BGC Library: Library Guidelines

Student information > library guidelines

Briefcases, coats or umbrellas are not allowed in the reading room.
No food or drink (INCLUDING WATER) is permitted.
If you plan to have a library visitor, you must let the library staff know in advance so that we may inform security.
We have many fragile materials in the open stacks that should be handled with care. Ask the staff for help if you have any difficulty.
Only pencils (or laptops) may be used for taking notes. Pens are not allowed.
Respect the library materials. Enclosures, including paper clips, pencils, Post-it notes and bulky items should not be placed in the text. Please use paper bookmarks that are provided. Please refrain from placing unnecessary strain on library materials, including stacking up open books to hold places in the text. Books should not be marked in any way. Corners should not be turned down to mark places in the text.
Use book weights provided to hold books open. Book cradles are also available if necessary.

Please alert library staff if the machine is not working or there are other copier problems (toner runs out, etc.).
The cover and pages of a book should be supported while the book is being photocopied.
Do not force books flat on the photocopy machine.
Oversized, tightly bound, or brittle materials should not be photocopied. Please abide by the blue “no photocopying” label attached to some materials. (If you have any doubt about whether a book should be photocopied, ask a library staff member.)
Photocopying of rare materials and BGC theses is prohibited

1. Course reserve books, loose periodical issues, rare, and reference books are not allowed on student shelves. ALWAYS fill out book cards for each book and journal volume – make them legible, and date them with the year. Please help us to avoid excessive staff time devoted to tracking down an item in the absence of a card being filled out.
See library staff if a book’s status in Decopac is other than “check shelves.” (“See librarian,” “faculty office,” “at bindery,” etc.)
Keep your shelves orderly at all times. Whenever possible, shelve books vertically with titles facing out. If oversized books do not fit on your shelf, please leave on the lower level. Keep your personal belongings in your lockers, not on your library shelf. Do not accumulate books unnecessarily on your shelves.
Please “check out” items to your shelves, rather than leaving stacks of books on countertops or tables. THEY WILL BE RESHELVED. Please return all used materials to shelving carts when finished, except for reserve books, which should be shelved immediately after use.

Please do your part to make the library as quiet as possible, so that it is a suitable research environment for everyone. The library’s spaces for study are limited, so please adhere to this policy.
Cell phones are not to be used in the library. If your phone is on, please set it to “vibrate” mode so its ring does not disturb other readers. If you receive a call, please leave the library immediately, no matter how brief you anticipate the call to be.