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Table of Contents

Important Telephone Numbers

Introduction

Jerome Library

Basic Information

General Policies
Circulation and Access
Requirements for Borrowing
Loan Periods for Faculty
End of Academic Year Return and Renewal
Renewals during the Course of the Semester
Overdues and Fines

Course Reserve and Other Resources for Teaching and Research

Putting Items on Course Reserve
Faculty Permission for Research & Graduate Assistants for Proxy Borrowing
Photocopying

Finding and Getting Material

Reference Contacts
Obtaining NW Depository & Firelands Books, Searches & Recalls
OhioLINK Consortium
Traditional Interlibrary Loan

Managing My Library

Keeping Track
PINs
Documentation
Lost Books, Billing and Account Reconciliation

Additional Information

Other Resources for Faculty Members

Introduction

Jerome Library, Access Services

Access Services is the department within the University Libraries that handles circulation of Jerome general collection materials, main Reserve materials, and materials requested through OhioLINK, Interlibrary Loan and branch libraries. Through the main circulation desk, this department also handles patron registration in the library database (as does the Science Library and Firelands Library), permission for graduate research assistants to check out material on a faculty member's account, fines and billing for overdue materials and lost books, and various other financial transactions including, selling basic supplies, making change, etc.  Mary Beth Zachary (mzachar@bgsu.edu) is the Head of Access Services; Colleen Coughlin (colleen@bgsu.edu) is the Coordinator of Circulation. If you have any questions about the following information, please feel free to email them directly, call the library's main circulation number (419-372-2051) or email circdesk@bgsu.edu.

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Basic Information

General Policies

The holdings of the University Libraries at BGSU are a shared resource for the entire university community. The mission of academic libraries often includes access to and circulation of materials. Another significant portion of the mission of academic libraries is the preservation of materials for future generations of researchers and scholars. The mission to preserve the collections and ensure equitable access to the entire scholarly community affects many of the University Libraries' policies, including borrowing, renewal and return policies, assessment of overdue fines, and billing policies and procedures.

In general, all borrowers are expected to inform themselves of the BGSU-specific conditions under which they borrow materials and adhere to those conditions. These conditions include, but are not limited to:

Recognizing these materials are a shared resource that individual patrons have borrowed and other people have the right to use them. All items may be recalled after a minimum two week loan period if another BGSU patron requests them. Items going on Reserve will be recalled immediately. The OhioLINK loan period is a state-wide agreed upon loan period based on a shared commitment to equitable access for all patrons within the consortium. Returning books promptly on or before their due date if they are no longer needed ensures that other patrons can browse and borrow those materials.

Keeping borrowed materials in good condition. Please do not allow books to be damaged by liquids or other foreign materials, do not write in or highlight books, do not fold or tear pages, remove sticky notes or other bookmarks from the books before returning them, and keep them away from dogs.  Items that have significant damage may be billed to the borrowing patron for the cost of repairs/replacement.

Understanding that items borrowed on your account are your responsibility. Any time that you lend books on your account to another person, you are assuming the risk of incurring overdue fines or lost book charges. Regrettably, charges incurred under the above circumstances cannot be waived, and we can only bill the account of the person who initially borrowed the material. TAs and GAs working for faculty should have the faculty member fill out and sign a Research Proxy Borrower Form, and submit it to the circulation desks of Science or Jerome library to minimize borrowing for your faculty member.

• Tracking dates and times items are due. Main Stack, Interlibrary Loan and OhioLINK Items have the date due stamped on them at the time of checkout. In addition, BGSU and OhioLINK due dates can be viewed online by checking the borrower's library account. ILLiad users can check due dates online through the ILLiad online interlibrary loan system.
• Different items may be borrowed under different conditions. OhioLINK books can be checked out for three weeks and renewed four times unless "on hold" for another. Interlibrary Loan materials have different restrictions than regular BGSU main stacks items. Some specialized material may not leave the building.  Most materials checked out from the Music Library, Curriculum Resource Library, Reserve Room, or signed out from the Periodicals desk or the Reference Desk must be returned to those desks. Check the due date stamped on the material/check your library account/ask at the service desk where you borrowed the material.
• Fines are assessed for overdue OhioLINK materials.
• Long overdue, lost or damaged materials will be billed.

