Library Orientation

Borrowing 

Students

• Must have a valid SMC I.D. or photo I.D. to borrow materials.
• Books - 14 day loan period (no limit)
• Best Sellers - 14 day loan period (up to 10 at a time)
• DVDs - 3 day loan period (up to 2 at a time)
• Checked out materials may be renewed once (unless overdue).
• Reserves - in library use only unless faculty member gives permission stating otherwise.

Faculty and Staff

• Books - 30 day loan period, but can be renewed unlimited amount of times throughout the semester (no limit)
• Best Sellers - 30 day loan period (no limit)
• DVDs - 7 day loan period (no limit)

Alumni:  see library staff

Community Patrons:  Public patrons are welcome to use materials within the library.  

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Fees

• Student printing - free
• Student copying - $.10/page for B/W, $.25/page for color
• Public copying $.10/page for B/W, $.25/page for color
• Lost/ damaged books - $55.00

Computer & Internet Use Policy

*Due to high demand from SMC students, community (public) patrons do not have full computer privileges.  We will allow public patrons to quickly check email, print, and/or make photocopies.  Prints and photocopies are 10 cents per page.Temporary wifi is available to those who bring their own devices.  Please inquire at the front desk for wifi access information.

Users are prohibited from:

Viewing Inappropriate or Unlawful Content

Content that is fraudulent, harassing, embarrassing, sexually explicit, profane, obscene, intimidating, discriminatory, hostile, suggestive, defamatory, or otherwise unlawful or inappropriate may not be downloaded or sent by e-mail or any other form of electronic communication (such as Internet postings, newsgroups, chat groups, voice mail, paging system, music, graphic and video files, etc.) or displayed on or stored in any SMC IT Resource. SMC has implemented Internet blocking software to restrict access to inappropriate Internet sites.  The Internet is a worldwide network of computers that contains millions of pages of information, some of which may contain offensive or inappropriate material.

Circumventing Established Security. 

Users may not attempt to circumvent SMC data protection measures or attempt to uncover security loopholes.  Users may not gain or attempt to gain unauthorized access to restricted areas or files on SMC Information Technologies.  Users should not tamper with any software protections or restrictions placed on computer applications, files or directories. Users must immediately report suspected network, hardware or software vulnerabilities. Users will not attempt to demonstrate or exploit suspected security vulnerabilities. Users may not download or use any unauthorized security or “hacker” tools or devices.

Violating Network Security.

Users will not conduct network mapping, discovery, port scans, traffic analysis, traffic logging or any other information gathering/discovery technique from any SMC Information Technologies device unless that action is specifically authorized in their normal duties and responsibilities and approved by the SMC IT Department. 

In order to enforce these policies, the Information Technology Department may:

Implement Additional Security Measures: 

The SMC IT Department reserves the right to impose additional security restrictions and procedures in the future as necessary.

Monitor Internet Use:

Monitoring includes, without limitation, any activity performed on a SMC Information Technology Resource including Internet Sites visited, material uploaded/downloaded by Users to/from the Internet, and email sent and received by users.

Library Rules & Policies

NOTE: All rules are subject to change, and new rules may be added as needed.

Food and Drinks:

• Food and drink are allowed in the library. Trash must be placed in trash cans.

Noise:

• Please be respectful and try to speak with a quiet voice.  You may not be studying, but others are.
• Only listen to music/watch videos (on any device) if you have headphones (used at a level only you can hear). 
• The back section of the 2^nd floor is considered a quiet study area.  Users speaking loudly or using devices that can be heard by others will be asked to lower the volume of their conversations or devices and/or be asked to leave the area.
• Library staff reserve the right to ask persons who are noisy or disruptive to contain or reduce the noise. After a warning, staff may ask patrons to leave the library. In the event that patrons are not responsive to these requests, Campus Safety may be called.
• Students, staff, and faculty are asked to report excessive noise to staff at the Circulation Desk on the main floor.

Mobile Phones:

• Cell phones are required to be set to vibrating/silent ring in the library. All conversations should be quiet and not disrupt others. If you are having a conversation or using a tone that disturbs others, you may be asked to leave the library.

Other:

• No tobacco use of any kind is permitted on the SMC campus.
• Students may visit websites such as Facebook and YouTube on the computers in the building, but they may be asked to move if someone needs the computer for academic purposes.

Library FAQs:

1. How many books may a student borrow?

The Library does not limit the number of books a student may borrow.  The loan period for books is two weeks, and the late fee for overdue books is ten cents per day per book.

2. Does the Library have movies? 

Yes.  The Library also has several DVD players that students may borrow.  DVD's are due the next day, and students may only check out two DVDs at a time.

3. Does the Library have any popular fiction?

Yes, the Library does have a small section of popular fiction, but the overall collection focuses on academic materials.

4. Are cell phones allowed in the Library?

Cell phones are allowed, but all cell phones should be set to silent.  Please do not use your speaker phone when taking a phone call.

5. Are students allowed to have food and drink in the Library?

Yes, students eat and drink in the library, but please clean up after yourself.

6. Is the Library open during student breaks?

The Library is closed whenever the College is officially closed.  

7. Does the Library have any study rooms?

The Law Room and second floor conference room may be used as study rooms and may be reserved (with sufficient notice).  Please note that the Library reserves the right to use the room for library purposes even if the room has been reserved.  

8. Are there computers in the Library?

Yes, the Library has computers for student use.  Students are free to use Facebook and YouTube, but they will be asked to move if another student needs the computer for research purposes.  Headphones are required for listening to music or watching videos.

9. What if research leads the student to items at other libraries?

If the Library does not have a book a student needs, the student can arrange to borrow the book from another library using PASCAL (Partnership Among South Carolina Academic Libraries).  Librarians and staff are happy to answer any questions about PASCAL.

12. Can students use the Library’s e-books from home?

Yes, to gain remote access to e-books found in the Library’s catalog, students will need to use their SMC username and password.

13. What is the Library of Congress classification?

The Library of Congress subject heading system of classification is a system used for categorizing books by subject.  Details of the system can be found by visiting “Library of Congress Classification Outline”  (courtesy of the Library of Congress).

Information on finding books on the shelves using the system can be found by visiting “From the Online Catalog to the Shelf” (courtesy of the University System of Georgia).