Policies

If you have any questions, please contact the librarians at library@alverno.edu.

Library Use

Study rooms

For information on how to reserve a study room, please visit our Study Rooms page.
Students may reserve a study room for a maximum of 2 hours up to 3 times each week.
Each reservation must be made at least one hour in advance as a courtesy to walk-in patrons.
The rooms are first-come, first-served when there are no reservations, but it is each student's responsibility to check EMS and make sure the room is not reserved before entering and at least once each hour they are in a study room.
Walk-ins will be asked to leave if a group with a valid reservation comes in.

Food/drink

Food and drinks in containers with lids are allowed in library spaces. Library patrons are expected to clean up after themselves and notify staff of any spills.

Volume

The Library is an active workspace for students and is not intended to be a silent study space. Parts of the library that are usually quieter include behind the glass wall in the Reading Room and at the north end of each floor of the stacks.
Conversations should be kept at a low speaking volume to avoid disturbing others. Groups in need of louder collaborative spaces are encouraged to reserve a study room for their group work.
Headphones are required whenever listening to music or watching videos in common areas as a courtesy to other library patrons. Headphones are available for checkout at the Help Desk

Library Computer Center (FO-245)

Unless the LCC is currently in use for a class, the door should remain open at all times so that anyone may use it.
Faculty or staff wishing to reserve the LCC must use the EMS desktop client to make their request at least one week in advance. Requests are approved weekly.

Guests

Adult community members are welcome to use the library’s computers, wifi, and in-house materials. Community members who wish to check out items may apply for a community card for a $35 annual fee.
Children are allowed in the library only with the supervision of a parent or guardian. If a child becomes loud or disturbs others, both the adult and child will be asked to leave. The parent or guardian is responsible for the safety and well-being of the child and no children may be left unattended.

Community cards

Community members and alumni are able to apply for a community card with the library that allows access to Alverno items for checkout, some items from other SWITCH schools, and Interlibrary Loan. Community cards do not grant access to library databases from off-campus or to library study rooms.
Courtesy cards require a valid ID and email address as well as an annual fee paid in cash.
Community members not affiliated with the institution are charged $35 annually for a community card.
Alumni are extended free access to the library’s resources for one year after graduation. After one year, alumni are charged $10 annually for a community card.

Filming/photography

Anyone wishing to film or photograph any part of the library should fill out this form at least one business day prior to the requested filming date. This will allow the library to prepare for your visit and determine if any special requests can be accommodated

Donations

In-kind donations are accepted on a case-by-case basis. Materials are added to the collection based on curricular relevancy and need. We reserve the right to refuse donations and to process, donate, or resell donated items that are not suitable for the collection.

Circulation

Borrowers must present their Alverno ID each time they check out library materials and are responsible for all materials checked out under their account.

Textbooks Collection

Items in the Textbooks Collection are only available to Alverno College students. Faculty and staff may not check out these items and are encouraged to purchase their own copies of the materials they assign.
Each item in the Textbooks Collection is available for either 3 day or 7 day loan based on instructor preference, class size, and number of copies available. Duplicate copies may have different loan periods.
Our Textbooks are a closed collection, meaning they are behind our Help Desk and cannot be browsed. They cannot leave the desk unless they are checked out to a student's account, even if the student plans to only use them in the library.
Items in the Textbooks Collection cannot be renewed or immediately checked out after returning so that other students may use them. Students must wait at least one hour after returning an item to check it out again.
Items in the Textbooks Collection all accrue fines at a rate of $2.00 per day and these fines will not be waived except in extraordinary circumstances.
To see what textbooks are currently in this collection search TOPCAT by course number or instructor.

Loan periods

Most materials in the Alverno College Library circulate for 28 days.
Items in the Textbooks Collection circulate for 3 days or 7 days based on instructor preference, class size, and number of copies available.
Equipment circulates for 4 hours or 3 days.
Items in the Reference Collection do not circulate and must be used in the library.

Renewals

Materials from the stacks and the Teaching Materials Collection can typically be renewed twice per item. The renewal period is 28 days.
Materials eligible for renewal may be renewed via each patron’s Library Account.
Items in the Textbooks Collection cannot be renewed or immediately checked out after returning so that other students may use them. Students must wait at least one hour after returning an item to check it out again.

