We partner with you to create a library space that is safe and welcoming for study, research, thought and collaboration. This policy outlines our expectations of all library users (students, employees, and members of the public).
Be mindful of volume levels throughout the Library and especially in quiet study areas. Noise is our most common complaint. Please be considerate of the quiet study needs of others.
Switch cell phones and other communication devices to silent settings when you enter the Library. Exit the Library completely to take calls.
Treat others in the Library with respect. Threats, harassment, or abuse of library staff or patrons are not tolerated at any time.
Do not use computers to view materials that create an intimidating, hostile, or offensive working or learning environment. All Normandale computer use is governed by the college’s Acceptable Use Policy.
Do not vandalize, deface, or destroy any part of the Library structure, furniture, or equipment. Do not alter library materials by marking or underlining pages, removing pages or bindings, or intentionally causing other damage.
Do not eat or drink near Library computers (including the Library’s laptops) or while handling library materials. Beverages must be in closed, spill-proof containers.
Dispose of your trash, and clean up spills, crumbs, and sticky tables right away. Use the supplies provided at the Library’s cleaning stations to clean tables. Do not attempt to clean carpet spills yourself. Alert Library staff to the carpet spill so Facilities staff can clean the area properly.
All patrons must leave the Library at closing time and when directed to do so during emergencies. Please stay out of employee-only and other unauthorized areas.
Safety is a shared responsibility. Please do not move Library furniture. Keep all entrances, exits, staircases, aisles and walkways free from obstructions including electrical cords and cables, backpacks, and furniture. Only trigger emergency alarms or open emergency exits during emergencies.
We welcome trained service animals. Please keep pets at home.
You must get approval from the Library Chair prior to photographing, filming, or videoing in the Library. In addition, you must get the permission of the individuals being recorded.
Library employees will approach you and ask you to comply with this policy. Repeated failure to comply may result in us referring the matter to Public Safety or the Dean of Students. If there is an immediate risk to health and safety, library employees may contact Public Safety or the Dean of Students without speaking to you first. The college’s Code of Conduct applies to conduct in the Library, and violations of this policy may also be considered violations of the Code of Conduct.
Normandale Library, a publicly funded institution, respects the privacy of its students, faculty, staff, and community members. All library users have the right to seek information confidentially, in the spirit of open inquiry. We do not directly share your personal data, circulation history, or research questions with third parties except in some cases when recovering lost or missing items or as required by law. Inactive circulation data older than 18 months is permanently removed from our computer system. Library personnel may examine usage data for statistical purposes. If your research questions pertain to coursework, we may sometimes anonymously share your questions with the course faculty if doing so would meet an educational need. We may share your name and questions with the course faculty if you ask us to (for example, to receive assignment credit).
When you use library services provided by third parties (such as library research databases, for example), those third parties’ privacy policies govern your interactions with those services. When you use the Library’s webpages on Normandale.edu, Normandale’s website privacy policy applies. In the event that law enforcement or government officials request confidential library data, the Library Chair and the Dean of the Library will be notified. If necessary, we will seek legal guidance from the college administration and the Minnesota State System Office. For more information on the guiding principles of patron privacy, please see the American Library Association privacy statement and Minnesota Statute 13.40.
Groups have priority. Study groups of two or more people have priority use of the rooms. If you are studying by yourself, we may ask you to leave a room at any time so a group can use it.
Rooms have time limits. Rooms may be used for a maximum of two hours a day per group. If you need more time, check at the Circulation Desk to see if you can stay longer. But be prepared to leave the room immediately at any point after your initial two hours.
Be on time for reservations. We will only hold your reservation 15 minutes past the scheduled start time.
Rooms are not soundproof. Please be mindful of your noise level.
You are responsible for the room, equipment, and your belongings. The student checking out the room is responsible for any damage including damage to Normandale equipment (monitors, cables, Library laptops, etc.). Deliberate vandalism or abuse will result in loss of library privileges and referral to the Dean of Students. Rooms have monitors for laptop connection through VGA and HDMI cables. Normandale is not responsible for any damage to personal devices from using the provided equipment. If a room is already damaged or the equipment is inoperable when you arrive, notify the Circulation Desk immediately. Normandale is not responsible for the loss or theft of your personal property. Do not leave your belongings in the room unattended.
Rooms are for studying. Rooms cannot be used for committee meetings, testing, classes, lectures or seminars. Only currently enrolled Normandale students and students currently enrolled in university programs on the Normandale campus may use the rooms. We do not give permanent room assignments to any group.
Current Normandale students with a Normandale ID card can borrow a laptop. Limited to one laptop per person.
You can check out a laptop from anytime the Library is open until 1 hour before the Library closes. You must return the laptop at least 1 hour before the Library closes on the same day you borrow it.
No. Laptops cannot be reserved. All laptops are checked out on a first-come, first-served basis.
You may use a Library laptop anywhere within the Library including the Group Study Rooms. Laptops may not leave the Library.
