials and the duration of this need.

Children aged 12 up to 16 may obtain a Community Borrower’s Card when their parent or guardian accompanies them to complete the registration process at the Circulation Desk. Children 16 years and older will receive a Community Borrower’s Card when they register at the Circulation Desk and present a government issued ID (e.g. South Dakota driver’s license, passport, birth certificate, etc.).

Community Patrons

South Dakota residents aged 16 and over register at the Circulation Desk to receive a Community Borrower’s Card, which entitles them to use the computers and equipment in the building and borrow materials. Community Borrower cards must be renewed each year. See Children for borrowing policies for public patrons up to age 16.

Computers & Web Use

Computers

USD provides computers in the University Libraries for USD students, faculty, and staff and the public. Members of the USD population log into these computers with their active, USD email account and password. Members of the public register at the Circulation Desk for a community borrower’s card  and check out a computer on their library card each time they visit. Public patrons may check out a computer for 1 hour and may renew for an additional hour, except during periods of heavy student use or when there is a line for computers. Computers are provided for academic and research purposes.

Prohibited uses of the computers and equipment include all those that violate federal or state laws, or USD/Board of Regents policies, or are inconsistent with the University Libraries’ goals and function. Among such prohibited uses are:

·         Accessing child-pornography sites;

·         Installing software and/or changing settings;

·         Causing physical damage to computers or other equipment;

·         Disruption or obstruction of authorized use of the network;

·         Destroying the integrity of computer-based information;

·         Infringing copyright or licensing agreements;

·         Using computers for private financial gain (e.g., conducting business);

·         Using computers with the intention of threatening, intimidating or invading the privacy of others.

Additional relevant policies:

·         South Dakota Codified Laws §§ 22-24 Obscenity and Public Indecency Definitions: (http://legis.state.sd.us/statutes/DisplayStatute.aspx?Type=Statute&Statute=22-24-27 )

·         South Dakota SB184 Child Pornography:(http://legis.state.sd.us/sessions/2002/bills/SB184enr.htm)

·         Acceptable Use of Information Technology Systems: Board of Regents Policy 7:1:
(http://www.sdbor.edu/policy/7_Technology/documents/7-1.pdf)

·         USD Network Access Policy: (http://www.usd.edu/its/techsupport/Network-Policy.pdf)

·         All USD Technology Support Policies: (http://www.usd.edu/technology/links.cfm?catid=85)

 

Intellectual Freedom & Web Access

The University Libraries embrace the position of the American Library Association (ALA) with respect to intellectual freedom. Those principles are encapsulated in the Library Bill of Rights, which asserts that the censorship of library materials violates the library's obligation to provide information and enlightenment to all users and that libraries must resist efforts to abridge the rights of free expression and free access to ideas, as protected by the First Amendment.

Privacy & Viewing of Controversial and Sensitive Material

The principles of intellectual freedom require that library patrons be granted as much privacy as circumstances and the law allow when they use library facilities and materials. A lack of privacy can inhibit the free pursuit of information. Providing privacy for computer users, however, is difficult, insofar as images on a computer monitor are often publicly visible in a way in which the contents of books or magazines are not. Library staff are not responsible for legal content viewed by patrons on computers and do not monitor computer viewing. When a patron or staff member is offended by content they unintentionally observe, one of the parties will be moved to another location.

Web Access by Children

The University Libraries primarily serve the USD population and adult community members, and because they are committed to providing uncensored access to information, they do not attempt to monitor or control children's access to the Internet. Parents or legal guardians of minor children must, therefore, assume responsibility for their children's use of the Internet via the computers.

 

The Children's Internet Protection Act (CIPA) requires those libraries that receive federal funding via Library Services and Technology Act (LSTA) grants for the purchase of computers or Internet access, or those that receive special federal E-rates for Internet access, to maintain filtering software to shield children from objectionable material on the web. The provisions of the CIPA do not apply to college or university libraries because those libraries are not eligible for either form of federal assistance. (From Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries.)

Web Content Disclaimer

With the exception of certain commercial information products, such as indexes and full-text databases, and web pages created by library employees, the Libraries neither select nor control the contents of websites. The Libraries’ are not responsible for content that may be inaccurate, incomplete, out-of-date, controversial, or offensive to some. Patrons are urged to question the validity of information they retrieve from the web and carefully evaluate its value and appropriateness for their purposes. They should also be aware that most web-based materials are copyrighted and existing copyright laws govern their use.

ALA's Office of Intellectual Freedom (OIF) has dealt with the special issues surrounding the use of electronic information in its publication Access to Electronic Information, Services, and Networks: An Interpretation of the Library Bill of Rights. The fundamental tenet of the ALA's position, as stated in that document, is that "Users should not be restricted or denied access for expressing or receiving constitutionally protected speech." Constitutionally protected speech is all speech not explicitly denied such protection, e.g. libel, child pornography, etc. A corollary of this principle is that the use of filtering software to control access to the web is not consistent with the principles of intellectual freedom. Discussing the application of the Library Bill of Rights to web access in university libraries, the OIF asserts that "content filtering devices and content-based restrictions are a contradiction of the academic library mission to further research and learning through exposure to the broadest possible range of ideas and information."

Dress & Clothing

Everyone entering the University Libraries must wear shirts, pants/shorts/skirts, and shoes at all times while in the building. As customer service providers, library faculty and staff are expected to dress professionally in at least business casual clothing while in the library during business hours.

Fax Machine

For the convenience of library patrons, a self-service fax machine is located on the right just inside the entrance to the I.D. Weeks building.  While receiving faxes is free, sending faxes must be charged to a credit, debit, or check card. Costs for sending faxes: in U.S. 1^st page $1.50 and each additional page $1; internationally 1^st page $4.95 and each additional pages $3.45. Instructions for the use of the machine are displayed on the front panel. 

