User’s Guide

1. No smoking in the building (including rest rooms, basement, lobby).
2. No eating or drinking in the library.
3. No interference with the study or reading of others by noise or other disruptive behavior.
4. No mutilation of library property or materials.
5. Abbey monks, students and faculty have first priority on the use of public computers. Library computers are for research purposes only. Personal files left on public computes will be removed. The Abbey has a zero-tolerance policy on the viewing of inappropriate websites (pornography, etc.). Anyone violating this policy will be asked to leave.
6. No attempt should be made to take materials out of the building without checking them out through the circulation area.

Violators will be asked to leave and may forfeit borrowing privileges and access to the library premises.

Photocopying

The charge for using the photocopier is 10 cents a page payable at the circulation desk. Please do not add paper or attempt to clear paper jams; ask the attendant to do so.

Reserve Books

Books reserved for classes are kept on Level 3, stack #2. Some reserve books do not circulate; others circulate overnight or for three days. Those that may circulate are marked as such, and are checked out at the circulation desk.

Library Hours

When school is in session, the library is open 8:30 am to 5:00 pm, Monday through Friday, 6:30 to 9:30 pm, Sunday through Thursday evenings, and 10:00 am to 4:00 pm on Saturday and 1:00 to 4:00 pm on Sunday. During vacation times, the library is open 9:00 am to 4:00 pm, Monday – Friday, and 10:00 am – 4:00 pm, Saturday, except for holidays when the library is closed. During the summer, the library is closed on Sundays.

Reference Service

Personnel at the circulation desk can answer many questions. A reference librarian are available to assist patrons with more detailed research needs. The reference librarian’s desk is located on the east side of the circulation area.

Security

Mount Angel Abbey Library is protected by electronic security systems. All who enter the library should exit through the security gate. Please do not open any outside door except the front one and please avoid entering staff areas.

Circulation

When checking out materials, place them on the circulation desk near the check-out terminal. Circulation staff will enter the needed data on the computer and stamp the material with the due date.

• Circulation periods:
  • Books and music CDs may be checked out for 30 days.
  • Videos may be checked out for 5 days.
  • Books on reserve circulate for shorter periods, designated by faculty.
• Materials may be recalled by another user.
• No one should check out books for another person.
• Reference books and periodicals do not circulate, nor do books in the Patristic and Latin Christian Studies collection in Room 208.

When the library is open, please return checked-out books to the return chutes at the circulation desk. For returns after hours, there is an outside book depository at the west end of the library. Do not reshelve books used in the library; put them in the return chute or leave items on the tables where shelvers can find them.

Holds & Missing Books

If a book you need is already checked out, the circulation department will recall it and notify you when it is available. If a book is missing, please inform the circulation staff; a search will be conducted and you will be informed if the book is found.

Browsing

Browsing the stacks is a way to make wonderful discoveries. However, browsing the shelves is not an efficient means of conducting bibliographic research, because often the best books on a topic will be checked out. It is more effective to search the library catalog. If you take a book from the shelves and do not want to check it out, please put it on a table or in the return chute at the circulation desk.

Fines

Overdue books are charged at the rate of $0.20 per day, $1.00 per day for videos, reserve books, and theses. Those who have overdue materials, or who have seriously abused their borrowing privileges, may be restricted in their use of the library. Patrons will be charged for lost or mutilated items. Usually the charge is the cost of a replacement copy: the price of the book, if it is still in print, or a $45.00 replacement cost fee plus $10.00 for processing.

Microforms

The library has a considerable collection of microforms. Most of these are periodicals or scholarly materials on Patristic and Latin Christian Studies. Microfilm and microfiche readers and printers are available in the basement.

Pathfinders

Pathfinders, written guides to various special collections of the library, are located on the bulletin board wall on the top floor behind the reference desk. Several of them are also available online.

Telephones

Public telephones are available at the Retreat House.

Music Listening & Group Study

The music room (Room 212 on the east end of the middle floor) contains stereo systems with earphones and a selection of tapes and CDs. Tapes and compact disks may be checked out. There is a table in the music room which can be used for group study. There are several other group study tables on the ground floor.

Circulating Art Collection

The library maintains a collection of art works and reproductions. These may be checked out for a semester. The items themselves are hanging on the wall on the ground floor. To request an item, bring it upstairs and check it out at the circulation desk.

Interlibrary Loans

If you have need of a book or article that is not in the collection at Mount Angel Abbey Library, you may be able to get it through interlibrary loan. You can then pick the book up from the Abbey’s library and return it here as well, and we will send it back to the lending library. Ask at the circulation desk for an ILL request form.

Mount Angel Abbey Library is a member of OCLC, a nationwide system of libraries with thousands of members and millions of titles in its computerized database. Hence, it is reasonably easy to identify the locations of items that the library does not have and to order them. If you wish to borrow a book through this system, please remember the following:

Even though we process all requests within 24 hours, it may take more than 3 weeks for a book to come; order early in the semester. Make sure your information about the item you are requesting is accurate and that you have filled out the form correctly and completely.

We try to borrow from libraries that do not charge fees for ILL. We do not charge fees, but if the loaning library does, you are asked to pay their charges. Almost all libraries charge for photocopies of journal articles. Please be ready to pay the fees when the requested item arrives. Be sure to return interlibrary loan books on time, so we can mail them back to the loaning library.

In deciding whether to request an ILL, it is good to recall that even if libraries do not charge each other for ILL, the costs to the library in staff time, communications, and postage amount to about $25.00 per transaction.

Closed Carrels

The 30 closed carrels on the second floor are for the those engaged in scholarly research. Demand exceeds supply, so only those who are currently working on a project should have a carrel. Closed carrels are assigned at the beginning of each semester and of the summer according to the following schedule of priorities:

1. visiting scholars
2. faculty engaged in research requiring the use of a carrel
3. faculty who do not have office space in the seminary
4. non-resident M.A. candidates
5. other non-resident, full-time students
6. other students engaged in research

Those who are willing to share a carrel are given preference. Applications should be made at the Circulation Desk within the first week of each semester. Carrels will be assigned according to the criteria above by the end of the second week. A refundable deposit of $10.00 is required. Carrels that become available during the semester will be reassigned. Carrels should be used for scholarly work, not for meetings. Please do not take books into the carrels without checking them out at the circulation desk. Carrels will be occasionally checked for uncharged materials. Periodicals and reference books should not be kept in carrels. Radios and computers may be used in carrels, provided they don’t bother others. No eating, drinking, or smoking is allowed. Please do not tape anything to the walls. Plants (which have stained the furniture) should not be placed in carrels. The library does not assume responsibility for the safety of items kept in carrels; they should be locked when not in use.

Open Carrels

There are 40, pleasant, well-lighted open carrels for general use located along the north wall of the library. If a patron wishes to leave items in these carrels for several days, s/he should request a reserve form from the circulation desk. If this notice is left in the carrel on the patron’s belongings, they will not be disturbed by library staff and books checked out in the patron’s name will not be reshelved. Such reservations should not be for more than a month at a time. They may be renewed. The library does not assume any responsibility for belongings left in open carrels.