170.1 Library Organization

170.1 Library Organization

A. Background

The Furman University Libraries consist of the James B. Duke Library, the H. Kay Ezell Science Reading Room, and the Robert J. Maxwell, Jr. Music Library.  The James B. Duke Library was built in 1958 and was renovated and expanded in 2004. Both projects received significant support from the Duke Endowment.  The H. Kay Ezell Science Reading Room, located in Plyler Hall, was established in 1966 and houses journals for Chemistry, Physics, Biology and Earth and Environmental Sciences. The Robert J. Maxwell Jr. Music Library, part of the Herring Music Pavilion, was built in 1998. The Libraries are organized to provide the most effective services and resources to its patrons within the framework of the University's Policies and Procedures Manual/Faculty Handbook, the Strategic Plan, and the Constitution and ByLaws of the Faculty of Furman University. 

B. Policy

The libraries are vital to the overall success of Furman University as a leading liberal arts institution.  They strive to meet the curricular and research needs of students and faculty and the general interest needs of the entire Furman community.  The library faculty and staff serve to assist and participate in the pursuit of meaningful scholarship.  Using current technologies, the library seeks to identify and implement innovative means for broadening access to information beyond the immediate holdings while continuing to build and maintain an exemplary body of on-site resources.  In addition to its primary mission, the library serves as a selective U.S. Government Document Depository for the 4th Congressional District of South Carolina and as the official archives for the University.

C. Guidelines

1.  General information.

a. Library hours are posted on the front door of the libraries and on the library’s website.  Hours between terms, during holiday periods, and during the summer may be modified (See File 170.2). 

b. The library has a rich collection of print, online, and media resources.  The key to using these resources is the library website, which provides access to Alcuin, our online catalog, as well as over one hundred research databases and thousands of online journals and books.

c. Library personnel include the library faculty, support staff, and student assistants.  They are organized to optimize their knowledge, skills, and talents in order to meet patron needs in the most cost-effective manner.  Library departments include Acquisitions, Cataloging, Circulation, Collection Development, Document Delivery/Interlibrary Loan, Electronic Resources and Serials, Government Documents, Reference, Special Collections, the Music Library and Science Reading Room.  Within each department, support personnel report to library faculty.  Librarians report to the Director of Libraries, who reports to the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean.

d. The Director of Libraries, in consultation with appropriate library personnel, faculty committees, and  University administrators, shall be responsible for:

(1)  Developing, directing, administering, and evaluating policies and procedures for library operations

(2)  Selecting, supervising and evaluating library personnel and defining and delegating responsibilities to appropriate library personnel

(3)  Providing an environment in which library faculty and support staff can work effectively and grow professionally

(4)  Developing and administering the annual library budget

(5)  Monitoring and evaluating library services and operations in relation to the University's mission, goals, and policies, its Strategic Plan, Institutional Self-Study Reports, consultants' recommendations, comparative studies of similar institutions, and generally recognized standards of academic library management

(6)  Serving as liaison among the University administration, the Library Committee, other University operations and library personnel

(7)  Assuring that library operations are within the guidelines of appropriate federal and state laws and regulations

(8)  Representing the University and the library at various local, state, regional, and national meetings.

In the absence of the Director, the line of authority for decision making moves to the Associate Director who will consult with the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean of the University, if necessary.

e. The Library Committee is a faculty committee composed of six (6) faculty members elected by the faculty, with two (2) student members appointed by the President of the Association of Furman Students (AFS), and two (2) administrative members (usually the Director of Libraries and the Vice President for Academic Affairs and Dean or his designee) appointed by the President of the University. The committee is charged with making recommendations on the policies and operations of the library and establishing guidelines for the disbursement of budgeted library acquisition funds. Traditionally, the committee also assigns scholar study rooms to faculty.

2.  Library File Summaries

This section provides a brief summary of each of the specialized library files in the Policies and Procedures Manual/Faculty Handbook.  For detailed information on each topic, please refer to the file number cited.

a.   The library provides information access primarily to Furman administrators, faculty, staff, and students.  While the library is available for use by other patrons, access and services are more limited and may require prior arrangement with appropriate library personnel.  (See File 172.1.)

b.   Library acquisitions is dependent on collaboration between faculty and librarians in developing a collection that meets the informational needs of the library's patrons.  Each faculty member is responsible for recommending new items for acquisition and marginal items for withdrawal.  (See File 178.2.)

c.   Six scholar study rooms (which can accommodate up to eight people) are available for use by faculty engaged in research and writing.  (See File 178.3.)

d.   The Circulation Department’s main goal is providing patrons with access to resources.  (See File 172.2.)

e.   Library materials are housed in collections depending on format, level of use, how classified, and/or when purchased.  (See File 176.2.)

f.    A selective U. S. Government Documents Depository is maintained by the library in compliance with Title 44 U. S. Code to serve the citizens of the Fourth Congressional District and Furman University.  (See File 176.3.)

g.   Monetary and in-kind gifts are an integral part of the library's development. Materials received as gifts are fully as important and valuable as items that are bought, and consequently, they are given the same degree of care and handling as purchases.  (See File 176.4.)

h.   The library shall publicize its regular operating schedule and special hours.  (See File 170.2.)

i.    The library will request on interlibrary loan any item which is needed by a patron, but not owned by the library.  Items are ordered on a cost recovery basis.  (See File 174.1.)

j.    The Robert J. Maxwell Music Library is administered by the university libraries.  It is located in the Herring Music Pavilion.  (See File 176.2.)

k.   Patrons have access to research assistance and library instruction.  (See File 174.2.)  

l.    Reserves are a collection of materials placed in a controlled access area from which students may obtain a limited number of items which are required reading for all students in a course.  (See File 178.1.)

m.  Special Collections houses those items which are of archival, historical, and/or monetary value and which require limited access to preserve the materials.  (See File 176.1)

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