 

Food & Drink

The University Libraries policies allow library users to have food and drink in the Libraries.  Please observe the following guidelines:

·         Use care when consuming food and drink while using computers and library materials.

·         Dispose of food and drink containers in trash bins or recycling bins.

·         To minimize damage from spills, please use beverage containers with tops or lids (twist top bottles, travel mugs, etc.).

·         Food and drink are not permitted in Archives and Special Collections and other areas designated “No Food or Drink.”

 

Vending Machines

Library patrons report problems with vending machines to and request refunds from the Circulation Desk.

Lost & Found

Lost and found items are stored for up to two weeks at the Circulation Desk on 1^st Floor of the University Libraries and periodically are taken to the Campus Lost & Found located at Public Safety in the Davidson Building. Use the East entrance to Davidson, which is directly south of the library (605-677-5342).

 

Pets

In accordance with USD policy (http://www.usd.edu/facmgmt/campuspolicies.pdf), pets are prohibited in the University Libraries unless they are essential for teaching, research, or for the assistance of persons with a disability.

Publicity & Solicitation

Posting Flyers & Posters in the Building

Circulation Staff must approve, date, and post flyers or posters for the bulletin boards in the Tower and other areas of the Library.  Posters larger than 11” x 17” and not exceeding 36”H x 72”W will be hung by Circulation staff as space permits.  Materials that are posted without the approval of Circulation staff will be removed and discarded.  Flyers, posters, or writing may not be placed on the glass in the Tower and will be removed by Circulation staff.  Library staff wishing to post non-emergency flyers on the front doors of the Library must obtain approval from Circulation staff.

Soliciting

Commercial solicitation or sale of goods or services to students on institutional campuses is prohibited, unless specifically approved by the institutional chief executive officer or that officer’s designee. (http://www.sdbor.edu/policy/3-Student_Affairs/documents/3-7.pdf)

Table Tents or Other Publicity on Tables

Circulation staff must approve and date table tents or other publicity materials before they are distributed throughout the Library.  Any other materials brought in by non-USD organizations must be approved by the Dean. Any materials still remaining after 2 (two) weeks or the date of the event will be discarded. Only one item is permitted per table.

Rooms & Spaces

Lockers

Free lockers for the USD community are conveniently located on the 2nd and 3rd Floors of the building. The Circulation Desk staff checks out lockers with locks for up to a semester. Library materials must be checked out at the Circulation Desk before placing them in a locker.

 

Reserving Space

The University Libraries have two classrooms (Room 205 and 323), one conference room (132C), and several open areas that may be reserved and used for USD-related activities. The classrooms are primarily for library instruction and library-sponsored workshops and seminars. Both classrooms are available for occasional use by USD faculty.

 

·         323 Classroom

Room 323, an electronic classroom, can be reserved by contacting Carol Leibiger cleibiger@usd.edu or completing online form. Reservations for this classroom are not accepted prior to 2-weeks before the event. The faculty member is expected to be present and accountable for student behavior during instruction in these classrooms.

 

·         205 Classroom

Room 205, a smart classroom, is reserved through the library scheduler, Diane Leja at (605-677-3169) and via email at http://rooms.usd.edu/wv3/wv3_servlet/urd/run/wv_request.Request?roomid=,start=,end=

       Room 132C

Conference room (132C) is reserved through the library scheduler, Diane Leja at (605-677-3169) and via email at http://rooms.usd.edu/wv3/wv3_servlet/urd/run/wv_request.Request?roomid=,start=,end= .  Room 132C is a smart conference/meeting room.

 

·         Reserving an Area of the Library for an Event or Class

Contact Circulation staff to reserve an open area of the building for an event or class meeting for up to four hours. Circulation posts signs in the areas to inform users of the reservation. Table areas will not be reserved during heavy study periods such as the final two weeks of the semester and the exam period.

 
Research Rooms

Faculty, Emeritus faculty, visiting scholars, and graduate students may request a semester-assigned research room(formerly called faculty studies). Assignments are based on one or more of the following criteria:

·          Applicant is engaged in a research or writing project that requires uninterrupted study for more than a few days.

·         Applicant needs extended access to a large number of library circulating and/or reference materials.

·         Applicant is engaged in USD committee work that requires uninterrupted study and storage of large amounts of textural materials.

 

Study Rooms (Dedicated Use Rooms)

Individual and group study rooms are available to members of the USD community at the Circulation Desk on 1st Floor by checking out a key using your USD ID card.  Groups of at least two may check out group study rooms. Smaller study rooms are available for individuals. Patrons using group study rooms are requested to minimize noise levels, so as not to disturb patrons in adjacent study rooms.

Trash & Recycling

Trash and recycling bins are located throughout the Library for the convenience of library patrons. Library staff manages the Library’s recycling program and encourages patrons to participate.

Wheeled Vehicles

Bicycles & Mopeds              

USD policy (http://www.usd.edu/facmgmt/campuspolicies.pdf) prohibits parking bicycles or Mopeds (powered bicycles, scooters, or small motorcycles) in the University Libraries.  Racks for parking bicycles are located near the entrance.

Skateboards & Rollerblades

University policy (http://www.usd.edu/facmgmt/campuspolicies.pdf) prohibits the use of skateboards, rollerblades, or other similar devices inside the libraries.  Navigating on, jumping, or performing stunts from the library steps, handicap ramps, or sidewalks around the libraries are also prohibited.

 

Approved by Operations Group on 082009