Library Policies: Library Policies

Circulation Policies - Staff

• There is no limit to the number of items that may be checked out.
• Materials are due 21 days after checkout.
• If a due date falls on a day the library is not open, the materials will be due the next working day.
• There is no limit on the number of times an item may be renewed as long as there is no hold or fine associated with it.
• Reserve materials may be checked out for use in the library only. Checkout time is two hours, but may be extended if no one else has requested the material.
• Employees needing an item that is currently checked out may contact the library to place a hold on the material. The library will notify the employee when it becomes available. Materials on hold must be retrieved within five days after notification, or they will be returned to circulation.
• Library staff may recall circulating items at any time.  Recalled items must be returned to the library within 48 hours.

Lost/Damaged Items

• Employees are encouraged to return materials they are no longer using to prevent loss.
• Materials that are more than four weeks overdue will be declared lost.
• Employees are discouraged from loaning materials checked out on their accounts, as they assume full responsibility for any loss or damage that may occur.
• Employees are responsible for paying the replacement cost and a $10 processing fee for each item that is lost or damaged.
• Employees may choose to replace a lost item rather than paying for it. Replacement items must be the same edition or newer if the lost or damaged item is no longer available, and they must be in excellent condition. If an employee replaces a lost item rather than paying for it, the $10 processing fee is waived.

Circulation Policies - Residents

• There is no limit to the number of items that may be checked out.
• Residents have a checkout period of one year with a due date of June 1.
• An item is subject to recall at any time if another person places a hold on it.
• Reserve material may be checked out for use in the library only. Checkout time is two hours, but may be extended if no one else has requested the material.
• Residents needing an item that is currently checked out may contact the library to place a hold on the material. The library will notify the resident when it becomes available. Materials on hold must be retrieved within five days after notification, or they will be returned to circulation.
• Library staff may recall circulating items at any time.  Recalled items must be returned to the library within 48 hours.

Lost/Damaged Items

• Residents are encouraged to return materials they are no longer using to prevent loss.
• Residents are discouraged from loaning materials checked out on their accounts, as they assume responsibility for any loss or damage that may occur.
• Residents are responsible for paying the replacement cost and a $10 processing fee for each item that is lost or damaged.
• Residents may choose to replace a lost item rather than paying for it. Replacement items must be the same edition or newer if the lost or damaged edition is no longer available, and they must be in excellent condition. If a resident replaces a lost item rather than paying for it, the $10 processing fee is waived. 

Inventory

• All items checked out on a resident's account have a due date of June 1 and must be either renewed or returned at that time.
• If a resident has items that have not been renewed or returned by August 1, the library will contact them with a reminder by email and/or telephone. If they do not renew or return their items by September 1, they will be sent an invoice.
• Residents must return all items from their inventory before they are cleared to graduate from their residency.
• The library will contact the resident and the resident liaison regarding clearance.

E-Resources - Residents

For information about accessing the library's databases and other electronic resources, please refer to this guide. If you have further questions, please contact our library director.

Circulation Policies - Students

• A valid KCU student ID is required to check out materials. If a student does not have his/her ID, the library can hold an item for him/her for up to 24 hours.
• There is no limit to the number of items a student may check out from the library.
• Materials are due 21 days after checkout.
• If a due date falls on a day the library is not open, the materials will be due the next working day.
• There is no limit on the number of times an item may be renewed as long as there is no hold for another patron.
• Reserve materials may be checked out for use in the library only. Checkout time is two hours for reserve items but may be extended if no one else has requested the material.
• Students needing an item that is currently checked out may contact the library to place a hold on the material. The library will notify the student when it becomes available. Materials on hold must be retrieved within five days after notification, or they will be returned to circulation.
• Students going out of town on clerkships must make their own arrangements for the return or renewal of materials.
• Library staff may recall circulating items at any time.  Recalled items must be returned to the library within 48 hours.

Notices

• Students are sent courtesy notices by email 48 hours prior to an item's due date.
• Regardless of whether notices are received, it is always the responsibility of students to return materials on time.
• Overdue notices are emailed to students up to three times to remind them of overdue items.

