Library

Using library materials

• Loan length, renewals, and limits

  Loan length, renewals, and limits

  	Books, scores, government documents, theses, bound periodicals, Science and Olin reference materials	Olin and Science current periodicals	Art current periodicals	Art closed stack materials	DVDs	Audio	Special Collections and all other reference materials	Item limits	ILL borrowing allowed?
  Undergraduates, GLSP	28 days, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals	n/a	1 day loan, 1 renewal	7 days, 2 renewals	28 days, 3 renewals	In library use only	None	Yes, limited to 15 active requests
  Honors thesis writers	Academic year, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals	n/a	1 day loan, 1 renewal	7 days, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals	In library use only	None	Yes, limited to 30 active request
  Faculty, Staff,  Grad students	Academic year, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals (faculty and staff only)	Academic year, unlimited renewals (Grad:1 day loan, 1 renewal)	7 days, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals	In library use only	None	Yes
  Alumni	28 days, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals	n/a		7 days, 2 renewals	28 days, 3 renewals	In library use only	10 items	No
  Guest borrowers	28 days, unlimited renewals	28 days, unlimited renewals	n/a		n/a	n/a	In library use only	10 items	No

• Library fines

  We do not charge fines for normal overdue materials. We do charge fines for:

  • overdue reserve items - 60 cents/hour
  • lost or stolen items - $85 or greater (if the cost of the item is greater than $85)
  • repairs or rebinding of damaged items - may be charged for processing fee of $35

  
  Fines over $1 are charged to your student account on a weekly basis and should be paid to Student Accounts.
  
  If this fine is a hardship, please contact library circulation managers, the head of Access Services, or email circ@wesleyan.edu.

  Non-students will be billed by mail.

  Items returned more than three years after billing will not be credited.

  Receipts for returned items are available upon request.

• Suspended library privileges

  Circulation privileges may be suspended under any of the following circumstances:

  • 10 items are overdue
  • $100.00 in unpaid fees/fines

Interlibrary loan

• Loan length

  The due date is set by the lending library, and the loan period usually ranges between 2 to 16 weeks. You can see the due date in your ILLiad account under Checked Out Items. It will also be listed on the item’s wrap slip.

  Please contact the Interlibrary Loan Office if you have any questions about due dates.

• Renewals

  Renewals are granted at the lending library's discretion.

  How to request an interlibrary loan renewal 

  Your renewal request will automatically be sent to the ILL office. You will retain the book while we contact the lender for an extension. We will email you with the new due date as soon as we hear back from the lending library.

  If you don’t see the “Renew Request” option, it is either because the lender does not allow renewals or you’ve already requested a renewal once. You can contact the Interlibrary Loan Office to see about a second renewal.

   

Digitization policies

• Digitizing print items for reserves & document delivery
  When a request is submitted for all or a portion of a print title to be digitized, the Library will provide an ebook to fulfill the request or digitize an amount that is in line with accepted copyright practices (20% of the total page count). If the requested portion exceeds this amount and an ebook is not available, a print copy of the title will be made available (on reserve if for a course, or on hold for the patron).
  
  *Print titles that are currently part of a course reserve reading list are not eligible for document delivery.

• Digitizing DVDs for course use

  When the Library receives a request for a film in streaming format for course reserve use, the following determinations will be made:

  1. If the film is available in streaming format via an institutional license the library can or has already purchased, this streaming option will be utilized.
  2. If the film is available to stream via a commercial provider (e.g. Netflix, Amazon, Hulu, etc.), and therefore unavailable for the library to purchase streaming access or rights, the library will recommend students access the film via this option.
  3. If the film is unavailable for streaming via either of the above options, the library will digitize the DVD (purchasing it if necessary), make it available via the campus’ streaming system, and provide the faculty with the access URL. In this instance, the physical DVD will be removed from circulation for the duration of the course, or as long as the streaming version is available to students.
     • Access to the film will be limited to students enrolled in the course, and will require authentication for viewing
     • The film will remain available for the duration of the course’s semester
  4. To request a streaming film for course use please use the Library's purchase request form.

