|
|
|
|
|
|
| |
| Circulation Department |
| Information
|
Policies
|
About
Circulation
Hours
Staff Directory
When the
Desk is Closed...
Safety
Information
Lost
and Found
Questions
|
|
Who Can Check
Out?
Checkout
Limits
Item Loan
Policies
Special
Items
Undergraduate
Students
Graduate
Students
Faculty/Staff
|
|
Email
Notification
Renewing
Returning
Recalling
In-Process
Items
Missing
Items
Help on Other
Floors |
My
Library Account |
Services
|
Forms |
My Online
Account
My
Online Account Help
Fines
Payment
Options
Appeals
|
|
Paging
Reserves
Study Rooms
Carrels
Photoduplication
Departmental
Copy Cards
Library Annex
Distance
Education Book Delivery
Disability
Services
Faculty
Book Delivery |
|
Online
Forms
Printable
Forms
TCL
Building Problems |
|
|
Information |
About Circulation
The Circulation Department (803) 777-3145 is located on the main floor of Thomas Cooper Library.
Here, you may check out books, pay fines, place holds on books, pick up
and
return Interlibrary Loan materials, and check out study rooms. USC
faculty, staff, graduate students and Honors College students may apply
for study
carrels.
Lost and Found for the library is also located
here. Building problems and security concerns should be reported here
or
at the exit gate.
When the Desk is Closed...
If you need assistance at any time the Circulation Department is
closed, ask for
help at the Exit Gate.
Safety Information
Library safety is an important issue. Be aware that thefts do occur in
the building.
Be sure to watch your belongings and be aware of your surroundings.
Click here to find out more about library safety.
Lost and Found
The majority of the Lost and Found articles in the Library are stored
in the Circulation Department. If you are missing an
item, you may inquire about it at the Circulation Desk. Please fill out
a "Lost Item" format the Circulation Desk with your current contact
information and a description of the lost item. If your item is found
you will be contacted and told that the item is held at the Circulation
Desk. You will need to present your USC ID or some
form of picture ID in order to collect the item.
If you find an item in the library, please bring it to the Circulation
Desk or Exit Gate so that it may be
returned to its rightful owner.
If you have misplaced an item somewhere on campus, or a long time ago,
you should also inquire at the Russell House
Information Desk. This is where the majority of the items found on
campus are kept.
Questions
If you have any questions or comments about Circulation Department
policies or procedures, please feel free to contact us at ecirc@gwm.sc.edu or (803) 777-3145.
Return to Top
|
|
Policies |
Who Can Check Out?
USC students, faculty and staff may check out books with their
University ID cards. Faculty members of other South Carolina colleges
or universities may check out 5 books for 4 weeks with a valid and
current ID from their institutions. Members of the Carolina Alumni Association
and the Thomas
Cooper Society may check out 5 books at a time for 4 weeks with a
valid card from these organizations. All eligible Alumni Association,
Thomas Cooper Society and non-USC faculty members must have their ID
cards made or barcoded at Thomas Cooper Library before they can be used
at other USC libraries. For additional information, please contact the
Thomas Cooper Library at (803) 777-3145.
Checkout Limits
University of South Carolina students, faculty, and staff: unlimited.
Thomas Cooper Society, Carolina Alumni Association, and faculty at
other South Carolina colleges or universities: 5 books.
SC
Commission on Higher Education Borrowing Card : 1 book.
Item Loan Policies
Books check out for 6 weeks unless otherwise noted. USC faculty and
graduate students may
check out books for the semester. Renewals are possible as long as no
one else
has requested the materials. All materials are subject to recall.
Renewals
can be made at the Circulation Desk or online. Music Library
materials must be renewed at the Music Library. Students
may not renew books over the phone. Reference books do not
circulate.
Special Items
Certain library items have unique circulation and loan policies.
Children's items may be checked out for only two weeks
at which time they will need to be renewed or returned regardless of
who checked them out.
Journals (periodicals) may only be checked out
by graduate students, faculty members and staff. Journals are due back
to the Circulation Desk in three days unless renewed.
