Policies

All GMC borrowers must present a Gwynedd-Mercy College identification card. Other eligible borrowers will be issued a temporary library card with a library barcode.

Books may be borrowed by:

• currently enrolled GMC students and current faculty and staff
• Gwynedd-Mercy Academy students
• Sisters of Mercy
• community members living within the following zip codes 19002, 19422, 19436, 19437, 19446, 19454, 19474
• students and faculty with letters of introduction from a TCLC library
• students and faculty of SEPCHE institutions
• faculty and students enrolled in the LaSalle MBA program at GMC
• GMC Alumni (see below for additional information)

Feature Films may be borrowed by:

• currently enrolled GMC students and current faculty and staff
• GMC Alumni (see below for additional information)

Instructional audio-visual materials may be borrowed by:

• current GMC and LaSalle MBA faculty and staff for use on campus, at off campus GMC sites or at home. Because of licensing agreements, faculty may not use GMC AV materials when teaching at other institutions.
• students for viewing or listening within the library. Media rooms are available on the first floor of the library.

Students may also borrow Instructional AV materials for class presentations. Contact the AV Services Desk at ext 498 for more information.

Journals, newspapers and other periodicals do not circulate; nor do reference materials.

Loan periods vary by type of borrower and type of materials. In general, students may borrow materials for three (3) weeks. Items may be renewed in person or by phone (ext 474).

Fines for books are $0.10 per day per item. Lost or damaged materials will be billed at a minimum of $50.00 per volume ($25.00 for replacement and $25.00 for processing). Fines for AV materials are $1.00 per day. Some books and videos will be billed at replacement cost plus $25.00 processing fee. Damaged items will be charged a repair fee or the replacement charge depending on the amount of damage.

Borrowers are responsible for all materials charged out on their IDs. IDs should never be loaned to others or used to check out materials for others. Lost IDs and lost temporary library cards should be reported immediately to the Circulation Desk, along with any change of address information.

The library reserves the right to recall any materials at any time.

All materials must be returned and all library fines and charges paid before a GMC student's transcripts will be released.

Lourdes Library has an extensive collection of video and audio tapes, art prints, records, music CDs and other audio visual materials that support the GMC curriculum. The AV Desk provides access to three listening/viewing rooms, which are also available for group and quiet study, tutoring and small meetings. Individual viewing stations with headsets are also available. Users are provided access to the rooms on a first come, first served basis. To book a room for a meeting or a class, contact the AV Desk at ext 498.

A collection of K-12 textbooks and the Children's Literature Collection are two special collections housed in and maintained by the library in the K-12 Library near the AV Desk.

Reserves
Reserve materials can be books, reprints of articles or audio visual materials that a faculty member has designated for use by a specific class. No item on reserve for class use may be removed from the library unless the faculty member has specified this. Audio visual reserve items (such as video and audio tapes, slide sets,etc.) are available for in-library use from the AV Desk; books and most other print reserves can be found at the Circulation Desk.

Other Libraries
GMC students and faculty may borrow materials from other libraries and are responsible for the return of these items as well as any fines or charges that result from the loans.

• To borrow from a SEPCHE library, students or faculty must present a valid GMC photo ID. The same policies (number of items, loan periods, etc) that a SEPCHE library has for its own students and faculty will be in force.
• To borrow from a TCLC library, students or faculty must come to the Circulation Desk at Lourdes LIbrary to get a signed Letter of Introduction which will be good at a particular library for the current semester. A separate letter is needed for each library you wish to use.

GMC Alumni and Lourdes Library
Anyone who has completed a program of study and earned a degree or certificate at GMC is a GMC alumni. Alumni of GMC continue to have certain library privileges from Lourdes Library. GMC alumni can:

• Borrow books (up to 5), books-on-tape (up to 3), theses (up to 3), feature films (up to 3) and music CDs (up to 3)
• Use library databases at Lourdes Library
• Use other library materials, such as instructional videos, in the library.

GMC alumni library privileges do not include:

• Off-campus access to library databses
• Free printing (Printing and photocopying are available at 10¢ per page.)
• Use of wireless laptops
• Interlibrary loan services
• Borrowing from or use of other Philadelphia-area academic libraries through GMC consortial agreements

General Information

• Copiers and printers are provided in the library. Cost is 10¢ per page for photocopiers and for each page printed from electronic sources. Printing from library computers is free with a GMC or LaSalle MBA at GMC student ID. A microfilm reader/printer also charges 10¢ per page printed.
• Children in Lourdes Library: The Lourdes Library's collections, electronic resources and services are designed to serve college age and older students and adults. Children should be accompanied at all times by a parent or an adult for their own safety. Children under the age of 12 are not to be left unattended. Parents are responsible for their children's use of the Lourdes Library, including children's use of the Internet.
• Gifts of materials can enrich the library's collection. The library accepts all donations with the understanding that the library will keep, dispose of or sell donations at its discretion. The library cannot give appraisals or estimated values for donations; however, donors will receive an acknowledgement of the gift, including a count of items donated, if they want. Valuation is the responsibility of the donor.

The library reserves the right to refuse access and borrowing privileges to any persons who fail to conduct themselves appropriately. Users of computers in the library are implicitly agreeing to the GMC Computer Use Policy and must abide by this policy.