WesScholar (institutional repository)

• Restricting access to your materials

  WesScholar supports and encourages open access to research data and other scholarly and creative outputs. Content that is intended to be permanently restricted should not be deposited. However, there are circumstances under which access to content may be temporarily restricted.

  What access levels are available?

  Information about the deposited content, such as title, author, abstract, and keywords will always be available to the public. The following settings are available to restrict access to the deposited content (“the file”):

  In Digital Collections:

  • Public - File can be accessed by anyone. Default setting.
  • Wesleyan Only - File can be accessed by users with a Wesleyan sign on.
  • Embargo - File can be accessed by the public after a set period of time chosen by the submitter.
  • Private - File can be accessed by repository administrators. Available only for theses and dissertations.

  
  In Data Repository:

  • Public - File can be accessed by anyone.
  • Private - File can be accessed by the submitter and members of the group where it has been uploaded. Default setting.

  
  How can I add restrictions to my material?

  Access restrictions can be set during the initial deposit process and can be adjusted on a per-file basis after the initial deposit. To modify access to your submission(s) in Digital Collections, please send a request to wesscholar@wesleyan.edu. To modify access to your submission(s) in the Data Repository please follow the instructions found here: https://knowledge.figshare.com/articles/item/how-to-edit-or-delete-my-data

• Collection policy

  WesScholar accepts a wide variety of research data, other scholarly and creative outputs in digital format from Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff.

  Deposits may include*:

  • Electronic theses, dissertations, graduate and senior student recitals, studio art theses, and other capstone works (graduate and undergraduate) 
  • Datasets, complete and in their raw form
  • Published or otherwise publicly presented research, including:
    • Versions of published articles, including preprints; postprints (accepted manuscripts); and/or published versions
    • Conference papers and proceedings
    • Presentations, research posters, technical reports, and working papers
    • Books and book chapters
  • Unpublished scholarly works
  • Image collections
  • Audiovisual works
  • Class research projects
  • Wesleyan-sponsored journals, conference proceedings, and newsletters

  
  * permissions (external and internal), system capability, size may all affect our ability to accept submissions

• Submission policy

  WesScholar Submission Policy

  • Any member of the Wesleyan community can request to deposit their work in WesScholar. All depositors must agree to the Wesleyan Technology Acceptable Use Policy.
  • The validity, legality, and authenticity of the content of submissions is the sole responsibility of the depositor.
  • The Library reviews materials submitted to Digital Collections for deposit. The Data Repository is unmediated.
    • The Library reviews items only for the eligibility of authors/depositors, relevance to the scope of the repository, and valid documentation, metadata, layout, and format.
  • The author/copyright owner must be willing and able to grant Wesleyan University the non-exclusive right to preserve and distribute the work in perpetuity.
  • Contributions are intended to be a permanent part of the repository, and to be available for public dissemination, access, and reuse.  
  • Files can be deposited at any time. Files will not be made publicly accessible on WesScholar until any embargo period has expired. Metadata will be made publicly accessible upon submission.

  
  Supported file types:

  • WesScholar can accept most current file formats. The following formats are recommended to increase the likelihood of future file stability:
    • Images: JPEG, PNG, GIF, TIFF
    • Audio: MP3, WAV
    • Video: MP4
    • Data: XML, Comma-separated values, non-proprietary software files
    • Text: PDF, TXT
  • If you have questions or difficulty depositing materials, please contact your library liaison.

  
  Space allotted:

  • Maximum file size –  2GB (Islandora) or 5GB (figshare)
  • Storage space per person - 30GB  
  • Storage space per project - 10GB

  
  If you would like to increase any of the above allocations, please email wesscholar@wesleyan.edu.

