Library Borrowing Procedure

Ref. No.	Executive sponsor	Policy steward	Approval authority	First approved	Last reviewed	Effective date	Next review
15.12

Purpose
1. This procedure outlines how to:
  1. Register for Library Services.
  2. Borrow library resources.
  3. Request library resources.
  4. Return library resources.

Definitions

Term	Definition
Alumni	Graduates of the Nova Scotia Community College and its predecessor schools.
BARA (Borrow Anywhere/Return Anywhere)	A reciprocal borrowing program provided by public, community college, and university libraries in Nova Scotia which permits library materials to be returned to any participating library, regardless of where they were borrowed.
Borrower	Students and employees who study or work at a Novanet institution, as well as alumni, community and CURBA members, who have been registered in the Library Services Platform.
CAUL-CBUA (Council of Atlantic University Libraries-Conseil des bibliothèques universitaires de l’Atlantique)	A library consortium comprised of post-secondary libraries in Atlantic Canada that serve to enhance teaching, learning, and research through collection development, resource sharing, research data initiatives, collaborative projects, and shared professional development.
Community borrower	Any Nova Scotia or New Brunswick resident aged 18 or older.
COPPUL/OCUL/CAUL-CBUA/BCI resource sharing agreement	A resource sharing agreement between the Council of Prairie and Pacific University Libraries (COPPUL), the Ontario Council of University Libraries (OCUL), the Council of Atlantic University Libraries-Conseil des bibliothèques universitaires de l’Atlantique (CAUL- CBUA), and Bureau de Coopération lnteruniversitaire (BCI) that extends reciprocal interlibrary loan/document delivery services amongst participating libraries.
CURBA (Canadian University Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement)	An agreement that extends in-person borrowing privileges to students and employees at participating university and college libraries in Canada.
Employee	An individual who is currently employed with NSCC to perform work for the College. This includes all employees, regardless of status, as well as current employees who are on a leave of absence (paid/unpaid).
Hold	A request placed by a borrower on a library resource in the online library catalogue. The borrower can request the item to be delivered to their Novanet library of choice or held for pick up.
Home library	A field in the borrower’s library account that denotes an NSCC student or employee’s primary campus of study or work, or the campus where an alumnus, community or CURBA borrower has registered for library services.
Interlibrary loan	A reciprocal borrowing system by which libraries share resources with each other for the purpose of lending to another library’s borrowers.
Library account	A borrower’s profile is stored in the Library Services Platform. In addition to containing personal data, it itemizes any items currently checked out, any holds or requests that are in progress, as well as any fines and replacement charges. Borrowers can log into their library account online to check due dates, renew library materials or place requests.
Library barcode number	This scannable code identifies the borrower's library account in the Library Services Platform and is used to access their library account online. Codes are located on NSCC ID, an NSCC Novanet Borrower's Card, a Nova Scotia public library card, a CURBA participating university/college identification, or a regional consortia card.
Library resources	Library resources include, but are not limited to, books, periodicals, electronic resources, equipment and supplies circulated by NSCC Libraries.
Library Services Platform (LSP)	The online software that Novanet libraries use to order, catalogue, circulate and share library resources.
Novanet	A post-secondary library consortium comprised of the universities and community college system in Nova Scotia and Mount Allison University in New Brunswick. The academic libraries share an online catalogue and Library Services Platform, as well as engage in cooperative action in collection development, resource sharing and reference services.
Novanet Express	An intercampus loan service that delivers requested materials amongst Novanet libraries.
NSCC Novanet Borrowers Card	In the absence of a NSCC ID, a NSCC Novanet Borrower’s Card is issued to current NSCC students and employees for the purpose of borrowing library materials at Novanet libraries, as well as placing holds, Novanet Express and interlibrary loan requests.
NSCC ID	Identification issued to current NSCC students and employees that identifies their student or employee number, as well as their campus of study or employment.
Online Library Catalogue	An online database of library materials owned by Novanet libraries. This catalogue is searchable and Novanet borrowers may place holds and requests for library materials.
Recalled item	A library resource that is checked out to a borrower but has been recalled by the owning Novanet library.
Reference materials	Library resources, such as encyclopedias, dictionaries, geographic sources, handbooks, standards, etc.
Reserves	Library resources that have been temporarily removed from the main library collection or that are the property of an NSCC department or employee. They are anticipated to be in high demand and are reserved for use by students in an NSCC Learning Program or by NSCC employees.
Student	A person who has confirmed their seat in a program or enrolled in a course.