Circulation and access

Jerome and Science main collections are open stack collections; patrons are free to browse and select their own materials from the circulating collections and periodicals.

Music has some open stacks; items are checked out through the Jerome main circulation desk. Many more materials are in closed stacks; they are requested, checked out and returned only through the Music listening center window.

Curriculum Resource  materials generally circulate through the main desk at Jerome, but certain teaching aids are a closed collection and must be requested and borrowed directly from the Curriculum service desk.

Brown Popular Culture is a closed collection; you may request material through the Popular Culture service desk and they will locate it for you; these materials may not leave the Popular Culture reading room.

Archives: These are closed collections. Contact the Center for Archival Collections and the Historical Collections for the Great Lakes directly to discuss access to their collections.

Hayes Presidential Center materials appear in the BGSU online catalog but arrangements to see the material must be made through the Hayes Presidential Center in Fremont, Ohio. This Center is not part of the BGSU library system and sets its own policies regarding access to the collection.

Requirements for Borrowing

One needs an account in our database and a BGSU faculty ID. Please come to the main circulation desk at Jerome, Science or Firelands libraries, complete a patron registration form, and staff will create an account for you. You must present your faculty ID each time you borrow books – use of the BGSU ID for identification purposes is a campus wide University policy. For policies regarding graduate assistant access to your account see the Proxy Borrowing procedures in this document.

You must have your BGSU ID with you every time you wish to conduct business in the library. You are responsible for notifying us of any address changes each semester.

At the end of Spring Semester, each year, all BGSU materials must be physically presented for renewal or returned.  Any overdue OhioLINK item must be returned or renewed.

Loan Periods for Faculty

There is one due date for faculty for general collection materials, usually one week after the end of Spring Semester.

Special collections (Music, Curriculum) have differing loan periods depending on the type of material.

Loan periods for Reserve items are 2 hours, 1 day and 3 days depending on the specific item.

OhioLINK books from another university can be borrowed for 21 days and renewed four             times unless "on hold" for another person. OhioLINK non-book items can be borrowed for 7 days with no renewals and no grace period OhioLINK books will be held for pick up for 10 days. OhioLINK media will be held for pick up for five days.

All borrowed materials may be recalled at any time. Due dates may shorten for recalled material. You will receive a notice if a book has been recalled from you.  Recalls for items that are going on Reserve are subject to immediate recall without the usual 14 day minimum lending period.

End of Academic Year Return and Renewal

At the end of the academic year (generally in mid-May), faculty privileges will expire in our database until all borrowed BGSU materials are physically presented for renewal or returned at Jerome, Science, or Firelands Libraries. You may still borrow materials on an expired account, but online functions will be automatically blocked (e.g. OhioLINK requesting, remote access to online databases, online renewals, etc.) until your account is clear of all materials due the previous year.  If you have questions or problems email circdesk@bgsu.edu or call 419-372-2051.  If you do not have borrowed materials, contact any circulation desk in person, or by email using your BGSU email account to request updating your account through the next academic year. While we attempt to keep accounts current, statuses change hourly.  Updating all accounts is not automatically done. Please assist us by notifying us of your request.  

If you do not return or renew your material, at a certain point will be billed for lost books. If within two years after being billed, you find a lost book, return it to the appropriate library and you will be credited all but a small portion of the charges.

Renewals during the Course of the Semester

Some materials, notably OhioLINK items and material from t special collections, have shorter loan periods and must be renewed before the universal faculty loan period ends. There are three methods available:

If the material is not yet overdue, self-renew online. Choose the "My Library Account" option on the BGSU Libraries home page and login.  Choose which items you want to renew, click the "renew selected items" button, and make a note of the new due date that the system assigns. Double check the due date the system assigns and make sure that the system accepted your renewal -- some items cannot be renewed, e.g. items on hold or recall and OhioLINK items that have been renewed once already. It is an excellent idea to frequently check your account using My Library Account.