Other policies

• Confidentiality of library records

  Wesleyan University Library is committed to protecting the privacy of its students, faculty, staff and other library users. Library staff will not release the name of any person to whom an item is currently charged, nor will they release past circulation records, including interlibrary loans.

  Exceptions: individual faculty, students and staff must provide, in writing, authorization for the library to share circulation information with others who might request it. Those requesting this information must state the purpose of its use. Faculty and students who wish to share their circulation information with each other must also agree to this arrangement in writing. All exceptions to the privacy policy must be submitted to the University Librarian for approval (Olin Library, Room 302A).

• Copyright and intellectual property

  Copyright is the legal right of ownership of a work that exists in a fixed, tangible form. It protects original works of authorship such as novels, essays, poetry and plays, artwork and architecture, computer software, and movies and sound recordings. Copyright gives the owner the exclusive right to reproduce, modify, adapt, distribute, and display the work, or grant others those rights. Ownership typically belongs to the creator, but in some cases it may belong to the creator's heirs, employer, or the publisher of the work. It's best to assume a work is protected until you are able to verify its status.

  More information can be found on the U.S. Copyright Office webpage, Copyright in General. Also, this user-friendly guide will help you find answers to common copyright and intellectual property rights questions.

• Exhibition and performance policy

  Exhibits and performances are selected with the intention of achieving an inclusive and balanced program that responds to the developing diversity of the Wesleyan community. These activities are managed to ensure the selection process is transparent and in conjunction with the Library’s Values and Commitments.

  Our exhibition and performance policy is intended to provide a clear summary of the Library’s performance and display activities of student and nonstudent art, in particular outlining the principles, qualifications, and stipulations that inform the process by which individual exhibitions and events are selected.

• General collections gift policy

  The following policy applies to the Library’s general collections, and does not apply to Special Collections & Archives, the World Music Archives, Davison Art Collection, or the Archaeological Collection. If you have a possible donation for one of these collections, please contact them directly. 

  The Wesleyan University Library is home to a robust collection of materials supporting the wide-ranging and interdisciplinary research interests of our students and faculty. Given the University’s long history, the Library’s collections run deep, with materials representing scholarship of the 18th, 19th, 20th, and 21st centuries, and as a member of numerous library partnerships, networks, and consortia, our patrons can avail themselves of materials held in library and museum collections from across the globe. When considering potential gifts from faculty, alumni, and other interested donors, we consider how readily available the items are to us and how well they will support the current curriculum. While we welcome the opportunity to consider unique materials that will enhance the breadth of our holdings, it is the exceptional occasion when we add donated materials to our collection.    

  If you are interested in the Library considering a gift of materials, please follow these procedures: 

  1. Contact the Head of Collection Development & Acquisitions to discuss the potential gift, its scope, and the materials it includes. 
  2. Provide a list in electronic form of the included items. For each item in the gift, the list should include author, title, edition, and publication date. The Library may accept the entire gift or may return the list indicating which specific titles are of interest. 
  3. If the gift is accepted as a whole or in part, it is the donor’s responsibility to arrange for delivery of the gift to the Library. The Library will not reimburse shipping or delivery costs. The donor is welcome to request a written acknowledgment of the gift, but the Library cannot provide an appraisal for tax purposes.
      

  NB: The Library retains the right to determine whether to add all or only a portion of any accepted gifts to our collections. Items that are not added to the collection will be transferred to a more suitable repository or securely disposed of. 

• Visitors to the library

  Wesleyan University is a private institution and our first priority is to students, faculty, staff, and administration of Wesleyan. We welcome use of the library for research purposes and for access to the U.S. federal government depository collection.

  Visitors may use any publicly-accessible resources and services that are available at their time of visit. Visitors should keep in mind that at various times of the academic year, library resources are in heavy demand, and some of our services are available only to current Wesleyan students, faculty, and staff (see Information for Visitors).

• Children in the library

  The Library welcomes high school students doing class work or research. Younger children are welcome if they are accompanied by a parent or adult caregiver.