Procedure
1. Registering for Library Services
  1. NSCC Students and Employees
    1. NSCC students and employees may register at any NSCC campus library.
    2. Current NSCC IDs are used to register for library services. If an NSCC ID is not available, an NSCC Novanet Borrower’s Card is provided.
    3. NSCC students and employees may also register for a CAUL/CBUA Inter-university Borrowing Card which permits them to borrow from any participating CURBA library in Canada. NSCC students and employees can request CAUL/CBUA Interuniversity Borrowing Cards by contacting their campus library.
    4. Borrower information that is recorded in the Library Services Platform (LSP) includes first and last name, civic address, email address, home library, telephone number, NSCC student or employee number, library barcode number, items currently checked out, current holds, and any outstanding charges incurred on the library account.
    5. NSCC email addresses are used in communications with NSCC students and employees.
  2. NSCC Alumni
    NSCC alumni may register with any NSCC campus library. Their student record may be converted to a Community Borrowers patron record in the LSP.
  3. Community Borrowers
    Community borrowers may register with any Novanet library by providing two pieces of identification with a current Nova Scotia address or a public library card from any BARA participating library.
  4. CURBA Borrowers
    CURBA borrowers may register with any Novanet library by providing CURBA participating university/college identification and a regional consortia card as defined by CURBA. CURBA borrowers may obtain these cards from the library at their home institution.
2. Circulation of Library Resources
  1. There is generally no limit to the number of items that may be borrowed.
  2. Loan periods for most library materials are three weeks. Term loans for NSCC employees are available on NSCC resources. Novanet faculty may be eligible for term loans at participating Novanet institutions.
  3. Journal issues circulate for 7 days.
  4. Library laptops generally circulate for a term.
  5. Loan periods for Reserves are generally seven days or shorter. Reserves only circulate to NSCC students and employees.
  6. Print newspapers do not circulate and are for use in the campus library only.
  7. Some Reference materials do not circulate.
  8. Most library materials may be renewed up to a maximum of three times at any Novanet library unless they have been requested by another borrower.
    
