Overdue and Missing Materials:
Students who have books or other materials overdue will not be allowed
to check out any more items until the late material is accounted for.
Reminders will be sent monthly to individual secondary students who have
overdue materials and weekly to classroom teachers in Primary and
Preprimary.
After three months, missing materials will be considered lost and a
letter will be sent home charging the family for the replacement
cost of the book. The library uses several sources for arriving at
a quote for lost books. If the book is in English and was originally
purchased in the US, we use either
Follett
(our US provider for most of our books) or
Amazon, using the lowest
amount (we go to the original publisher directly if we have to). We
then multiply the dollar figure by the current TRM to arrive at a
price (even though the books actually cost us more than this when we
include shipping, etc). For locally bought books, we will ask
several of our local distributors to quote the book. There are often
several different editions available for any one title, each of
differing quality. We will always quote using the original
specifications of the book based on the ISBN number. If the item is
found after a payment is paid, the payment will be returned in
full. As well, the library staff will always help search for
materials which students feel have been returned but which continue
to be marked as lost.
Teachers who fail to abide by the circulation policy will be gently
reminded.
Damaged Materials:
All students who damage books or other materials will be charged
the repair or replacement cost of the item. A damaged VHS movie costs
$2,000 pesos to repair.
Purchase Requests: Teachers and students may make purchase suggestions at
any time. Please visit our online form
for all purchase requests as well as further information regarding our
purchasing sources.
Photocopy Service:
Photocopies cost $100 per page.
The library also manages and maintains many different types of equipment
for the school. These include VHS's, DVD's, televisions, video beams,
laptop computers, overhead projectors, screens, white boards, tape
recorders, slide projectors, listening centers, opaque projectors,
extension cords, and power outlets.
There is one TV, one VHS and one DVD player already situated in each of
the blocks. The other equipment may be reserved with Head of
Circulation at the front desk.
Equipment Checked Out Off-Campus:
All equipment checked out off-campus must be approved by the Director.
PLEASE, let the library know immediately if anything
is not working properly.
The library adheres to the Acceptable Use
Policy which each student at the school has signed. Please review it
before using the computers in the library.
The computers should be used for research purposes first and then may be used
by students for personal research or mail. At no time should students use the
computers for games, chat or other activities of this sort.
The networked printer is also for school-related use. Please manage
your print jobs wisely. Each print job from any of the computers in the
library will be charged $100 pesos for black and white and between $500
and $2,000 pesos for color (depending upon the coverage).
All print jobs must be paid for in advance at the Circulation Desk where
the network printer is maintained.
Purpose:
The library reference room contains research materials appropriate for
middle and high school students, although all students may use it.
Hours:
The reference room is open from 7:00 a.m. to 4:45 p.m. Monday through
Friday.
Staff:
Assistance in use of reference materials is available from the Head
Librarian or Reference Room Librarian. On Fridays, the Reference Room is
self-serve; however, if you need specific help, please see the Head
Librarian or Reference Room Librarian.
Reserving
the Space:
The Reference Room should be reserved with
Head of Circulation
in person. This gives both the teacher and the librarian an opportunity to
collaborate on projects in the classroom.
Primary and Pre-Primary Classes:
Pre-Primary and Primary classes are
always welcome in any area of the library under the same policies and rules of
behavior as Secondary students.
The library should be a quiet place for reading and research.
Specific Teacher Expectations
1. Sign up for various spaces in the library (Quaker Reading Room, Colgate
Computer Center, Colgate work area, Reference Room). If a
space has not been reserved, the class will be accepted if space is available.
2. Remember to cancel reservation if the space is not going to be used.
3. Reference Room (L-03) materials should be used in the Reference Room only.
Nevertheless, teachers may check out materials to be used in other
sections of the library. The teacher is responsible to ensure that all materials
are returned to the Reference Room.
4. Check that all messes have been cleaned up and that chairs are returned to
their original places before leaving with your class.
5. The telephones at the Primary and Secondary Front Desk are for business
purposes only. If you need a phone, you are welcome to use any of the
other phones in the library.
6. Any students sent to the library for special reasons (i.e. not with the whole
class) should be given a note.
7. Preprimary and Primary teachers are expected to stay with their classes
during library time in order to allow better collaboration between the Primary
Librarian and the teaching staff.
