Wesleyan University: Library

Services for Undergraduates

Library Hours
ID Cards and User Responsibility
Check-out Limits
Loan Period
Renewals
Recalls
Borrow/Recall CTW Materials
Fees/Fines
Suspension of Circulation Privileges
Confidentiality of Circulation Records
Reference Services
Personal Research Sessions
Items in Storage or Special Collections
Search for Items Not on Shelf
Accessing Online Resources from Off-campus Locations
Obtaining Materials not in CTW
Interlibrary Loan for Undergraduates
Computers in the Libraries
Access to Restricted Libraries
Public Data Jacks
Thesis Writers
Library Services for Study Abroad Students

Library Hours

The most up-to-date library hours are posted at http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/hours/. You may also call 860-685-2660 for this information.

ID Cards and User Responsibility

A valid Wesleyan ID that is linked to the library database is needed to charge out library materials. The IDs of continuing students remain active, including during the summer months, while they are enrolled in the University, and expire either upon graduation, or withdrawal from the University. The IDs of temporary students remain active only during the semester or semesters in which they are enrolled. ID cards are nontransferable, and may not be used by anyone other than the person to whom they were issued.

New ID cards can be linked at the circulation office in Olin Library 115. Should you encounter any difficulty with your ID, please come to the Circulation Office in Olin Library 115 to have it revalidated. If you have questions concerning ID cards or library circulation issues, in general, please call 860-685-3877 or send e-mail to circ@wesleyan.edu. Library users assume responsibility for notifying the library of change of address, loss or theft of the Wesleyan ID card, and loss or theft of books charged to them. Receipts for returned items are available upon request. You also accept responsibility for the materials borrowed on your ID card and for returning them to the library by the due date.

Check-out Limits

There is no limit on the number of items a user may charge out at any one time. To view a full list of library materials checked out to you, click on the CTW Library Catalog from the Library Homepage, select My Account, then log in with your Wes ID number and last name.

Loan Period

Loan periods differ according to the type of material being charged:

Wesleyan/ CTW Books - 28 days
ILL Items - due dates vary
Government Documents - 28 days
CD-ROMs – 7 days
Music CDs - 7 days
Cassettes - 7 days
Music Scores - 28 days
Videos (tapes, discs) - 3 days
Bound Periodicals in Olin - 14 days
Reserve Items - 2 to 24 hours (items vary).
Receipts for returned items are available upon request.

Renewals

There is no limit to the number of times an item may be renewed, provided it is not needed by another library user. Telephone renewals are accepted at (860) 685-3967 from 9am to 5pm Monday through Friday. You may also renew your items online, click "Renew Items" from the Library home page at http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/ "My Account" page will prompt you to log in with your Wes ID, and your last name. You must renew your books via online catalog before they are overdue.

Recalls

Library recall policy strives to balance the needs of the current borrower with the needs of the user requesting the item. The current borrower is guaranteed a loan period of 14 days for monographs, and 7 days for bound periodicals. After 7 days, the item may be recalled for another user. We will send a recall notice to inform you that the item must be returned in 7 days provided it is not already overdue. If a recalled item is not returned on time, an overdue notice is sent. Your library privileges will be suspended until the item is returned.

Borrow/Recall CTW Materials

Connecticut and Trinity Colleges, along with Wesleyan University, comprise a library consortium known as CTW. The CTW Consortium shares an online library catalog, and borrowing privileges are extended to the user communities of the three institutions. Wesleyan students may borrow items from the other institutions either in person at the lending library with a valid student ID, or they may use the online catalog to place their requests. Photocopies of journal articles must be requested through ILLiad, http://illiad.olin.wesleyan.edu/illiad/logon.html. The turnaround time for CTW online requests is usually about 48 hours. For further information, see http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/collections/ctw/ctw-circ.html.

Fees/Fines

There will be no general overdue fines for materials. However, all students are subject to recall and reserve overdue fines. The recall overdue fine is $7.00/day to a $70.00 maximum and $0.60/hour for reserve overdue. If an item is lost or stolen, the Item Replacement fee is $50.00 minimum, or the actual cost of the item if greater. There is a non-refundable replacement processing fee of $35.00 per item. There will be no additional fees for repair or binding of damaged items; however, extensive damage may result in the charging of replacement and processing fees.

Payment of Library Fines/Fees: Payment of library fines/fees is via your Student Account. If the total balance of your fines/fees prior to the last 28 days is greater than $10.00 these fines/fees will be sent to your Student Account during the first week of each month.

Suspension of Circulation Privileges

Circulation privileges may be suspended under the following circumstances: 10 items are overdue, one recalled item is overdue, one reserve item is overdue, or $100.00 in fees/fines are unpaid.

