End of Term Due Date Stamps

 Hi All, 

As we are coming upon the end of the semester, I have some updates in regard to our due date stamps. 

Firstly, all materials will continue to be due for students on May 7th. Please use the End of Term due date stamp for these sorts of materials. 

Alternatively, faculty and staff will now have their due dates returning to the four-week due dates. That means their due dates will be changing every day instead of the static May 7th date that we've had all semester. Belinda and I have put out the 4 Week due date stamp back out at the front desk. Please use this stamp when it comes to these materials. 

Make sure to check the due dates on materials when checking them out to patrons so you can be sure of which stamp to use!

It has been some time since we used more than one due date stamp out at the desk, and we have gotten new student assistants since then! If there are any questions at all about how/when to use the appropriate due date stamps, do not hesitate to ask me or grab the available staff member when you are in the building. 

Neena

I-Share Scanning Issue

  All--

We have noticed when checking out I-Share items that Alma takes a little bit more time to process the book when you scan the item barcode. Because of this, it has happened that books aren't getting properly checked out to patrons if you scan items too fast after the previous one. 

When checking out books, particularly I-Share books, wait until the book appears on the screen underneath 'loans of this session' before scanning the next book. Otherwise, we end up with patrons having books that are not checked out to them. Work slowly and check the books to make sure they appeared on screen and that you scanned all of them before you give them to the patron! 

If you have any questions or concerns, do not hesitate to reach out to me or Belinda. 

Thanks, 

Neena 

New Reference Services Librarian!

 Please join me in welcoming our new Reference Services Librarian - Lori Koetters! 

Lori previously worked at the Moraine Valley Community College library and has spoken excitedly about working with college students. She is joining our team on 11/16 and we are so happy for her to be here. She will be here for Monday and Wednesday evenings. 

Welcome, Lori!

Archives Access

At this time the Archives is available by appointment only. If you receive questions at the desk about using materials in the Archives, please give the patron one of Rebecca's business cards (which are available at the desk). Let the patron know that they will need to email Rebecca for an appointment, and that 24 hour notice is requested.

Extended Due Dates and Bookmarks

As libraries and library users continue to deal with the challenges of the COVID-19 pandemic, the CARLI consortium has extended due dates for all I-Share materials until February 1, 2021! Oesterle Library staff have decided to extended due dates for materials checked out from our collection as well. Any items already charged to a current North Central College student, faculty or staff member have now been given a February 1^st due date. Any items we check out to our patrons between now and February will receive the February 1^st due date. There is just one date due stamp available at the desk right now, and it is set for February 1. Please do not change that date! 

Neena has prepared some bookmarks to let patrons know that items are due on February 1^st. These bookmarks also suggest that once a patron is done with the item, they should go ahead and return it so that they don’t forget about it and lose it by February! Please include one bookmark per patron when you check items out to them and let them know the new due date.  

Please note that “white band” (interlibrary loan) books have not been given this extended due date. Please be sure to point out the due date to these patrons when you give them white band materials. 

Please let Neena or me know if you have questions! 

Thanks, 

Belinda 

Study Rooms

 The three group study rooms on the lower level are being re-opened. They will have signs indicating that:

1. There is a room capacity limit of ONE.

2. They are reserved for students who are connecting to an online class.

When you are at the Periodicals Desk, you do not have to monitor whether or not the students really are connecting to an online class. However, do keep an eye on the room capacity! If you see more than one student in a room, please call upstairs (x5715) and ask a staff member to come down to speak to the group.

Emotional Support and Service Animals in the library

 Desk staff have been made aware that a student who regularly uses the library has been bringing her emotional support animal (a puppy) with her. According to Mindy Diaz, the college's Student Disability Services Director:

Emotional Support Animals are not covered under the Americans with Disabilities Act, they are only covered under the Fair Housing Act. ESAs are allowed in the residence halls, but they are not allowed outside of the students living space. Service animals are allowed anywhere on campus.

 

There are only two questions a person with an animal can be asked: 1) is the dog a service animal required because of a disability? and (2) what work or task has the dog been trained to perform?

 

Comfort is not a task.

Mindy is working with Campus Safety to develop policies and procedures for how to address the presence of emotional support animals outside of their approved spaces. For the moment, she is asking the campus community to note and observe if the puppy makes any more appearances. Please contact me (enicholson@noctrl.edu) if you have any additional sightings (or hearings - the puppy is a barker).   

Thanks, 

Elizabeth