Overdue fines and lost fees

Textbooks and equipment are the only items that have overdue fines, as it’s important these items are returned on time so that other patrons are able to use them. These items are also subject to the lost/damaged item fee. Overdue fines for these items are as follows:
- 4 hour item - $1.00/hour
- 3 day item - $2.00/day
- 7 day item - $2.00/day
Patron accounts are charged $100 for every lost or damaged item belonging to the Alverno College Library or other SWITCH libraries. Lost fees for items obtained through Interlibrary Loan are set by the lending library. Damaged items remain the property of the lending library.
For materials owned by the Alverno College Library, replacement items with an identical ISBN may sometimes be purchased in lieu of paying this fee.
Charges of $50.00 or more will block a patron from borrowing any items until that amount is paid in full.

Food for Fines

Alverno College Library accepts non-perishable food and hygiene product donations for the Alverno College Food Pantry in lieu of cash for overdue item fees.
Each donation accepted by a librarian will result in $2.00 of waived fines.
Food Pantry donations cannot be used to pay lost item fees or overdue fees for items borrowed from institutions other than Alverno College Library.

Requests/holds

Patrons may place holds on items from the stacks and the Teaching Materials Collection by using TOPCAT. Holds cannot be placed on Textbooks Collection items, equipment, or Reference items.
The requestor will be notified via email when materials are available for pick up.

Patron Privacy

Alverno College Library understands that your borrowing history, reference questions, and other data may contain sensitive information about you and we take numerous steps to ensure your data is kept confidential.

Circulation data

Data from all item checkouts and returns ("circulation") is stored electronically under each patron's unique barcode and account ID.
This data is collected, anonymized, and aggregated on a monthly basis by the SWITCH Consortium Coordinator to create use reports based on patron status (student, faculty/staff, or community member.)
Our system, Ex Libris Alma, purges circulation data nightly, maintaining only data from the last 35 days to allow for the creation of these reports. All circulation data more than 35 days old is permanently deleted and cannot be recovered.

Library headcount

Headcount" is an hourly count of the number of patrons utilizing library spaces, including the Library Computer Center (FO-245) and the library's study rooms (FO-236, -238, -240, and -243.)
Headcount data is collected primarily to gauge usage of library spaces during current operating hours. This data ensures that library hours of operation match community needs and provides evidence for altering the hours of operation as needed.
Headcount data is also used to make determinations about the use of library spaces, including needs for furniture and equipment.

Patron interactions

All interactions with patrons are tracked and briefly described by both student workers and librarians through a Google Form.
The Patron Interaction Form collects information about the mode of interaction (e.g. in person, phone, email, Zoom, etc.,) what the question was about (e.g. circulation activities, reference questions, technology problems, etc.,) and, if known, the status of the patron asking (e.g. undergraduate, graduate, faculty, etc.)
Emails sent to library@alverno.edu are accessible by librarians only and are purged at the end of each semester (spring, summer, and fall.)
All data in the Patron Interaction form is anonymized and no personally identifiable information (PII) is collected. Only librarians are able to access the data from this form.
This data is collected to verify usage of all library reference services, determine maintanence staffing levels and budgetary needs of the Library and the Help Desk, and identify recurring questions and consistent patron needs. A brief summary of the data is reported annually to Academic Affairs and other college leadership.

Requests for materials from other libraries

When requests for materials are sent to libraries outside of Alverno, personally identifiable information (PII) including first and last name, school affiliation, and barcode ID of the requester are submitted to those partner libraries.
This data is printed on each hold shelf request slip enclosed in requested materials and this slip is given to patrons when the item is picked up.
In the event a request slip is printed twice or an item is not picked up before the deadline, the request slip and any other paper documentation including PII are securely shredded.

Information shared externally

In cases of harassment, inappropriate behavior, or egregious violations of Alverno College Library or Alverno College policy, librarians will notify Alverno College Campus Safety & Security and may include relevant information about the responsible parties.
Charges for lost items owned by other libraries (including SWITCH, other partner libraries, and interlibrary loan lenders) are reported to the Alverno College Business Office after 60 days only if the patron has not responded to the library’s attempts to discuss payment.
Student workers will never provide information to anyone, including law enforcement, concerning patrons. Anyone seeking information about library patrons must contact the librarians directly. Librarians will uphold FERPA and our profession's commitment to patron confidentiality and will only honor ethical and necessary requests for confidential information.

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