Lost/Damaged Items

• Students are encouraged to return materials they are no longer using to prevent loss.
• Students are discouraged from loaning materials checked out on their accounts, as they assume responsibility for any loss or damage that may occur.
• Materials that are more than four weeks overdue will be declared lost.
• Students are responsible for paying the replacement cost and a $10 processing fee for each item that is lost or damaged.
• Students may choose to replace a lost item rather than pay for it. Replacement items must be the same edition or newer if the lost or damaged edition is no longer available, and they must be in excellent condition. If a student replaces a lost item rather than paying for it, the $10 processing fee is waived.

Alumni Policies

• Alumni are welcome to visit the library and use its resources while on campus.
• For other services (reference/research help, interlibrary loan), please contact the library director at lfitterling@kansascity.edu.

Interlibrary Loan Policy

Borrowing

Interlibrary Loan is used to obtain materials that the KCU libraries do not own, but that are available from other libraries. This service is available without charge to KCU students, residents, faculty, and staff.

To request an article that the KCU libraries do not have access to, please fill out this form.

To request a book or other item through Interlibrary Loan, please:

• Use the online catalog to verify that our library does not already own the title.
• Contact the Library with your request in person, by email (interlibraryloan@kansascity.edu), telephone (816-654-7260 or 816-654-7266), or campus mail.
• Allow 2 to 10 days to receive the requested item. 

Lending

The library will lend materials to other libraries that participate in OCLC, DOCLINE or other KCU lending consortia. Lending fees are applied for the lending of items to libraries that we do not have reciprocal agreements with or that are not a part of our consortia. The borrowing library is responsible for KCU materials and will be charged replacement fees if items are lost or damaged.

Study Room Policy

The D'Angelo Library's five study rooms may be used by individual students or by small groups. Students must reserve a study room by signing up at the Access Services Desk. Each study room can be reserved for up to four hours. If a student reserves a study room and fails to show up within the first 15 minutes of their allotted time, the room may be assigned to someone else. Tutors may reserve study rooms by telephone (816-654-7260) or email (library@kansascity.edu) up to a week in advance. Other students can reserve study rooms only for the current day.

The study rooms can seat up to eight people, depending on the room. Each room contains:

• An OMT table
• Wall-mounted Apple TV
• DVD/Blu-ray player
• White board
• Study table and chairs

Collection Development Policy

Collection development involves the planned identification and review of materials best suited to strengthen the library resources for education, teaching, learning, research, patient care and administration.  Regardless of format, selection criteria are the same:

• Subject relevance – directly support KCU’s various programs, departments and functions
• Intellectual content
• Level of presentation
• Reputation of author and publisher
• Needs of primary clientele
• Cost-effectiveness
• Existing coverage
• Faculty input
• Written reviews

Deselection Policy (Weeding)

Collection management is usually perceived as an activity that only adds new materials to a library. Collection management is also undertaken to maximize the usefulness of a library’s collection to its users. For the purpose of this policy statement, weeding is defined as the removal of items from the library’s active collection. Weeding is an important part of the management of collections. Deselection, or weeding, is the careful elimination from the collection of unwanted or unnecessary materials that accumulate over time. This is accomplished not only to conserve valuable space, but more importantly to increase the value or usefulness of the collection. A collection is difficult to use when one must sift through large amounts of irrelevant, outdated materials.

The professional library staff members have the primary responsibility for weeding activities. Other faculty and staff may be called upon to serve as consultants when necessary. All deselection/weeding will be accomplished according to the criteria listed below and with thought to preservation of the historical records of the practice of medicine.

