Library Service Updates for COVID-19

• All students and employees must wear a mask at all times in the public areas of the library building, which includes all reading rooms, service desks, the atrium, the stacks, restrooms, stairwells, etc.
• All students and employees will be required to maintain physical distancing of 6 feet, except for transient use of areas with limited space (i.e., passing in hallways) or at a service desk with a barrier installed. Some spaces will be designated one-way to enable appropriate distancing.
• No group of more than 4 will be allowed to gather in the library (i.e., to study), with the exception of classes scheduled to meet in the library or library-sponsored events. Physical distance must be maintained.
• Total occupancy of the library will be limited to 50.
• Furniture will be relocated to ensure appropriate distancing. Library patrons may not rearrange furniture.
• Seniors with carrels will be encouraged to coordinate use with neighboring carrel holders to enable physical distancing.
• Signage and markings on the floor will indicate appropriate separation at service desks, print stations, the copier/scanner and other locations
• All patrons are encouraged to wash and/or sanitize their hands upon entering the building and before and after using library equipment, furniture, and collections.
• In order to quarantine materials that have been used but not circulated (reference collection, periodicals, items on display, etc.), patrons should not re-shelve any items; these materials should be deposited in the book return after use.
• The library will not provide office supplies to patrons (pens/pencils, paper, paperclips, etc.). Equipment that can be used without touching or that can be regularly sanitized will be available.
• No food will be allowed in the library, but beverages in containers with lids will be allowed.

In-person Services:

• All research services will be provided at the Circulation Desk.
• A plexiglass barrier has been installed at the Circulation Desk to provide a safety barrier for library patrons and employees when engaging in in-person services.
• The Circulation Desk is equipped with a patron-facing monitor so that library staff and patrons can maintain distance while working together.

Online Serivces: Librarians are available to help with your research questions by email or via an online meeting app like Google Meet or Zoom. Just contact us anytime at library@simons-rock.edu!

Meeting with a Librarian:

• Patrons can make an appointment with a librarian for online or in-person assitance by emailing library@simons-rock.edu.
• Librarians will provide online reference services using synchronous and asynchronous technologies based on the needs and preferences of the patron.
• An in-person meeting with a librarian may be scheduled by appointment, subject to availability of an appropriate meeting space.

If you need to borrow items from the collection, look them up in the library’s catalog and then submit a request. We’ll retrieve them and let you know when they’re ready for you to pick up. You can return items to the drop box located outside the library. This service is intended for current students and employees who are not able to acces the library in person but can come to campus for pick up. For students in quarantine on campus, we will make delivery arrangements.

If you need one or two chapters scanned from a book in the library’s collection, submit a request and we’ll send them to you. We can’t scan entire books, so if you’re unsure which chapters you want, we can send you the table of contents first (see request form for details). This service is intended for current students and employees who are not able to acces the library in person.

Submit interlibrary loan requests as usual. Please be aware that our ability to fill requests may be limited by the operational status of other libraries. Requests for articles and book chapters will continue as normal. These items are requested, processed, and delivered digitally. Any physical item requested via interlibrary loan will be quarantined upon arrival before circulating to the library patron and again upon return. Loan periods may be adjusted to allow for quarantine timing.

• Due dates: all circulating items (books, music scores, DVDs, CDs) will be due on November 20.
• Seniors will retain a May 2021 due date.
• Faculty will retain an August 2021 due date.
• With permission from a librarian, students may take library materials home with them when they leave in November. These materials may be returned by mail or returned at the start of the spring semester.
• Returned items will be quarantined before shelving or subsequent circulation.
• Books/music scores: library patrons will retrieve items from the stacks themselves and use a monitored self-checkout setup for circulation
• DVDs, CDs, Closed Stacks (including Simon’s Rock Authors): all items that must be retrieved by library staff will be handled using appropriate protocols to avoid cross contamination; returned items will be quarantined before re-shelving.
• The Library of Things: items will be quarantined upon return. Items that can be sanitized may be circulated without quarantining.
• Reserves: physical course reserves are suspended.

• Reference Collection and Periodicals: in order to quarantine materials that have been used, patrons should not re-shelve any items; these materials should be deposited in the book return after use.
• Simon’s Rock Archives & ECRI: materials must be requested in advance and an appointment for viewing scheduled; materials must be used with supervision in a space appropriate for social distancing; materials will be quarantined prior to return to storage; some materials may be digitized in lieu of in-person use.

All electronic resources are always available from any location. These resources include more than 200,000 ebooks, 50,000 full text electronic journals and magazines, streaming music and video, and more. Use the links to these resources from the library's webpages, because the necessary authentication procedure is initiated by clicking those links. You'll be asked to log in using your Simon's Rock username and password.

• Faculty can set up an instruction session with a librarian by emailing library@simons-rock.edu
• At the request of a faculty member, a librarian may visit a class in their classroom if there is adequate space for social distancing.
• Bringing a class to visit the library will only be allowed if there is adequate space for social distancing. All visits by a class group must be scheduled in advance.
• Librarians can provide online instruction using synchronous or asynchronous technologies based on the needs and preferences of the instructor.