Specific Student Expectations
1. Food and/or drinks are not allowed in the library.
2. Speak in very low tones (whispers) so as not to disturb the concentration of
others.
3. The computers should be used for research purposes first and then may be used
by students for personal research or mail. At no time should students use the
computers for games, chat or other activities of this sort.
4. Pick up all garbage and leave tables and floors clean; chairs which have been
moved should be returned to their original places. Please return all books
used to
the front desk for reshelving. Reference books should be returned to the
Reference Librarian for reshelving.
5. Students are not allowed to use the phone
in the library.
6. If you come to the library during class time but are not with your class,
please bring a note from your teacher.
The librarians of the Martin Felton Library, in consultation with teachers,
students, and administrators, are responsible for the selection of library
materials.
Recommendations from teachers and students are solicited before the US book
order is placed in December. Urgent requests are fulfilled via the Internet or
local providers during the school year. Other requests for imported books go
into the December book order. Recommendations for local purchases are taken
regularly and usually filled within a few days by one of our local distributors.
New books are selected according to their appropriateness to the curriculum and
to the collection of books already in the library. Additional selection criteria
include: currency, quality of illustrations; format and binding; value for the
price compared with anticipated use; and similar materials available.
Since it is difficult to examine print materials firsthand, books are selected
based on reviews in unbiased professional reviewing sources. These include, but
are not limited to, American Libraries, Media & Methods, School Library
Media Quarterly, School Library Journal, Booklist, New York Times Book Review,
and Emergency Librarian.
Books are ordered from various US providers, as well as from a variety of local
vendors.
Periodicals are selected by the librarians, again taking into account
suggestions by teachers and students. The selection is based on quality, cost,
indexing availability, and the subject content of the periodical. The
periodicals are ordered through EBSCO, a magazine jobber, as well as local
distributors.
Teachers and students may make purchase suggestions at
any time. Please visit our online form
for all purchase requests as well as further information regarding our
purchasing sources.
The Martin Felton Library welcomes books and other resources from
individuals and organizations, but reserves the right to refuse materials that
do not meet the same high standards and criteria established for the selection
of all library materials. It is left to the discretion of the school librarians
whether gift materials are acceptable or not. The Martin Felton Library
also reserves the right to dispose of donated materials after they have been
evaluated and determined to not be of use to the library. Every effort will
be made to find an appropriate institution for these materials.
Systematic deselection (weeding) of the collection is not an irresponsible
disposal of school property; rather, it is a needed service that will enhance
the credibility and use of the Martin Felton Library. To ensure the balance
and reliability of the collection, it is important to weed materials that are
instructionally useless. The following are often given as good reasons to
weed:
1. To make space for more valuable items.
2. To provide a more appealing, more up-to-date collection.
3. To make the library easier for patrons and staff to use.
4. To provide reliable information.
5. To encourage patrons to handle materials carefully since they appear to
have been so treated.
6. To provide feedback on strengths and weaknesses of the collection.
7. To remove the ILLUSION of a well-rounded, well-stocked collection.
Weeding facilitates access to quality resources, results in more effective
utilization of available space and assures an aesthetically appealing collection
of materials. How rigorously and how often a collection is weeded depends on
considerations of space, budget, curriculum requirements, and school needs. Both
print and non-print materials are weeded at regular intervals.
All materials weeded from the collection will be offered first to interested
teachers (if considered still educationally valuable) and then to local schools or charities; however, there are many volumes
which because of their condition, age or general inappropriateness to education
may be discarded directly.
Materials should no be discarded even if they meet the above listed
criteria:
1. If it is a work of historical significance in the field of children's
literature, or it
describes local history of personalities.
2. The "classics" award winners and those items which appear on
standard,
current bibliographies.
3. Items which may be out-of-print, and may still have some possible use.
4. Materials unique in content, format, illustrative technique or expense.
5. Resources, the absence of which may unbalance a subject area.
As with any weeding policy, some materials may be desirable to keep in the
collection even if they fall into one or more of the areas described
above. These include classics, reference materials, and others which may
continue to offer valuable information to the Colegio Bolivar community.
If a complaint is received from a person or persons about materials in the
library, the following procedure is to be followed:
1. In a courteous manner, invite the complainant to voice his or her objections.
2. Inform the complainant that (s)he must submit a written objection to the
Head Librarian
3. The Head Librarian will:
a) Read and examine materials referred to him or her.
b) Review with the library staff the selection criteria.
c) Prepare a recommendation which should be submitted to the complainant within
two weeks.