Criteria that will be used for deselection/weeding:

• Superseded editions
• Frequency of use – little to no circulation activity in the last 10 years
• Physical condition – repair an option?
• Subject areas collected at shallow depths will be weeded more rigorously than in-depth areas
• Multiple or redundant copies
• Publication date – materials containing obsolete information
• Status in history of the subject
• Special features – autograph, marginalia, inscription
• Author
• Relevance – titles no longer relevant to current curricular or research needs to be weeded from collection
• Journals overpriced relative to use; journals underused regardless of price

Donation Policy

The library welcomes appropriate donations. Potential donors are asked to contact the library before delivering materials. This allows us to ascertain the suitability of the proposed donations and offer alternatives if the materials are not suitable for our collection. The library accepts donations that enhance the existing collection in ways consistent with our collecting guidelines. This means that we will accept donations as long as:

• They are in scope for our collection and in English.
• They do not duplicate existing resources (unless we decide that a duplicate is a sensible addition).
• The materials have been published within the past five years, unless they are of historical significance.
• Materials are in good condition.

Materials presented to the library as donations may be added to the collection if they fit within the above guidelines, or they may be offered to the library's clientele without charge, or discarded. Library staff will make the final decision on the disposition of donations. The library reserves the right to handle all donations as it sees fit and to refuse or discard materials that do not fit within the above guidelines or meet the current needs of the collection.

Food and Drink Policy

• Food and drink are permitted in the library.
• Drinks are to be in a container with a screw-on lid or a "to-go" cup with a screw-on lid.
• Trash is to be disposed of in the receptacles that are provided.
• When problems develop with trash or spills, this privilege can be revoked at any time.
• We want to minimize spills which are harmful to computers, stain carpet and attract insects and vermin.

Thank you for your assistance in keeping your library clean and attractive.

Noise Policy

KCU Libraries seek to provide all users with a welcoming, comfortable, and safe environment promoting quiet study without interruption. The following policy is intended to ensure a productive environment for all of our library users.

Library users are asked to abide by the following guidelines:

Excessive noise or any disruptive activity or behavior interfering with ordinary library use or operation is not permitted. Out of respect for other patrons, please set cell phones and other electronic devices to silent or vibrate mode.

Quiet study (with quiet conversation) is permitted on the D'Angelo Library's first floor and in the group study rooms on both floors. Please keep study room doors closed and conversation at a respectful volume.

D'Angelo Library's second floor is designated for silent study.

To report a noise disturbance, contact a library staff member at the front desk or by e-mail. Library chat can also be used to report a noise disturbance. Front desk staff has earplugs and headphones available.

Preservation Policy

The responsibility to build collections carries with it the obligation to ensure that these collections are always accessible.  The D’Angelo Library is committed to the preservation of its collections by taking action to:

• Prevent, stop, and/or retard deterioration of all library materials in all media
• Prevent theft or loss of all items in the library's collection
• Improve the condition of items when possible
• Change the format of library materials to preserve intellectual content as necessary and appropriate

The comprehensive approach to preservation entails choosing the most appropriate method of preservation for every item.  This is accomplished through proper conditions:

• Careful handling and housing of items
• Use of security systems designed to eliminate mutilation and theft
• Refreshment and migration of electronic files to ensure their continued usability
• Repair or replacement of damaged materials
• Preserving materials of unique aesthetic or historical value in their original form

There are many materials whose value lies primarily, or only, in the information they contain.  When repair of such materials becomes impossible or prohibitively expensive, their content may be preserved through reformatting into other media.  The indefinite storage of unusable materials within the library cannot be justified.

Preservation decisions for materials in the collections are best determined by the library staff in consultation with faculty when necessary.  Preservation decisions must always be made within the context of overall collection policy, balancing the constraints of historical, aesthetic, and scholarly value, cost and user accessibility.

Telephone, Cell Phone, and Fax Policies

Telephone:

There are telephones available throughout the library. All phones allow users to make local calls or calls to other KCU extensions. These phones cannot receive direct calls. We encourage users to be considerate of others by keeping their voices low and limiting their calls to five minutes.

Cell Phone:

The library is intended to be a quiet place to read and study without interruption. Out of respect for other patrons, please set cell phones, pagers and other electronic devices to silent or vibrate mode. Please step outside of the library if you need to place or answer a call.

Fax:

The fax machine located on the first floor of the D'Angelo Library is available for students to use without charge. It can be used for local as well as for long distance business. Library staff members can assist in the use of the fax machine, but do not monitor incoming faxes. Library staff members do not fax materials for students except when the student fax machine is not working correctly.