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Circulation Policies

All members of the Richmont community are entitled to the use of Richmont Library resources, whether that be via in-person, electronically, or through the mail. The library staff at Richmont Graduate University will do their utmost to ensure that all Richmont faculty and students have access to the resources that they need for their study, research, clinical practice, and recreation, no matter their location or course modality.

Should you have a question or require assistance to access any Richmont library resource, do not hesitate to contact us by phone during normal business hours, or via email at libraries@richmont.edu.

Borrowing Terms and Limits by User Type

Richmont Faculty and Staff:

  • May borrow up to 20 library resources at a time (exceptions may be made upon request)
  • May check out most physical library materials for a term of 42 days.
  • May renew a resource up to 2 times, provided that no one has requested the item.
  • May check out course textbooks from the Professor Reserve section for an extended period.

Richmont Students:

  • May borrow up to 10 library resources at a time (exceptions may be made upon request)
  • May check out most physical library materials for a term of 21 days.
  • May renew a resource up to 2 times, provided that no one has requested the item.
  • May check out course textbooks from the Course Reserve sections for in-library use.

Community Users (Chattanooga Library only):

  • May borrow up to 10 library resources at a time (exceptions may be made upon request)
  • May check out most physical library materials for a term of 21 days.
  • May renew a resource up to 2 times, provided that no one has requested the item.

Borrowing Rules

  • Treat all borrowed resources with care and respect. Do not highlight, dogear, underline, or otherwise mark in books. Do not use pencils for bookmarks, or place books open face down. Handle borrowed DVDs and CDs with care, making sure not to scratch or smudge the disks.
  • Should a borrower need to mark in a resource (such as pages from a workbook or treatment planner), the borrower is responsible for creating copyright-compliant photocopies for the pages they need to mark.
  • Should a borrower lose a resource, please let library staff know as soon as possible.
  • Please return all borrowed resources in a timely manner. The borrower should inform library staff before the due date should they need to renew a resource.
  • Borrowers are responsible for all items checked out in their name. Should an item be lost or damaged, the original borrower is responsible for all replacements costs.
  • Borrowers may only check out items for themselves or their immediate family. Borrowers may not check out items for other people (graduate assistants may check out textbooks for Richmont faculty during work hours).
  • Borrowers should not depend on other people to return items to the library. The original borrower will be held responsible should the item be lost in transit.

Fines and Overdue Books

The Richmont Graduate University Libraries do not assess fines for overdue materials. However, borrowers are responsible for the cost of replacing lost or damaged items. Please return borrowed items in a timely manner, and inform library staff immediately should any item be lost or damaged.

Class and Professor Reserves

The Richmont Libraries will make an attempt to acquire multiple copies of all required textbooks at the start of each semester to place in designated class reserve sections located at each campus library. Richmont students and professors may access these class reserve texts during normal library business hours. Class reserve texts do not circulate outside the library, but are intended for on-campus use only.

Upon request, the Richmont Libraries will also attempt to acquire copies of required textbooks for Richmont teaching faculty, provided it is not already available as an electronic book. These textbooks will be kept in a special professor reserve section at the Atlanta library, where they will be available for extended loan periods.

Copyright Law

United States copyright law protects the authors of “original works of authorship, including literary, dramatic, musical, artistic, and certain other intellectual works.” The Copyright Act does allow exceptions for the use of materials in an educational setting. Factors which favor the fair use of copyrighted materials include direct classroom use, research, criticism and comment, news reporting, and transformative or productive use which changes the work for new utility, such as a parody.

All Richmont library users are expected to observe copyright law. Campus librarians are available to help faculty find training sites for copyright compliance, and will attempt to point library users to the appropriate service should they need to license copyrighted material.

Remote Borrowing and Inter-Library Loan

The Richmont Libraries is committed to helping faculty and students access the resources they need, no matter their geographical location. To this end, upon request, the Richmont Libraries provides remote members of the Richmont community with library materials either through the mail, by purchasing eBooks, or through sending copyright-legal chapter scans. Please note that borrowers are responsible for the safe return of all library resources sent through the mail, and will be required to pay replacement costs should items become lost or damaged in transit.

The Richmont Libraries provide robust inter-library loan services to all members of the Richmont community. However, should a book obtained through inter-library loan be lost, the borrower will be responsible for paying the replacement costs designated by the lending institution.

Community Use of Library Resources

The Chattanooga branch of the Richmont Libraries (Poindexter Library) has a long and venerable history of service to the Chattanooga community, in particular local pastors and Sunday-school teachers, mental health providers, clients of the Henegar Counseling Center, and residents of the Orchard Knob neighborhood. We continue to honor that tradition by remaining open to the public during normal business hours, and by providing library services, including copy services, Wifi, and research assistance, to all visitors. Note that this only applies to the Chattanooga branch of the Richmont Libraries, not to the Atlanta Branch, which is closed to outside visitors.

Community visitors who wish to borrow resources from the Chattanooga branch of the Richmont Libraries must apply for membership and pay a $15 annual fee. Community users are expected to behave respectfully while visiting the library, and are subject to the Richmont User Conduct Policy.

GPALS Reciprocal Borrowing

As a member of the Georgia’s Private Academic Libraries consortium (GPALS), both the Chattanooga and Atlanta branches of the Richmont Libraries make their collections available to full-time faculty and staff, as well as students, of other GPALS member institutions. However, GPALS consortium users are advised to contact the Richmont libraries ahead of time, so that we can better arrange a fruitful and convenient visiting experience.

In addition, Richmont will provide free inter-library loan services to GPALS members upon request.

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