Students, staff and faculty may check out films from the Educational
Film Library. Students and staff may only check out one film at a time
and that film is due back to the Educational
Film Library in two days. Faculty may check out as many films as needed
for educational purposes.
Reference and Special
Collections items do not circulate, meaning they are not to be used
outside of the library. Special requests must be
made with those departments.
Undergraduate Students
Undergraduate students, including EPI (English Program for
Internationals) students may check out regular
circulating items for a period of six weeks, children's items for a
period of two weeks, and educational films
for a period of two days. Items may be renewed online via your
Online Account . If any of these items are not renewed or returned
promptly, fines may incur. Please note,
all items are subject to recalls which may or may not shorten their due
dates. If you have fines
exceeding $5.00 you will need to bring the item to the Circulation Desk
to renew.
Undergraduate students of the South Carolina Honors College may apply
for a study carrel for their personal
use throughout the semester. For all other undergraduate students,
special permission must be obtained to check out a personal study
carrel. Apply at the Circulation Desk.
Graduate Students
Graduate students, including Distance Education students, may check out
regular circulating items for the
entire semester, children's items for a period of two weeks,
educational films for a period of two days, and
journals for a period of three days. Items may be renewed online via
your
Online Account . To renew items at the end of the semester, you
must be registered for classes for the upcoming semester/
session.
If any of your items are not renewed or returned promptly, fines may
incur. Please note,
all items are subject to recalls which may or may not shorten their due
dates.
If you have fines
exceeding $5.00 you will need to bring the item to the Circulation Desk
to renew.
Graduate students may also apply for a study carrel for their personal
use throughout the semester. Apply at the
Circulation Desk.
Faculty/Staff
Staff members may check out regular
circulating items for a period of six weeks, children's items for a
period of two weeks, and educational films
for a period of two days. Items may be renewed online via your
Online Account . If any of these items are not renewed or returned
promptly, fines may incur. Please note,
all items are subject to recalls which may or may not shorten their due
dates. If you have fines
exceeding $5.00 you will need to bring the item to the Circulation Desk
to renew.
Staff members may also apply for a study carrel for their personal use
throughout the semester. Apply at the
Circulation Desk.
Faculty members may check out books for the semester, children's books
for two weeks, journals/periodicals for three days
and educational films as needed for educational purposes. To renew
items at the end of each semester please visit your
Online Account .
If you would like to
allow your graduate assistant to check out items to your account, then
you may request
a proxy card for that student. The form can be obtained at the
Circulation
Department, by email request or
by
completing the online
form.
Proxy cards are issued for one semester. The card will be processed
within
2 working days. If you need the card immediately, please call
Circulation
at (803) 777-3145 and ask to speak to a supervisor. The proxy card will
be mailed to you (the faculty member) unless
other arrangements are made. You assume full responsibility
for all items checked out on the proxy card.
Faculty members may also apply for a study carrel for their personal
use throughout the semester. Apply at the
Circulation Desk.
USC-Columbia Campus faculty
are also eligible for our Faculty Book Delivery service. Library
staff
will retrieve items from the stacks at the Thomas Cooper Library, Business
Library, Math Library, and USC Library Annex, check them out to your
faculty library account, and have them delivered to your department
(wherever your campus mail is normally received) on the USC-Columbia
campus. For more information and to make a request click here.
Email Notification
Notices concerning your library account will be sent to your default
university email address. For students,
this is the Gamecock email address. These notices include recall
notices, fine notices and courtesy notices
when an item is due soon. If you don't use your Gamecock email, click here for
instructions on forwarding to another email address.
(You will need to scroll about halfway down the page to find the
forwarding instructions.)
Renewing Items
If you do not owe more than $5.00 in fines you may renew by visiting
your Online Account.
Otherwise, you may bring the items in to the Circulation Desk for
renewal. Inquiries or problems with online renewal should be directed
to (803) 777-3145 during
normal Library Hours.
