1. How (and where) do I make photocopies?
2. I have some books I'd like to donate to the library. How do I go about doing that?
3. If I return a book late, what kind of fines will I be charged?
4. What computers are available in the library?
5. How can I get a job at the library?
6. I've lost my hat, has anyone turned it in?
7. The catalog says that the book I want is here, but I can't find it on the shelf. What should I do?
8. I'm looking for a particular issue of a periodical, how do I go about finding it here in the library?
9. How do I find what compact discs or videos the library owns?
10. Can I ask the library to order a book for the collection?
11. How do I format my senior project?
12. How do I renew books I currently have checked out?

1. Photocopies

Photocopying machines are located on the first floor of Hoffman. They take change (15¢ per copy) and copy cards (10¢ per copy).

To purchase a copy card: Put a dollar bill into the lower slot of the copy card machine, mysteriously named the Vendacoder Dispenser (VD), located among the copiers on the first floor of Hoffman. The VD will eject a small card with a magnetic stripe on one side. This card has no copies on it.

Put the card back in the machine in the smaller slot on the top left hand side and feed $1, $5 or $10 bill(s) into the lower slot. You should see the readout on the right change to reflect the number of copies added to the card. The VD can be very persnickety about the quality of your bills. If you have any problems, come to the Reference Desk and we'll replace your raggedy old bills with nicer ones. Copies can also be added to cards in the copiers themselves.

Press the button, and your card will be ejected.

Until you put change or a copy card into a copier, the readout says “Add Paper”. If it still says “Add Paper” after adding the change or card, please see the librarian.

Originals are placed in the upper left hand corner of the glass, oriented vertically.

2. Book Donations

Donations of library materials can be of considerable use in collection building and are carefully reviewed with respect to their place in the scope of our collections and their durability. Items not selected for inclusion in a collection are shared with other Bard libraries or are offered on the library's book sale shelves on the Lower Level. Most gifts of materials are acknowledged with a special library book plate. For tax purposes we will be happy to acknowledge your donations, but valuation is your responsibility. For information about donations, contact Collection Development Librarian Jane Dougall, Stevenson 102 (ext. 7620; dougall@bard.edu).

3. Late Fees

Fines are charged on all overdue materials. The rate for most materials is $0.25 per day up to a maximum fine of $10.00. (Different borrowing procedures and fine schedules apply to ConnectNY books, Course Reserves and Interlibrary Loan Services.) The replacement fee for a lost book is $80.00 plus any accrued fines. A higher replacement fee may be charged for more costly materials, such as some art or science books.

4. Library Computers

The computers on the Main Floor of the library are for research only. As of this writing, we have 17 PCs, equipped with a read-only version of Word. There are five printers serving these PCs. From these computers you can access the Library's web site, search the web, and read your e-mail.

5. Library Jobs

Students looking for part-time work in the library are welcome to fill out applications available at the Circulation Desk. We do most of our hiring in the first few days of each semester, so please get your applications in early. We hire students full time for the winter and summer breaks. Please fill out applications as soon as you know you'll be around over these breaks.

6. Lost and found.

The library lost and found is located at the Circulation Desk at the entrance to the building. Often lost items are turned into the Circulation Office, Room 102 or to the Reference Desk. It's best to check in all three places, particularly if the lost items are wallets, keys, cell phones or flash drives.

7. Missing books or periodicals.

If the book or journal you're looking for is not on the shelf, first check in the catalog to make sure that the location is Bard, and that the status is Check Shelves. If the catalog record says those two things, see the Reference Librarian. She will go up to the shelves to check, and, if she can't find it, she'll change the status of the book so that you can request that title thorough ConnectNY. If the book is not in ConnectNY, the librarian will help you fill out an Interlibrary Loan Request Form. 

8. Finding periodicals

When you find a citation for an article that you'd like to read, the first place to check is our AtoZ Journal List. Type in the title of the journal (not the article). If we have an electronic subscription, the links that appear below the title will take you to the “journal level” of our subscription.  From here, choose a year/volume/issue to get the table of contents and then click on the article you are looking for.

If we subscribe to a paper copy of the journal, click on “Bard College Print Holdings”. This will open up a link to our catalog. If the location given is Bard Periodicals, then the journal is in the Main Library. The numbers that follow the words "Library Has" show which volumes and dates respectively we have in bound journals housed in the Hoffman section of the library. A dash (-) at the end of a range of volumes and at the end of a range of dates indicates that we have an ongoing subscription, and that issues that follow that last volume/date will be located in Current Periodicals on the second floor of Stevenson. (Remember to pull the shelves up to see recent back issues.) The latest issue received is noted on the Latest Received line. All our periodicals, whether bound, microfilmed or current, are shelved in alphabetical order by title.

Bound journals whose titles start with -
A-C are shelved in Hoffman 5
D-Mu Hoffman 4
N-Rev Hoffman 2
Revue E-Z Hoffman 1

If the location given is Bard Microform, then back issues of that journal are stored on microfilm, and located in the microfilm cabinets on the first floor of Stevenson. They are arranged in alphabetical order by title. The cabinets on the northeast side of the room house the microfilm of journals whose titles start with the letter A to New York Times, 10/46. The cabinets on the southwest side of the room house our remaining reels. (We subscribe to The New York Times online from 1851 to three years ago.) For help using the microfilm reader/printer in Stevenson 1, see a librarian.

9. Finding CDs, DVDs or videos in our catalog.

Do a subject search on the words "CDs". This will give you a list of all our CDs. If you were interested in listening to, say, John Coltrane, click on the "Limit this Search" box and, from the drop down box, choose "Words in Author" and type "Coltrane". Click on the gray bar at the bottom of the screen, and you should get a list of all the CDs we own by John Coltrane. (We also subscribe to Naxos Music Library and DRAM (Database of Recorded American Music) which stream music.)

Similarly, if you wanted a list of our videos or DVDs, do a subject search on "videos" (or "DVDs") and limit that list by, for example, "Words in Subject" "dance". This will give you a list of all the dance videos we own.

10. Requesting book purchases for the library.

We are happy to receive your suggestions for our collection. Please click on Suggestions for: New Books on the main search page of the catalog. Fill out as much information as you can. If you include your name, we'll let you know as soon as the book comes in.

11. Formatting your Senior Project

Click here to view the online guide for formatting your project. Also you can contact the Dean's office for more information.

12. Renewing Books
 At the bottom the library’s homepage, click on Renew Books. Alternatively, from the search page of the catalog, click on View Your Circulation Record.

On the next screen, type your name into the top box. In the Barcode box, type the numbers beneath the barcode on the back of your ID (they should start with the numbers 251310…). Press Submit. You are now in your “patron record”. Click on the “Items currently checked out” link.

The next screen will list the library materials that are checked out to you, with their due dates. You may check the boxes next to the ones you want to renew and then click the Renew Selected Items button, or press the Renew All Items button. You are allowed one renewal. Please make note of the new due date(s). ConnectNY books should be renewed close to their due dates. You might have to wait overnight to see if you are allowed the renewal. ConnectNY books may be renewed only once, and the renewal period is three weeks.

If you have any questions, please contact the Reference Desk at 758-7281, the Circulation Office at 758-7359, or use the e-mail form at the Contact Us link on our homepage.