Mission and Policies

Mission and Goals

Library Mission

The Library is committed to providing resources and services that support and enhance the Core Values of Harper College. We respond to our patron's informational needs by developing, maintaining and providing access to a balanced collection of materials and services that reflects the full range of diversity of the college community.

Library Goals

To acquire, provide, and preserve access to books, periodicals, and non-print material that best support and enrich the curriculum.
To teach library patrons how to find information and evaluate it effectively.
To create an educational environment that encourages and advances learning.
To provide sufficient study space, computer workstations and accommodating hours of operation.
To provide a formal library instruction program detailing general and subject-specific research skills for students, employees, and the community.
To assist faculty in ordering materials that will enhance classroom performance.
To cooperate with other Libraries and consortia in sharing resources to provide optimal access to information.
To evaluate library resources and services on a regular basis and to participate in the College institutional program review process.
To encourage the use of the Library by building awareness of our collections, resources, and service.

Policies

Library Code of Conduct

The Library Code of Conduct supplements but does not replace the Student Conduct Code as printed in the student handbook. The Library administration, faculty and staff are fully authorized to interpret these guidelines and apply them to patron behavior as the situation warrants.

Any activity that interferes with the rights of other patrons to use the Library, or that is potentially harmful to oneself or library users, staff, the facility, or our resources, is considered disruptive or unacceptable. All library users have the right to read, write and reflect in a safe, quiet and clean environment. In order to protect these rights the Library staff enforces the following policies:

Quiet Study Area:

The North side of the 2nd floor of the Library is a designated Quiet Study Area. Please refrain from:

Cell phone usage of any kind
Socializing
Using headphones at a level of volume audible to others

Persons disrupting the Library’s quiet atmosphere will be asked to cease such activity, use a group study room, or leave the Library.

Cell Phones in the Library:

All cell phone usage in the Library should be kept to a minimum. It is expected that you will consider the disruption that the use of a cell phone may cause to others who may be trying to study. If you must be on a call, choose a non-sounding setting device or set your ring at the lowest level of sound. Keep your conversations short and your voice low enough to ensure that the sound does not carry to others around you.

Food policy:

Certain food and drink items are allowed in most areas of the Library if consumed responsibly. Patrons are expected to clean up after themselves, discarding trash in appropriate containers and notifying staff immediately of any spills.

Food is limited to snack or wrapped items which are consumed individually. No group meals, fast food, or open plates of food are allowed. The delivery of food to the library for library users is prohibited.
Drinks are limited to those in closed containers such as covered cups, pop cans, or water bottles.

For the preservation of the books and computers, no food or drink is allowed in and around the computers or book shelves.

For your safety and the safety of others:

Library patrons are requested to have valid identification with them at all times.
Children 14 and younger must be quiet and directly supervised by an adult. Unaccompanied children will be reported to Public Safety after reasonable attempts have been made to contact the parent or guardian. The Harper College library accepts no liability or responsibility for the safety of children in the Library.
Keep personal items secure at all times. Belongings found unattended will be given to Public Safety.
Patrons must wear shoes, shirts, and attire appropriate to a public setting.
Library entrances, exits, and aisles must remain open.
Do not run, jump, shove or throw any object under any circumstance in the Library.
Please keep feet on the floor, not on the tables or chairs, and do not attempt to move or rearrange library furniture.
Sleeping. Library employees reserve the right to wake sleeping persons.

Please respect Library materials, facilities and furnishings:

Library property may only be removed from the building with authorization through established lending procedures. The Library reserves the right to inspect all parcels for library materials.
Do not write on or otherwise damage library property including: books, walls, furniture, computer equipment and facilities. Theft or vandalism of library property will be prosecuted.
Nonpublic areas of the Library may only be entered with permission.
Solicitation and loitering on library property is prohibited.

Library patrons should follow the posted guidelines for computer and group study room use.

NEC Reading Room

All Reading Room users have the right to read, write and reflect in a safe, quiet and clean environment. In order to protect these rights the NEC Reading Room staff enforces the policies of the main campus Library.

Additionally, children under age 14 using the Reading Room must be quiet and directly supervised by a person 14 years of age or older. Unaccompanied children will be reported to NEC Public Safety after reasonable attempts have been made to contact the parent or guardian.

The Harper College NEC Reading Room accepts no liability or responsibility for the safety of children in the Reading Room.

Library Bill of Rights and Code of Ethics

The Harper College Library, as a member of the American Library Association, supports both the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights and Library Code of Ethics

Confidentiality

The Harper College Library is dedicated to the principle of free access and flow of all information and material to our patrons. We regard the reason and rationale of material use a private matter. Library records are for the sole purpose of protecting public property and are not to be used directly or indirectly to identify the types of materials or services used by individual Library patrons.

The efforts of any outside agency to obtain any circulation records, patron lists, or information about a patron will be considered an invasion of privacy. Such an attempt will also be viewed as a violation of the principles of academic freedom.

Any individual or agency attempting to obtain information concerning Library patrons should be referred immediately to the circulation person in charge who will discuss the matter with the Library Dean. Under no circumstance will information be provided without a warrant. Moreover, any costs incurred by the Library in any such search through patron Library records, even under court order, shall be chargeable to the agency demanding such a search. The above pertains until contrary legislation is enacted.

Phone Inquiries

Library patrons who provide their name, Library card number and address, can receive the following information:

The number of items and titles on loan.
The title of a requested item when it becomes available.
Outstanding charges on the record.
No other information regarding a patron's Library record will be given over the telephone.

Enforcement

Failure to cooperate with the direction of library staff regarding disruptions of any kind, or knowingly giving false information, will result in notifying Public Safety. Patrons who fail to comply with the Library Code of Conduct may be asked to provide some form of proper identification, which will be copied for documentation. Anyone who violates the Code is subject to removal from the building, restriction of library privileges, and may be reported in accord with the Student Conduct Code.