If, after renewing your item online, you bring the item into the
library you will need to present the item
to the Circulation Department in order to have it stamped/affixed with
the appropriate due date.
If you would like to renew your
Interlibrary Loan items, visit your Interlibrary
Loan Account
or contact the
Interlibrary Loan department during their normal business hours.
Returning Items
Library materials may be returned at the following locations (click for
a map location):
Book Drops Outside of Library
Thomson
Health Center:
Between Health Center (111) and Bull St. Garage (117) at Devine and
Bull. Look for the big blue book drop
Gambrell
Hall:
Lobby book drop box
Swearingen
Engineering Center:
Lobby book drop box
Thomas
Cooper Library:
East wall book drop slot (Russell House side)
Book Drops In the Libraries
Thomas
Cooper Library:
Circulation Department, Main Floor
Business
Library:
2nd floor, BA Building
Math
Library:
3rd floor, LeConte
Music
Library:
2nd floor, School of Music (Assembly St. next to Koger Center)- Music
library materials must be returned here.
Recalling Items
If a library book is checked out, you may place a recall on the book.
The book will be due 2 weeks from the date recalled, unless the
original due date is earlier. When the book is returned, the
Circulation Department will hold the book and notify you. Recalls may
also be placed via an email request. To do so, please email us at ecirc@gwm.sc.edu
and include your full name, email address, phone number, and the title,
author, and call number of the item you need recalled. You should
receive a confirmation email within two working days. If you do not,
please contact Chad Price at (803) 777-3145 for assistance.
In-Process Items
If the message "in process" appears on a book record in the library
catalog, it means that the book is being processed to be put on the
shelf. You may fill out an In
Process Request Form to put a hold on the book. When the book is
available, the Circulation Department will notify you.
Missing Items
If you can't find a book and it isn't checked out, you may request
that we search for the item. The library will search for the book over
a period of 6 months. If the item is found, you will receive an email
and the book will be held at the
Circulation Desk for you for up to 10 days. If the item has not been
found a month after your search request, you may request the item
through Interlibrary Loan.
Help on Other Floors
If you need assistance at any time the library is
open, pick up any of the red phones located on each floor near the
elevators.
Return to Top
|
| My Library Account |
My Online Account
The University Libraries are pleased to allow patrons online library
account management.
By visiting your Online
Account, you can:
View items checked out to your account.
Renew items checked out to your account
(up to 10 times).
View any fines on your account .
Save your 'preferred searches'.
Receive email alerts when new materials
are added to the libraries' collections that satisfy
one of your preferred searches.
Keep a record of the materials you have
previously checked out.
You can do all of this without coming into the library! You may be
unable to renew your item if you owe library fines over $5.00,
the item has been recalled, or it is the end of the semester/session
and you have not
registered for the following semester/session.
My Online Account Help
If you need help logging into your Online Account click
Here for a tutorial.
Fines
Most overdue fines are $0.25 per item per day. Fines do accrue on days
the library is closed. Fines on recalled items and periodicals are
$1.00 per item per day. Items that are 40 days overdue will also accrue
a one-time $10.00 processing fee. At this point a replacement fee will
also be assessed; this is at least $45.00 for most books. The
replacement fee will automatically be forgiven upon return of the item,
provided it is returned in good condition.
Fines on overdue
reserve materials vary depending upon the loan period for the item.
Payment Options
The library accepts cash, check and Carolina Cash to pay for fees.
Credit and Debit cards are not accepted. Payment plans are available if
necessary. Thomas Cooper Library does not reduce or forgive fines based
upon financial hardship. Please inquire at Circulation or email the
department at ecirc@gwm.sc.edu
for more information.
Appeals
If you receive a bill or an overdue notice that you believe is in
error, you may file an appeal. If you think you've returned a book, but
it is still on your library account, the book in question is placed on
a "Missing/Claimed Returned" list. Library staff will search for the
book for 6 months. If the book is found during this time, it will be
removed from your patron record and no fines will incur. If, however,
the book is not found in those 6 months, you will be charged a
replacement fee for the book. Please come to Circulation and fill out
an appeal form, or submit your appeal online.