If the material is already overdue, call the telephone renewal line, 419-372-2133.  We strongly suggest you have the materials with you when you call. At a minimum, you must know the barcode (each item has a label with a computer code) and title of each item you want to renew in order to renew by telephone. Follow the directions of the circulation staff with regard to documenting renewal dates.

All materials may be renewed at the circulation desks where the item was borrowed by bringing the materials in person.

Items that have been recalled or are on hold for another patron cannot be renewed.

• NOTE: You may not renew by telephone at the end of the academic year. At that time all BGSU material must be physically brought in to renew the item.

Overdues and Fines

Under certain circumstances, faculty are charged overdue fines. OhioLINK materials accrue fines at $.50 per day per item. Statewide policy dictates these fines and BGSU Libraries may not waive them.

The due date for OhioLINK material is stamped on the OhioLINK band.  However, for most other locally owned materials, faculty are not charged overdue fines.

Everyone is assessed charges for long overdue/lost materials. Charges include the replacement cost of the item, a processing charge plus accrued fines, if applicable. Lost material charges are sent to your bursar account.

You are responsible for tracking due dates for borrowed material. Initially, each item has a due date stamped on it.  In the event of any uncertainty, check your own account or ask a circulation staff member to do it for you.  

In the case of telephone renewals, note the new due date for each item and following the instructions of the staff regarding documentation of the renewal.

If you choose to self-renew online, you are responsible for making sure the system accepted your renewal, and for notifying us as soon as possible if there is a problem.

At the end of the academic year (generally in mid-May), your privileges will expire in our database until you present in person all borrowed materials for return or renewal at either Science, Jerome or Firelands. If you do not return or renew your material, at a certain point you will be billed for lost books.

Reminder: OhioLINK materials are assessed a $0.50 per day fine per item.

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Course Reserve and Other Aids for Teaching and Research

These policies apply to placing items on Reserve in Jerome Library, Science Library, Music, and Curriculum. Please contact the special collections for additional policies and guidelines. In order to ensure timely placement of materials on reserve for your courses, please follow these guidelines and policies. Contact Jerome Reserve staff (419-372-7908) or the Special Collection staff involved, as soon as possible if you have any questions about the process.

Putting Items on Course Reserve

Photocopies may be placed on electronic reserve. See the E-Res page for more information, or email Head of Reserves, at eres@bgsu.edu.

Collect all materials or photocopy all materials you need for your courses well in advance, and bring them to the appropriate Reserve desk 3-5 days in advance of when they will be needed by your students. BGSU libraries cannot pull material for you and cannot photocopy material for you. Materials are processed for courses in the order in which they are received--at the beginning of the semester, you may find yourself at the end of a long queue if you wait until the minimum 3 days before the material will be assigned. A timeline for submission of materials is available from the Head of Reserve (call 419-372-7908 or email eres@bgsu.edu).

Complete and sign either an Electronic Reserve From or a Tangible Reserve Form. All photocopies must include complete citation information.

Personal materials or non-library materials must be handled on a case by case request. Security of personal materials is not guaranteed. All such materials will be returned to the course instructor at the end of the semester.

The University Libraries will remain copyright compliant in our dealings with materials for reserve.

The following items may not be placed on Reserve: OhioLINK items, Reference materials, Interlibrary Loan materials, closed stack materials, and Library copies of periodicals. Specific Reserve units may also restrict additional items. Check with the individual Reserve unit if you have any questions.

Photocopies must be submitted with a completed, signed Reserve form. All photocopied material must comply with the requirements of US copyright law. It is the instructor's responsibility to insure copyright compliance.

Faculty Permission for Research & Graduate Assistants for Proxy Borrowing

For conducting proxy borrowing, print the PDF online form available on the library web site or pick up a proxy borrowing form at the Jerome or Science Library circulation desks. Once the form is completed, signed by the faculty member, and returned to either circulation desk, the person so designated may borrow books, place holds, and make OhioLINK requests on the faculty member's account. 