For a hard copy of this policy, click
here for English
or here for
Spanish. (Word Document)
The
Martin Felton Library adheres to the American Library Association’s policy on
exhibitions and events in the library, as follows:
Libraries which
make exhibit spaces and meeting rooms available to the public they serve should
make such facilities available on an equitable basis, regardless of the beliefs
or affiliations of individuals or groups requesting their use. (From the ALA
Bill of Rights)
Therefore, the Martin Felton Library’s exhibit space is open “to [all]
organizations engaged in educational, cultural, intellectual, or charitable
activities.”
All those wishing to reserve space for
activities or exhibitions must abide by the following regulations:
1.
All requests for
library space for events or exhibitions must be made in writing to the Library
Director well in advance of the event or exhibition, specifically outlining the
dates, times, needs, theme and purpose of the event or exhibition. All events
and exhibitions are on a first come, first served basis.
a.
If there is a need
for additional personnel to be involved in either setting up, monitoring, or
taking down an event or exhibition, a formal request must be made by the
Organizer to the Head of Maintenance with copies to the Library Director and
Circulation Desk.
b.
If there is a need
for security or off-hours access, a formal request must be made by the Organizer
to the Head of Security, with copies to the Library Director and Circulation
Desk.
c.
If there is a need
for technological support, a formal request must be made by the Organizer to the
Head of Technology, with copies to the Library Director and Circulation Desk.
d.
The Library Director
must be notified of all cancellations or of any changes in the information included on the request or the written descriptions of the
exhibit as early as possible.
2.
Once the formal
requests are made, the Library Director will meet with the Organizer of the
event or exhibition to discuss the following regulations and to determine the
specific needs of the event or exhibition.
3.
All areas needed for
the event or exhibition must be reserved well in advance in order to avoid
conflicts with other library patrons. These reservations must be made at the
Circulation Desk
4.
The Organizer of the
event or exhibition must sign this form indicating that they agree to abide by
the library’s regulations for events and exhibitions.
5.
The mounting, design and scheduling of exhibitions
will take place at the discretion of the Director and designated staff. The
Organizer is solely responsible for setting up, monitoring, and taking down of
the event or exhibition, in conjunction with the library staff, maintenance, and
technology staff, as needed.
a.
The Organizer should
think of the library and school staff as assistants, not the sole workers, in
any event or exhibition; it is up to the Organizer and the others involved in
the event to actually mount, monitor and deconstruct the event or exhibition.
b.
The library does not provide staff to serve as
attendants during an exhibit nor does the staff monitor exhibit areas at any
time.
c.
All work should be
done according to the schedule established by the Library Director and the event
Organizer.
6.
In no case
whatsoever are permanent fixtures, walls, modules, displays, books, tables,
chairs, computer equipment, or other library resources to be moved or modified
without the direct consent and supervision of the Library Director. This
includes the use of glue, tape, nails, screws, paint, or the like.
7.
The library reserves the right to disapprove or
remove any item from the exhibit or event if it is determined that the item is a possible safety hazard, is
too large or too heavy for the facility, creates a maintenance problem, exceeds
acceptable noise levels or is not in compliance with the provisions of this
policy or with the mission and goals of the library.
8.
Once the event or
exhibition has finished, the Library Director and Organizer will review the
space or spaces used in the event and then mutually sign the Paz y Salvo on this
form.
9.
All damages
resulting from any event or exhibition are the sole responsibility of the
organizer.
10.
Programs and exhibits may not disrupt the use of
the library by others. Persons attending any event
or exhibit are subject to all library rules and regulations.
11.
No event or
exhibition may be “for profit.”
12.
The Library does not insure articles or materials
exhibited, and is not responsible for theft or damage. Exhibitors must make
their own arrangements for insurance.
Your formal request, specifically outlining
the dates, times, needs, theme and purpose of the event or exhibition, should
accompany this form.
On behalf of my organization, I have read
the above regulations and agree to comply with all regulations governing use
of the Martin Felton Library. I also agree, on behalf of my organization, to
assume responsibility for ensuring that the above conditions are met.
Signed:
Date:
Paz y Salvo for Library Event or Exhibit
Signed:
_____________________________
__________________________________
Library
Director &