First, present your valid Normandale Student ID card at the Library Circulation Desk and ask for a laptop.
Second, read and sign the Laptop Computer Loan Agreement each time you check out a laptop.
Earbuds are available by request at the Circulation Desk.
Do not leave the laptop unattended. You are solely responsible for the laptop while it is checked out to you.
You may not install personal software, change system settings, download plug-ins, or attach unauthorized hardware to the laptop.
You are responsible for following the Normandale Community College Acceptable Use Policy and other applicable Normandale policies. Violation of these policies may result in the loss of laptop privileges.
You are responsible for the full replacement cost of the laptop and any laptop parts that are damaged or lost while it is checked out to you.
When you are done using the laptop, you must return it to the Circulation Desk in person.
Circulation staff will check in the laptop and make sure that the laptop is running properly and that all parts are returned. To speed up this process, please keep the laptop turned on. You must be present during the check-in process.
Laptops do not have specialty software (e.g., software for computer programming, statistics, graphic design, etc.)
You can save your work to your network space, your OneDrive account, or to your own USB flash drive.
Make sure to save your work to one of these locations before you log out of the laptop! Files cannot be permanently saved on the laptop. Any project saved to the laptop will be lost once you log off.
Yes. You can print from the laptop the same as from any other campus computer. Release your prints at the printer/copiers by the Circulation Desk. If you need help with printing, ask someone at the Circulation Desk or Reference Desk.
If you have a problem with the laptop, bring the laptop to the Circulation Desk right away. If available, you can check out another laptop.
We offer a print periodical routing service for current employees to regularly receive magazine and journal issues to their campus mailboxes. Any employee, regardless of department or discipline, can join the routing list for a periodical. You have 1 week to read it before sending it to the next person on the routing list. To add or remove yourself from our routing lists, contact the Library Technician for Periodicals.
We keep a list of titles available for routing. We route the second most recent issue of a periodical. (The most recent issue is on display for in-library use.) Departments may request that titles purchased with their funds not be routed so that students have access to these titles. To add or remove a departmental title from the routing list, contact the Acquisitions Librarian.
When you receive a routed periodical, you have 1 week to read it before sending it to the next person on the list through campus mail (or back to the Library if you are the last one on the list). If you will be away from campus for an extended period, you can temporarily remove yourself from the routing list and resume routing upon your return. The routing order is determined on a first-come, first-served basis, but we may re-order the list if individuals are routinely late sending periodicals on. If periodicals are frequently lost, damaged, or persistently overdue, we may remove an individual from routing lists.
Need more time with an issue? Send it on to the next person and borrow it again when it is done routing. After it has finished routing, it will be returned to the Library and will be available for the regular checkout and renewal period.
Items donated shall become the property of the Library and Normandale Community College upon receipt. We cannot accept any donation of materials from individuals or institutions which will not relinquish total control of the items to the Library. The Library does not provide valuations of items donated.
Each item received will be evaluated for possible inclusion in the Library collections based on its content, current collection levels in the subject area, and whether the item supports the current curricular needs of the college.
Donated items added to Library collections are the sole property of the Normandale Community College Library and all decisions concerning distribution, use, and retention of said items will be made by the Library.
Items not added to the collection will be offered to other nonprofit organizations or may be recycled as appropriate.
The Normandale Community College Library collects resources dedicated to the evolving curriculum of Normandale Community College in accordance with our mission.
Although the Library's faculty librarians are primarily responsible for the quality of the collection, the selection of new materials and the withdrawal of existing materials are collection development activities shared with other members of the college community. Librarians, other faculty, and college administrators initiate most material requests. Recommendations from faculty outside the Library are particularly important in building a collection that supports student success. Staff are also encouraged to suggest additions to the collection by contacting their department chair or the Acquisitions Librarian with requests. Students may suggest purchases by speaking with or emailing any librarian or using the suggestion box. Selection and withdrawal criteria are described in more detail below.
In recognition of the Library's responsibility to make materials available to our users, the Normandale Library adheres to the following policy statements by the American Library Association and the American Film and Video Association:
Within the constraints of available funds, facilities, and personnel levels, the Library will acquire and make available materials in various formats, evaluate existing collections, and develop policies and procedures to maintain the quality of collections and information resources. The Library is involved in a variety of resource-sharing agreements that expand the range of materials available to the college community.
Resources are selected in print, audiovisual, and digital formats. The Library considers the following guidelines when selecting resources:
Please note that textbooks are not automatically purchased for the collection. Individual instructors and departments may purchase textbooks for select courses and place them on reserve in the Library.
Selection of materials by the Library does not imply endorsement of the contents or the views expressed in those materials. No material will be excluded from the collection because of the race, nationality, religion, gender, sexual orientation, political or social viewpoint or controversial nature of either the author or of the material.
Deselection of library materials (the process of removing items from the collection) is essential for the maintenance and quality control of a current, academically sound library collection. Librarians are responsible for conducting an ongoing deselection project. Other faculty and staff are consulted when specific items are recommended for removal from the collection.
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