    Some exceptions may apply.
3. Returning Library Resources
  Borrowers may return library resources to any Novanet or BARA participating library with the exception of Reserve materials, interlibrary loans, and College equipment which must be returned to an NSCC library.
4. Holds
  1. A borrower can place a hold on a library resource in the online library catalogue. A notification is sent when it is available for pick up at their Novanet library of choice (the default location is the borrower’s home library).
  2. A borrower cannot renew an item that has a hold placed on it by another borrower.
  3. If an item has three or more holds, the loan period is reduced to 10 days to accommodate the demand.
  4. Holds cannot be placed on Reserves, College equipment or other designated library resources.
  5. A borrower can cancel a hold by contacting their home library.
5. Novanet Express
  1. Materials are mailed to the borrower’s Novanet library of choice (the default location is the borrower’s home library).
  2. Materials are usually delivered within 5 business days.
  3. Borrowers are notified by email when their Novanet Express item arrives or if it has been cancelled by the owning library.
  4. A Novanet Express item is held at the library desk for 7 days. If the item is not picked up by the borrower, it is returned to the owning library.
6. Recalling Library Resources
  1. NSCC students and employees may be eligible to request a recall to be placed on NSCC library resources.
  2. Other Novanet libraries may recall their library resources checked out by NSCC students and employees.
  3. Recalls will be placed for borrowers by library staff at their home library.
  4. A borrower has 10 days from the time a recall is placed to return the item before fines are applied. The owning library may reduce this to a minimum of 3 days if the recalled item is already overdue.
  5. A recalled item will be held at the library desk for 7 days. If the item is not picked up by the borrower, it is returned to the owning library.
  6. If an item has more than one recall, the loan period will be reduced to 10 days to accommodate the demand.
7. Interlibrary Loan Services for NSCC Students and Employees
  1. If a NSCC student or employee cannot locate a library resource in the online library catalogue, they can request the item through NSCC Libraries’ interlibrary loan service.
  2. NSCC borrowers may place an interlibrary loan request online using the online CAUL-CBUA Document Services Request Form or by contacting their campus library.
  3. Materials are mailed to the NSCC borrower’s campus library.
  4. Copies of articles or chapters of books are delivered to the NSCC borrower’s email account. The link to the document is available to access for 14 days after delivery. Due to copyright restrictions, the NSCC borrower has only 2 opportunities to open the link to the document.
  5. Interlibrary loan resources can take 1-4 weeks for delivery.
  6. NSCC borrowers are notified by email when their interlibrary loan item is available to be picked up at their campus library or if the request has been cancelled.
  7. The loan period for interlibrary loan materials is determined by the lending library. A loan period between 2-3 weeks is most common.
  8. To request a renewal, NSCC borrowers can contact their campus library or place a renewal request through the online CAUL-CBUA Document Services Request Form. Renewals are not always granted by the lending library.
  9. If a resource is unavailable for interlibrary loan, NSCC borrowers are encouraged to contact their campus library for assistance in locating other suitable resources.
  10. The following materials are not usually obtainable through the NSCC interlibrary loan service:
    1. reference books
    2. textbooks
    3. current and high demand fiction and non-fiction
    4. e-books and streaming videos (not owned by NSCC libraries)
    5. videos, audio cassettes, CDs, DVDs, and films
    6. entire/bound journals
    7. more than one journal article from the same issue
    8. newspapers
    9. special collections
    10. rare/valuable materials
    11. materials on reserve at other libraries
    12. standards and code books
    13. bound theses and dissertations
    14. requests that do not meet the Use of Copyright Materials Policy and Fair Dealing Guidelines
  11. Interlibrary loan services are suspended when charges to a NSCC student or employee’s library account exceeds the established Novanet threshold.
8. Overdue Library Resources
  1. Courtesy and overdue notices are emailed to borrowers.
  2. Borrowers are responsible for returning library resources on or before the due date, regardless of whether they have received notices.
  3. NSCC libraries do not charge overdue fines, with the exception of high demand Reserve materials.
  4. NSCC libraries do not charge overdue fines, with the exception of high demand Reserve materials and recalled items.
  5. Borrowing privileges are suspended when a borrower’s account reaches $20.00.
  6. If a library resource is not returned or is damaged, replacement charges are applied to a borrower’s library account. Replacement charges are:
    1. Books – Current replacement cost of the item
    2. Journal issue – $5.00
    3. Library laptop – $1600.00
    4. Library iPad – $400.00
    5. Internet sticks – $200.00
    6. Other library resources – Current replacement cost of the item.
      
      Note: If the library resource belongs to another Novanet or Canadian library, the replacement policy of that institution applies. In addition to the current replacement cost of the item, an administrative fee may also apply
  7. Overdue fines may be paid at any Novanet library.
  8. Replacement charges must be paid at a NSCC campus library.
  9. Any restrictions, fines or other charges applied to a borrower’s account in a BARA participating library’s system will not affect registration or borrowing privileges at NSCC Libraries.

Policy Supports

Related Policies and Procedures

15.11 Library Borrowing Policy
33.01 Student Code of Conduct
71.01 Use of Copyright Materials Policy
71.03 Fair Dealing Guidelines

Additional Resources

Borrow Anywhere/Return Anywhere (BARA)
Canadian University Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement (CURBA)
CAUL-CBUA Document Services Request Form (for NSCC students and employees only)
CAUL-CBUA Document Delivery Services Group Form (for Canadian libraries)
The Council of Atlantic University Libraries-Conseil des bibliothèques universitaires de l’Atlantique (CAUL-CBUA)
COPPUL/OCUL/CAUL-CBUA/BCI Resource Sharing Agreement (PDF 322KB)
Novanet
Novanet Patron Privacy Statement
NSCC Libraries Reserve Services