Present your own ID and tell the staff member that you need to borrow the materials on the faculty member's account. An OhioLINK book can only be borrowed on the account from which the request was made.

The proxy borrowing service is only available to contracted assistants.  It is not available for family members or friends.

For exceptional situations contact Mary Beth Zachary via email at mzachar@bgsu.edu or call 419-372-2054.

We strongly recommend you neither ask others to borrow items on their accounts for you, nor lend items that are on your library account to other people. If it is necessary for us to bill for lost, overdue or damaged items, we can only bill the person who borrowed the item, not another party, unless another person signs to accept the billing.

Photocopying

BGSU libraries provides self-service copiers for our patrons. The photocopiers on the main campus use the BG1 Card. There is a machine to add value to your BG1 Card in the Jerome Library and in the Bowen-Thompson Student Union.

In some cases, faculty members may obtain copy cards by arrangement with their home department.  Departmental secretaries know the procedure for obtaining such cards.

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Finding and Getting Material

Reference Contacts

Reference faculty and staff at the Jerome and Firelands Libraries and in the Special Collections are invaluable contacts for learning about BGSU's many citation and full-text article databases, e-journals, the OhioLINK central catalog, and other research resources.

Contact the main research and information desk at 419-372-6943, chat or email via Ask-a-Librarian, or stop by the reference desks of Jerome or Firelands Libraries.

Obtaining NW Depository & Firelands Books, Searches & Recalls

BGSU materials housed in Northwest Depository and Firelands materials will appear as requestable in the BGSU online catalog. Questions? Contact the Circulation Desk in person or at circdesk@bgsu.edu.

Firelands material is delivered to Jerome Library on Tuesdays and Thursdays; NW Depository materials are usually available the next business day.

Searches

If the material you want is listed as available in the online catalog but is not on the shelf, notify the circulation desk at the appropriate library and they will initiate a search. You must do this in person or via email using your BGSU email account; we cannot take searches over the phone. You can then request the material through OhioLINK if you need it quickly. The majority of items are found -- however, since items on search are by definition out of place, it is difficult to say when or even if they will be found. If the material is found, you will receive a notice to pick up the material at the appropriate circulation desk.

Recalls

If the material is checked out to another person, ask the circulation staff to process a recall. You must do this in person or via your BGSU email account; we cannot process recalls over the phone. We will put a hold on the item for you and recall it from the patron who currently has it, as long as they have had it for a minimum of 2 weeks. (The exception is a BGSU owned-item that is going on course reserve. You must fill out and sign a course reserve form and the Reserve staff will recall the material immediately).

Materials can also be requested through OhioLINK if you need it quickly--patrons do not always return recalled material on time. You can do this online without recourse to the circulation staff. Once the recalled material is returned, you will receive a notice directing you to the appropriate circulation desk. We are not able to recall BGSU items that are checked out to OhioLINK patrons.  

OhioLINK Consortium

OhioLINK is a consortium of colleges and universities in Ohio that share their resources. You can request any circulating materials online through the OhioLINK online catalog and have it delivered to Jerome or Firelands Libraries for pick-up.

OhioLINK resources effectively increase BGSU's holdings by millions of volumes. There are currently more than 85 colleges and universities participating in OhioLINK, among them Ohio State University, Ohio University, University of Toledo, Medical College of Ohio, and Oberlin College. In addition, you may borrow directly at any OhioLINK university when you present your valid BGSU ID.

Requesting

You can search the OhioLINK Central Catalog for needed materials. Request items online by following the directions on the screen. You will be asked for your name and P# (university ID number) and the desired pickup location. The system will send your request to the lending institution. If there are multiple copies, the system decides which one to request, generally.

Tracking the status of your OhioLINK requests

We will send an email pick up or cancellation notice to you.  Check via the “My Library Account” option via the BGSU Library web pages.  The “items currently checked out” link will show your OhioLINK requests

OhioLINK requests that are being processed have a status of “Requested.” OhioLINK items that have been processed and sent from the lending institution have a status of “In transit.”  OhioLINK items have been received and are ready to pick up have a status of “Rcv'd.”

