The regulations listed herein pertain to all users of Carleton University Library, including external borrowers and visitors to the library.

I. Print and Physical Materials

II. Electronic Resources

III. Archives and Special Collections

IV. Use of the Library

V. Enforcement and Sanctions

I. Print and Physical Materials

This section applies to the general collections in the Library. For regulations related to the Library’s special collections, see III. Archives and Special Collections.

A. Borrowers

1. Borrowing groups

Borrowing privileges will be extended to members of the following borrowing groups:

a) Carleton students, faculty, and staff

  • Undergraduate, graduate, and special students enrolled in courses at the University
  • Faculty and instructors with an academic appointment at the University
  • Staff currently employed by the University.

b) Extended Carleton community

c) Carleton Alumni

d) Community Borrowers

2. Other borrowers

Exceptionally, borrowing privileges may be granted to persons not belonging to one of the above borrowing groups, by special permission and at the discretion of the University Librarian.

B. Library accounts

Current students, faculty, and staff can use their MyCarletonOne username and password to access their library account and borrow items.

Other individuals will be asked to provide necessary documentation in order to have a library account created and borrow items.

1. Proxy accounts

A faculty member or instructor can designate a teaching assistant or research assistant to be able to borrow materials on their behalf by requesting that a proxy account be created for that person.

The faculty member or instructor is responsible for all borrowing or other activity relating to the proxy account.

C. Borrowing Privileges

1. Borrowing terms

The borrowing terms for each of the borrower groups are summarized in the following table.

Borrower Group Items Loan period Number of Renewals Interlibrary requests?
Carleton Students, Faculty, and Staff 500 items 120 days Unlimited Yes
Extended Carleton Community 500 items 120 days Unlimited No
Carleton Alumni 20 items 28 days 5 renewals No
Community Borrowers 10 items 14 days 5 renewals No

Items refers to the maximum number of items that a patron can have on loan at any given time.

Loan period is the duration of the loan when a patron borrows an item.

Renewals is the number of times a patron can renew their loan of an item.

Interlibrary requests refers to the ability of a patron to request and borrow items from other libraries.

2. Borrowing items

A borrower will need a valid Carleton Campus card, Library card, or photo identification to be able to borrow items.

The borrower will be held responsible for an item they have borrowed until that item has been returned to the Library.

3. Renewals

A borrower can renew the loan of an item they have borrowed providing there are no holds on the item and that they are not overdue.

4. Recalls

A borrowed item can be recalled by the Library so that it is due before its normal due date.

Borrowers will receive a notification of the new due date and are responsible for returning the item to the Library before or on that date.

5. Course reserves

Course reserve books may be borrowed for periods of 4 hours or 24 hours.

Course reserve items may not be renewed.

6. Non-circulating items

Non-circulating items may not be borrowed from the Library.

D. Use of Library Materials

Patrons are responsible for the library materials that they handle, whether they borrow the item or use it in the Library.

Patrons must not remove materials from the Library without following the proper borrowing procedures.

Patrons must respect copyright and licensing terms for all library materials.

Patrons must not damage or mark up any materials.

Patrons must not willfully misplace materials in the library.

E. Charges and Fines

Library charges and fines are charged to a patron’s Library account.

For course reserves that are not returned before their due date and time, a fine of 1$/hour late is charged, with a maximum of $30 per item.

For items that are recalled, a fine of $4.00 per day late is charged.

For items that are lost by a borrower, a replacement charge of $125.00 will be charged.

If a patron accumulates over $20.00 in fines and charges, their borrowing privileges will be revoked until all overdue materials are returned and their account is paid.

Charges may be paid at the Library Services Desk during operating hours.

For Carleton students, all unpaid charges on their Library account are transferred to their Student Account in December, April and August.

II. Electronic Resources

The regulations relating to the access and use of electronic resources can be found in the Library’s Electronic Resources Acceptable Use policy.

III. Archives and Special Collections

Access to any records is subject to statutory and legal requirements, as defined under the Freedom of Information and Protection of Privacy Act, Copyright Act and any other relevant legislation or University policy. It is the obligation of the researcher to ensure that they comply with any ethical guidelines with regards to publications utilizing records containing personally identifiable information or sensitive information that are located in the Archives.

It is the responsibility of the researcher to seek all relevant and appropriate permissions to make use of published or unpublished materials.

For large requests, the Archives reserves the right to limit the amount of material pulled per visit. Multiple visits may be required for large requests.

Files and the materials within them must be kept in the order in which they are presented. Handle all materials with care.

Materials cannot be removed from the Archives.

No pens, markers, or sticky notes are allowed near the material.

Bags, purses, and jackets or coats must be stored near the door.

Food and drink are strictly prohibited.

IV. Use of the Library

Please see Library Code of Conduct for regulations governing personal behaviour while in the Library.

V. Enforcement and Sanctions

Failure to observe these regulations or any other Library policies may lead to the suspension of Library privileges, including but not limited to borrowing materials, accessing online resources, or accessing the Library building and facilities.

A. Enforcement

The Library’s approach to ensuring that these regulations are respected is one of progressive enforcement.

If a patron is observed or otherwise found to be violating any aspect the Library Regulations, Code of Conduct or other Library policies, they will be reminded of the policy and asked to comply. If they co-operate respectfully, no additional action will be taken.

If it becomes necessary to repeatedly ask the patron to comply with Library policy, the Library may decide to suspend some or all of the patrons Library privileges, depending on the nature and magnitude of the violation.

In addition, the Library may refer the situation or case to Campus Safety Services or Student Affairs, again depending on the nature and magnitude of the violation.

B. Sanctions

The sanctions imposed on a patron will normally relate to the policy that has been violated.

For example:

a) A patron with a balance of $20 or more in charges on their library account will have their borrowing privileges suspended.

b) A patron who repeatedly damages or loses library materials may have their borrowing privileges suspended.

c) A patron who repeatedly or significantly violates the licence agreement of an electronic resource (e.g. excessive downloading of articles) may have their access to that or all electronic resources suspended.

d) A patron who refuses to comply with the Code of Conduct may be asked to leave the building.

e) A patron who repeatedly or significantly refuses to comply with the Code of Conduct may lose their right to access the some or all the Library building and its facilities.

Serious violations may result in the suspension of all Library privileges, including access to the Library building.

Whenever possible, the details of any sanctions, including their duration and any other conditions for their lifting, will be communicated to the patron in writing.

C. Appeals

A patron can appeal any sanctions imposed against them by writing to the University Librarian, who will investigate the matter and determine if the sanction is just, or whether it should be modified or removed entirely.

The University Librarian will communicate their decision to the patron in a timely manner.