Library Policies: Patron Services Procedures

PATRON SERVICES:  PROCEDURES

BUILDING AND FACILITIES USE

The following procedures serve as guidelines for library staff to follow when the occasion demands an action of some kind to ensure the proper functioning of the library, and the safety and security of the persons and materials within.

Alumni rights and privileges

Alumni may check out books in the circulating collection.

Alumni may use magazines, journals and newspapers within the library.

Drury University alumni may use reference resources and indexing and abstracting tools, whether print or electronic, within the library. Student needs for electronic database access will take precedence over alumni use. Because of licensing restrictions, alumni may not access electronic databases remotely.

Alumni may use Interlibrary Loan with an alumni card.

Alumni with an alumni card may use the computers in the Computer Lab or on the first floor of the library.

Drury University alumni may reserve library rooms at the discretion of the librarians, though not for commercial use or financial gain.

Other persons affiliated with the university

This group consists of guests of Drury University, including visiting scholars, speakers and presenters, retired Drury faculty and their dependents (not including adjunct faculty who are no longer employed by Drury University), Summerscape participants, Mature Learner participants, and Springfield Art Museum employees.

They may use magazines, journals and newspapers within the library.

They may use reference resources and indexing and abstracting tools, whether print or electronic, within the library. Student needs for electronic database access will take precedence over use by this constituency.

They may use the computers in the Computer Lab or the first floor of the library, with the permission of a librarian.

Summerscape participants, Mature Learner participants, and Springfield Art Museum employees may check out books in the circulating collection.

The constituencies of consortia partnerships

This group consists of the students and faculty of LIBRA, SWAN and MOBIUS member institutions.

Students and faculty of the LIBRA consortium may use the print and electronic collections within the library (Members of LIBRA are Baptist Bible College, Central Bible College, Cox Hospital North, Cox Hospital South, Evangel University, the Forest Institute of Professional Psychology, Missouri State University, Ozarks Technical Community College, Southwest Baptist University, Springfield-Greene County Library, St. John’s Hospital, the Springfield Art Museum, and the Springfield News-Leader Newsroom Library).

Students and faculty of the LIBRA, SWAN, and MOBIUS consortia may check out books in the circulating collection.

The Public

Drury University is a private educational institution, and as such, has the responsibility to ensure that the services, facilities and equipment offered by it are primarily used to support the teaching and research needs of the students, staff, and faculty of the university. Therefore, library staff has the right to ask any patron for identification.

The public is restricted to the use of the print collections within the library. The public may only use computers to verify the presence of specific materials in the print collections of the library, and may not use the computers for any other purpose. Members of the public are not allowed to use a portable computing device equipped with wireless technology to access the Internet or any of the electronic collections of the Olin Library.

Library staff will, in some instances, provide assistance and access to materials for patrons who have no Drury affiliation, and will be happy to assist such patrons who have reasonable research needs that can only be fulfilled by materials in our collection. Access to the print and electronic collections is granted at the discretion of the Reference librarians and the Director of the Library.

Study areas: Seminar Rooms 203 and 214, Conference Room 122, Classroom 006

These rooms are for the use of students, staff, faculty, and alumni of the university. Reservations may be made on a week-to-week basis only, and may not be placed on a regular schedule. Exceptions to this are the standing faculty governance committees and the use of Classroom 006 and Seminar Room 203 by the Registrar’s Office for the teaching of semester courses.

Bibliographic instruction sessions have priority over a group study hall.  Repeated or irresponsible or disruptive behavior shall be cause for removal from a room and the loss of reservation privileges, under the guideline that an oral warning shall precede a decision for removal or loss of privilege.

Telephone reference

Telephone reference calls should be handled by the librarian or the student reference assistant on duty. If that person is occupied with another question or otherwise unavailable, the call should be routed to another librarian. If the call can’t be routed, a call back should be arranged. Telephone reference should entail bringing readily found information to the desk and relaying it to the caller. If it seems that finding the information will take more than a few minutes, the librarian or reference assistant should ask for a call back rather than placing the caller on hold. If the information requested is such that it would be difficult to convey over the phone, the caller should be encouraged to come to the library when a reference librarian will be on duty to assist them.

Problem areas of library service

Beverages are allowed in the library provided they are in “spillproof” containers, which are understood to be containers with screw-on lids, push-pull tops, or lidded thermal mugs. Tobacco use is not allowed in the library.

Noise. Disruptive noise is not permitted. Library staff shall determine what is disruptive. Ordinarily, one request for quiet should suffice. A second request for quiet may result in a request to leave the library. If necessary, Drury Security (x7400) will be called to assist.

Disruptive behavior. Disruptions could include sexual displays, vandalism, harassment of any kind, vagrancy, trespassing, etc. Generally, a staff response should be to call Drury Security (x7400) and ask for assistance, describing the person or persons causing the disturbance to the Security Officer.

Walkouts of library materials can generally be handled by politely asking the person to return to Circulation where a proper checkout can occur. If, however, a request to return to the Circulation Desk is refused, Drury Security should be immediately called and a description of the person given to the Security Officer.

Library employees may ask anyone in the library for identification. If a request for identification is refused, the library employee should immediately call Security (x7400) and ask for assistance.

Suggestions and complaints. Library users may make suggestions or register complaints via two methods. Patrons who want to register a complaint may do so with a library staff person, either at the Reference Desk or at Circulation. A complaint form is kept in a folder in a file cabinet at the Reference Desk. The user should be directed to fill out the form as completely as possible. Also, suggestions and complaints may be filed by filling out a suggestion form and placing it in the Suggestion Box, both of which are located just to the west of the entranceway.

Reviewed 08/21/08