Picking Up, Borrowing and Renewing

OhioLINK materials are held at the circulation desks of Jerome or Firelands (depending on which location you chose) and are borrowed like BGSU materials. OhioLINK material usually arrives within 2-4 business days. However, because it is a statewide system, speed can depend on the lending institution's processing speed, the delivery schedule of the carrier and the weather. Most material can be borrowed for a 21 day loan period and can be renewed four times.

If material is not overdue, you can renew it online through the "My Library Account" option available on the Libraries' web pages.  If the material is already overdue, call the telephone renewal line (419-372-2133) at Jerome to renew it over the phone or present the materials for renewal at the Circulation Desks. Return OhioLINK material at the main circulation desks of Jerome, Science or Firelands.

OhioLINK non-book media (sound recordings, CDs, videos, etc.) have a special loan status. These items can be borrowed for one week only, no renewals are possible and no grace period applies. We only keep items on the hold shelf for five days. Check your account frequently to avoid disappointment.

Fines will be assessed for all overdue OhioLINK items. These fines accrue at $.50 per day per item and may not be waived.  Since OhioLINK items have a shorter loan period than general collection materials checked out to faculty members, periodically checking My Library Account online for due dates is prudent.

Traditional Interlibrary Loan

If needed material is not in the BGSU or OhioLINK catalog, or it doesn't circulate through OhioLINK, request it through Interlibrary Loan. For articles, check the electronic journals or full text databases available through the BGSU and OhioLINK menus -- you may be able to print a full text version of the article directly to your desktop. If the article is not available in full text, request the item via ILL. 

For help, Ask-a Librarian or ask for help at any of the reference desks in the Libraries. Although similar in some ways to OhioLINK, Interlibrary Loan has separate policies and loan periods and is a much larger international library consortium.

Some of the key differences for traditional ILL borrowing are: Materials that BGSU owns may not be requested (even if someone else has them checked out or they are non-circulating);

Borrowed items may be restricted to use within the library only; loan periods are different depending on the lending institution;

Items may not be renewable.

ILLiad is BGSU Libraries' online interlibrary loan request system. You can create a personal account, submit requests online, track the status of your requests, and receive email notification of arrival. Please read the ILLiad FAQ for more information.

ILL materials can take from 2-4 weeks to arrive and sometimes take longer, depending on the lending institution. You can track the progress of your requests via ILLiad. There is a description of the meaning of ILLiad statuses in the ILLiad FAQ.

Online Article Downloading and Research Databases

You can print full text articles from many Research Databases and Electronic Journals. For more information, consult the staff at one of the reference desks or Ask-a-Librarian online.

These full text articles print directly or download directly to the desktop. If you are trying to connect to these databases from off-campus and are having difficulties, call Jerome Reference at 419-372-6943 or Jerome Main Circulation at 419-372-2051. 

You may need large capacity removable storage media in order to download in the Libraries.

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Managing Your Library Account

Keeping Track

You can view your library account online via the Libraries web pages. You will need to input your Name, BGSU Id number and create a PIN the first time you enter your account. Questions or problems? Call 419-372-2051 (fastest service) or email circdesk@bgnet.bgsu.edu.

• Click on “# items currently checked out” to see a list of your current borrowed items and due dates, with the option to renew.
   
• “# of requests outstanding” will list items that you have requested through OhioLINK and their status, as well as any items that you have recalled or searched.
   
• Recalled, “on search” or Northwest Book Depository/Firelands items that you have requested show “Ready for Pickup” if they have been returned, found or delivered.
   
• OhioLINK requests have various statuses -- when the status is “OhioLINK Rcv'd,” the item has arrived locally and you can pick it up. See “OhioLINK consortium” in this document for more information.

PIN Numbers

To insure the privacy of your library account, the University Libraries has implemented a PIN program. You select your own PIN to use when accessing your library account. The use of this PIN will insure that you and only you have access to the information maintained in your library account.

