Circulation Policies
Who may borrow Library materials?
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Students, faculty members, and staff members of PCCC with a valid ID
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Alumni of PCCC with a valid Alumni Association card
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PALSPlus patrons with a current borrowing card from all public libraries in Passaic County (except Hawthorne) and the following three libraries in Essex County: Caldwell, Cedar Grove, & Orange
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Students, faculty members, and staff members of participating VALE libraries with a VALE Reciprocal Borrowing Application Form
What materials may be borrowed?
CD-ROMs and other media that accompany some books are held at the Circulation Desk. Ask staff for these materials when checking out a book or when using in the Library. DVDs and other media do not circulate. Media can be viewed on a laptop computer or on one of the monitors located around the corner from the Circulation Desk. Headphones or earbuds are required. Headphones can be borrowed from the Circulation Desk.
Loan Period for Books
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The initial loan period for books is 14 days
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Books may be renewed one time for an additional 14 days
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Books may be renewed before the due date at the Circulation Desk or online using your library card barcode number and PIN
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Late books with a fine cannot be renewed after the due date
Reserve Materials
Course texts, DVDs, videotapes, cassettes, and other materials that faculty members have placed on reserve can be obtained at the Circulation Desk with a valid PCCC ID. They are usually filed by academic subject and course number (e.g., EN 101, SC 110), but sometimes by the name of the instructor. Reserve items are for use in the Library only and have a 2 hour use limit. Students are limited to borrowing 1 reserve item at a time. Students will be required to leave their PCCC ID at the Circulation Desk until the borrowed item is returned in good condition. A student may not borrow a reserve item for another person. If a student borrows a reserve item but also needs to use the Computer Lab, that student will need a temporary ID card in order to enter the lab. The cards are valid for that day only and may be obtained from the Reference Librarian.
Laptops
The Library lends laptops to PCCC students, faculty, and staff with a valid PCCC ID. Non-PCCC patrons of PALSPlus libraries over the age of 18 and with a valid library card and one photo ID (NJ driver’s license or Passaic County ID) may also borrow laptops.
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Laptops are signed in and out at the Circulation Desk
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The maximum loan period is 2 hours for PCCC patrons and 1 hour for non-PCCC patrons
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Laptops cannot be removed from the Library
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Borrowers accept full responsibility for loss or damage
Checking Out & Returning Items
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Laptops must be returned to the Circulation Desk no later than 1 hour prior to the Library closing time
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Books for checkout and course reserve items must be brought to the Circulation Desk no later than 15 minutes prior to the Library closing time
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Patrons with a valid PCCC ID may check out a maximum of 5 books
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Patrons with a valid PALSPlus library card may check out a maximum of 3 books
Requesting Items
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) through PALSPlus
PCCC Library patrons may request that items from another library in the PALSPlus system be sent to PCCC Library. This can be done online at the PALSPlus portal (PCCC Library Catalog) with a valid library card number and PIN.
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Locate the item in the Library Catalog
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Click on the “Details” button to pull up the display record
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Click on the “Place Hold” link
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Enter your barcode and PIN
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From the drop-down menu, choose “Passaic County Community College Library”
Patrons will be notified when the item arrives; items will be held at the Circulation Desk for 3 days before being returned to the sending library.
PIN Number
Patrons can get their initial PIN from Circulation Staff. PIN numbers may be changed at any time by going to the “User PIN Change” link in “My Account” on the PALSPlus portal (PCCC Library Catalog).
Other ILL Options
If a desired item cannot be found in the PALSPlus system, PCCC Library patrons may ask the PCCC Library to locate and request the item for them from an outside system. Luis Ruiz (x5696) can make this request.
VALE Reciprocal Borrowing Program
PCCC Library patrons may also borrow items on-site from participating college and university libraries in NJ through the VALE Reciprocal Borrowing Program. Details can be found here: http://www.valenj.org/newvale/recbor/#guide.
Outside Patrons
A patron of a library outside of the PALSPLus and VALE systems with an American Library Association Interlibrary Loan form from their home library, provided they have made arrangements in advance with the Interlibrary Loan Librarian, may request items from PCCC Library.
Photocopy Machines
Coin-operated photocopy machines are located near the Circulation Desk. Please see Circulation Staff about mechanical problems or paper refills. The Library does not make change. Patrons are responsible for observing applicable copyright laws when reproducing copyrighted material. Please regard the infringement notice on each machine. Click on the following links for more information about copyright and fair use. Stanford University Libraries: http://fairuse.stanford.edu/ U.S. Copyright Office: http://www.copyright.gov/circs/index.html#circ1
Fines
Late items are charged at rate of .10¢/day. Patrons who have reached the maximum fine limit of $5.00 will have their borrowing privileges suspended until the fine is paid in-full and all items have been returned in good condition. The Library does not receive payments. Circulation Staff will issue a fine slip that is payable at the Bursar’s Office. Students must return the stamped fine slip to the Circulation Desk for their Library record to be cleared.
Lost Library Materials
Patrons will be charged for the cost of replacing a lost item plus a $5.00 processing fee.
Updating Personal Information
Students should notify Circulation Staff of any changes to their personal information so that their Library record can be updated. It is important that this information be consistent with other PCCC records and that it matches any photo ID that may be presented to Library Staff when borrowing materials or requesting items through ILL.
Lost Personal Items
Lost items found in the Library are handed over daily to a Security Officer and kept at the Office of Public Safety (room E100).
Behavior
Patrons have the right to be served in a fair and equitable manner by Library staff. Likewise, Library staff deserve to be treated with respect by patrons.