If you have questions about appeals, please contact Jay Pou at (803)
777-3145 or by email at pouj@gwm.sc.edu
Return to Top
|
|
Services |
Paging
Need a book, but need it in a hurry? Request by phone (during
Circulation's hours
of operation) that it be held for you at the Circulation Desk! The
Thomas Cooper
Library Circulation Department is pleased to present Paging, a service
with you in mind!
Not in a rush? Request the book from the online catalog by using our
new "Request" button found near the top of each item page. Just
look for the button with the red check mark.
For more information,
please click here
Reserves
Reserves
items can be picked up at the
Circulation Desk.
Study Rooms
Individual and group study rooms are available for study sessions.
These rooms must be checked out with a valid USC ID at the Circulation
Desk. To check out a group study room, at least two group members must
be present at the time of check out; both must have valid USC ID.
These rooms are available on a first come/first served basis, and are
available for USC students and faculty only. Study room keys must be
turned in 15 minutes before the Circulation Department closes. Study
room keys are library use only, check out for a maximum of four (4) hours
and cannot be taken
out of the building.
Carrels
USC faculty, staff, graduate students and South Carolina Honors College
students may request
a study carrel. To request a carrel, please come to the Circulation
Desk and fill out a carrel application. Carrels must be renewed at the
beginning of each Fall and Spring semester and may be renewed via
email. To renew carrels, send us an email at ecirc@gwm.sc.edu. Include your full
name, email address, phone number, and your carrel number. If you do
not remember your carrel number, place the key code (this begins with
L2B) in the text of the email. If you do not receive a confirmation
within 2 working days, please contact Circulation at (803) 777-3145 for
assistance.
Photoduplication
The library also offers photoduplication services including
double-sided copying, copying to transparencies and faxing. More
information is located online at Photoduplication
Services.
Departmental
Copy Cards
Faculty, staff and graduate students can charge photocopies to their
department, once authorized. To attain departmental copy card privleges
please send a letter on USC letterhead signed by the department's
business manager or head. The letter must include the name of the
person being authorized to charge photocopies, the last four digits of
their social security number, the account number to be charged for the
photocopies, and any limits to be imposed (such as any expiration date
or dollar amount). The letter may be sent to Thomas Cooper
Library to the attention of Chad Price, Day Circulation Supervisor or
faxed to Chad Price (the fax
number is 777-5342 and feel free to email Chad with any
questions). To use departmental copy card privleges, one must
have
their Carolina Card and see the Circulation desk at Thomas Cooper
Library for their pin number and instructions for use with the
photocopiers.
Library Annex
You may see notes in the library catalog stating that items are in the
Library Annex. This is a remote storage facility where some items are
stored. You may request these items be sent to the Circulation Desk by
visiting the Library
Annex web page. Please note that South Caroliniana items will be
sent to the
Caroliniana Library .
Distance Education Book Delivery
We will mail books from our
circulating collection to students who are both registered for a
distance education class through the USC Department of Distance
Education and live outside of Richland County or Lexington County. The
student will be responsible for returning the book either by mail or
otherwise before the due date. We recommend that the student return the
book by a traceable mail system. For more information and to make a
request click here.
Disability Services
The circulation department is happy to provide individual assistance
for any student registered through USC Disability Services.
Examples of some services include providing study carrel access,
pulling and/or mailing library books, and assistance with
photocopiers. Please contact Chad Price or any circulation
supervisor at (803) 777-3145 or ecirc@gwm.sc.edu
for more information.
Faculty Book Delivery
If you are USC-Columbia Faculty and there is a book we own that you
want to check out without coming to the library, we will get the book
and deliver it to your department on the USC-Columbia Campus. For
more information and to make a book delivery request click here.
Return to Top
|
|
Forms |
Online Forms
Printable Forms
TCL Building Problems
Return to Top
|
|
|
|
This page updated
Mach 17, 2008