To set your PIN the first time:

• leave the PIN field blank on the first screen and click the "Submit" button;
• on the following screen enter your chosen PIN twice to confirm the number. Your PIN must consist of any combination of alpha-numeric characters. Please use at least 6-8 characters for your PIN. Remember your PIN.

You are the only with access to your PIN. Remember what you selected. If you cannot remember the PIN you may contact any Circulation desk in person, by telephone or from a BGSU email account. We will delete the old PIN so a new PIN can be created.

Documentation

On occasion, it can be helpful to print out of the items borrowed on your account (before returning material at the end of the semester for example, to ensure that everything that you turned in (or thought you turned in) comes off your account in the library's database). This documentation also helps if you want to re-request a book that you once had and can't remember the citation. Once an item has been returned or checked in, we cannot recover the title or call number. Use “My Library Account” to print the items checked out to you or ask the circulation staff to provide you with a print of your current account. If you see any anomalies while viewing your account, please let circulation staff know immediately so we can correct or investigate the problem. 

Lost Books, Billing and Account Reconciliations

As soon as you know there is a problem with a library item, please contact the circulation.  Fines stop accumulating when you tell us of a problem.

We encourage you to respond to all library notices as quickly as possible. If you do not respond when the first overdue notices are sent and you are subsequently billed, even if the item is later returned, you will still be charged a portion of the processing fee, although a substantial proportion of the charge will be credited to your bursar's account.

BGSU items billed as lost include a charge for the replacement cost of the item, a $36.00 processing fee, and any applicable overdue fines.

OhioLINK items billed as lost include a $75.00 replacement fee, a $35.00 processing charge, and any applicable late fines.

Questions or problems?  Email circdesk@bgsu.edu from your BGSU email account  or call 419-372-2051.

If you have lost an item borrowed from any Special Collection, contact the staff where the material was borrowed.

OhioLINK

You will be responsible for all accumulated fines until you notify us that there is a problem. If you think you returned an OhioLINK item and it is still appearing on your account, contact us immediately so that we can stop the fines accruing and ask the lending institution to check its shelves. The item will stay on your account, however, until the item is either found, billed and returned.

Billing and refunds for lost material

An item will be billed as lost if it becomes long overdue.  If an item is returned within two years of the billing date, a substantial credit will be made to your Bursar account.

OhioLINK items that are declared lost are billed at $75 for each book, a $35.00 processing fee and any overdue fines accrued before you notify us of the problem. If the item is returned within two years, a credit will be transmitted to the Bursar for $75. Per OhioLINK statewide agreements, no refund will be given for the processing fee or any overdue fines.

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Additional Information

Other Resources for Faculty Members

The Ramona Cormier Faculty Reading Room on the 8th floor of Jerome library is a quiet study area reserved for faculty use only. The keys can be borrowed at the main circulation desk at Jerome library -- these keys may not leave the library. Please treat the Reading Room as a study area, not a lounge -- the same rules regarding food and drink, smoking, talking loudly when others are working, etc. apply in the Reading Room as in the rest of the library. This room is not available for meetings.

The Electronic Reading Room on the first floor of Jerome Library contains multimedia web stations and printers for library research. This room is open to the public when classes are not scheduled. Email, chat and games are not allowed. For assistance contact the Reference Desk at Jerome. For workstations capable of word processing, email, etc. use the library computer lab or computers run by ITS.

Food and drink are permitted only on the seventh floor of Jerome Library. There are vending machines available on the seventh floor.  Beverages in spill-resistant containers are permitted in many areas of the Libraries.

A computer classrooms operated by Information Technology Services are located on the first floor of Jerome Library as are other computers for general use. Questions concerning the classrooms may be directed to ITS.

The Reserve Room in Jerome has typewriters, televisions with video and DVD players, streaming video capabilities, and closed circuit television access for general use.

Lockers are available for temporary storage in Jerome while the library is open. Ask at the main circulation desk to check out a key for a locker.

Faculty may apply for a lokmobile - a wheeled, lockable cart in which you can store checked out materials, etc. for use in Jerome Library.  Application forms are available at Jerome circulation desk.

Each Special Collection has resources available specific to its collection. Please consult the appropriate staff for information.