Confidentiality of Circulation Records

Wesleyan University Library is committed to the protection of the privacy rights of all of its students, faculty, staff and other library users. In the spirit of CT state law C.G.S.A. § 11-25, and in accordance with the American Library Association policy on "Confidentiality of Library Records," all library records are considered to be confidential transactions. Library staff will not release the name of any person to whom an item is currently charged, nor will they release past circulation records (this includes interlibrary loans). For exceptions, individual faculty, students and staff must request, in writing, that the library is authorized to share circulation information with other persons who might request such information. Persons making requests for circulation information must state the specific purpose for which the data is being used. If faculty and students would like to share their circulation information with each other, both parties must agree in writing to this arrangement and be approved by the University Librarian. All exceptions must be submitted in writing to the University Librarian, Olin Library, Room 202A.

Reference Services

Reference services are available at the Olin, Art and Science Library as well as Scores and Recordings and Special Collections & Archives. Advise the Reference Department of your research interests and a staff member will discuss library services with you, give you a tour of our facilities, or help you begin your research.

Please stop at the reference desk, call one of the numbers listed below or go here to ask a reference question. You can also reach us by email at reference@wesleyan.edu

Olin Memorial Library 685-3873
Art Library 685-3326
Scores and Recordings 685-3899
Science Library 685-3729
Special Collections & Archives 685-3864

Personal Research Sessions

In addition to in-class instruction, and classes offered throughout the semester, you can request a Personal Research Session with a librarian to work on a particular research project. This allows us to work with you one-on-one, on your schedule, and concentrate on your particular needs. Set up a session here

Items in Storage or Special Collections

Older and lesser used materials are housed in off-campus storage facilities. These materials may be retrieved upon your request, and they will normally be available for your use within 24 to 48 hours. All items in Special Collections & Archives are housed in closed stacks and they will also be retrieved, upon request, for your use. They are available for use in the SC&A reading room on the same day that you make your request, or as soon as the reading room opens the next day. SC&A reading room hours are Monday--Friday 1:00-5; Summer hours are Monday--Thursday 1:00-5. To request materials either from storage or Special Collections & Archives, please complete the "Request Items from Special Collections or Storage" form available either on paper or here.

Search for Items Not on Shelf

If you are unable to locate a book in any of the Wesleyan Libraries, you may place a search request. Library staff will initiate a systematic search for the item and notify you of the results. The form for requesting a search is available online here.

Accessing Online Resources from Off-campus Locations

Wesleyan University Library subscribes to a wide array of online indexes, electronic journals, and other databases available over the Internet. Since they are paid subscriptions, access to them is generally limited to users from the Wesleyan campus network. If you have a valid Wesleyan e-mail account and password you may be able to access these databases off campus. Please see here for detailed access instructions.

Obtaining Materials not in CTW

Purchasing Materials not in CTW:

The library routinely purchases books based on user recommendations. You may send acquisitions suggestions directly to acq@wesleyan.edu or via the Internet here.

Interlibrary Loan Services:

The Interlibrary Loan Department supports your research by borrowing materials which are not available in the CTW consortium libraries. Generally this service is limited to books, theses and dissertations, photocopies of articles and microfilms. Turnaround time is approximately two weeks depending on the location of the lending library. Requests can be made electronically here.

Interlibrary Loan for Undergraduates

Undergraduates are limited to 15 active ILLiad requests. Any questions about ILL services and requests should be addressed to ill@wesleyan.edu or x3876.

Computers in the Libraries

Most of the computers in the libraries are dedicated to various library-related applications. Computers with word processing or other general application programs can be found in the west side of main reading room in Olin Library and Science Library. E-Mail may be accessed from any of the library computers using Netscape.

Access to Restricted Libraries

Some libraries of private institutions do not allow non-affiliated users to access their collections without a letter of introduction from a librarian, stating that the material is not available at the requestor’s institution. If you know that a restricted access library has specific items which you need and which we do not have, contact the Reference Department for a letter of introduction.

Public Data Jacks

To allow users with network ready portable computers to access the Internet, public data jacks are available in Olin and Science libraries. For further information see http://www.wesleyan.edu/libr/services/datajack/datajack.html

Thesis Writers

We encourage you to make an appointment with a reference librarian for research assistance when you write your thesis. A librarian will provide you with useful information and advice on how to conduct your research efficiently. Contact the Reference Department by email at reference@wesleyan.edu, or call 685-3973.

Library Services for Study Abroad Students

Wesleyan University Library offers numerous online services to our students and faculty regardless of where they may be located. The following are a few useful suggestions about how you can perform online research through our library homepage no matter where in the world you may be.

Be certain that your e-mail account is current and fully functional before you leave the Wesleyan University campus.
Configure your WWW browser to access the Internet through the Wesleyan University proxy server. Simple step by step instructions for setting up your configuration are available here.
We will be happy to answer you reference questions from abroad. Simply click on the link to Ask a Reference Question from the library homepage.
We strongly advise against taking library books when you travel abroad. There is a replacement fee consisting of the cost of the lost book in addition to a $35.00 processing fee for each item you lose.
If you plan to write a thesis that will be based on publications you find while you are abroad, please bear in mind that it is often difficult for the Interlibrary Loan Department to gain timely access to unpublished or non-English materials, or foreign government publications.