Check Out
Interlibrary Loan
Gift Policy
Collection Development
Borrower′s Card
Your Rhodes ID is the only card you will need to check materials out from Barret Library. Bring it with you every time you come to the library.
First-time consortium borrowers should come to the Check-Out Desk during your institution’s normal business hours and bring with you a current ID issued by that institution. Once we confirm with your school that you are currently enrolled or employed, we will issue you a Barret Library borrower′s card. Your borrowing privileges will expire at the end of the current semester and must be renewed through enrollment/employment verification for each successive semester.
First-time Rhodes Alumni (living locally) borrowers should bring in a photo ID; you will then be issued a Barret Library borrower′s card.
Checking Out DVDs
DVDs may be checked out by current Rhodes students, faculty and staff for a loan period of three days. Loan limits and overdue fines for DVDs, audiobooks, and other library materials are enumerated on the Check-Out Desk page. See Library Catalog for available titles.
Reserves
Dvds and other media formats which have been placed on reserve are kept at the Check Out desk.
Use of Library Materials and Damage Fines
The books, journals, and other materials at Barret Library have been collected to serve the needs of the Rhodes Community well into the future. To preserve these materials for your colleagues and for future students and faculty, please treat library materials with respect and care.
It is an Honor Code violation to deface or damage library materials. Fines will be assessed for pencil and pen marks, highlighter marks, food stains and other more serious forms of damage. Some damage may be judged so severe that one may be charged for replacement of the item (plus a $20 cataloging fee).
Loan Periods and Overdue Fines
Library policy concerning the number of items one may check out; loan periods and overdue fines varies with the borrower category.
Laptops/Chromebooks and Equipment can be checked out by current Rhodes students, faculty, and staff.
Loan Periods
| Stacks | New Books | DVD | Books on CD | |
| Rhodes Students | Loan 3 weeks, 1 renewal Max # No Limit Fines .10 per day | Loan 2 weeks, No renewal Max # 5 Fines .10 per day | Loan 3 days, No renewal Max # 2 Fines $1 per day | Loan 2 weeks, No renewal Max # 2 Fines .10 per day |
| Rhodes Faculty | Loan End of term Max # No Limit Fines None | Loan 2 weeks, No renewal Max # 5 Fines None | Loan Max # 3 Fines None | Loan Max # 2 Fines None |
| Rhodes Faculty Emeriti/Retired | May not borrow these items | May not borrow these items | May not borrow these items | May not borrow these items |
| Rhodes Staff | Loan 3 weeks, 1 renewal Max # No limit Fines .10 per day | Loan 2 weeks, No renewal Max # 1 Fines .10 per day | Loan Max # 2 Fines $1 per day | Loan Max # 2 Fines .10 per day |
| Rhodes Alumni (living locally) | Loan 3 weeks, 1 renewal Max # 1 Fines .10 per day | Loan 2 weeks, No renewal Max # 1 Fines .10 per day | May not borrow these items | May not borrow these items |
| Consortia | Loan 3 weeks, 1 renewal Max # 5 Fines .10 per day | Loan 2 weeks, No renewal Max # 2 Fines .10 per day | May not borrow these items | May not borrow these items |
NOTE: All current Rhodes students and validated consortium borrowers are subject to abbreviated loan periods toward the end of each semester. For these borrowers, no materials may be checked out past the first day of Rhodes College final exams.
Interlibrary Loan is available to current Rhodes College students, faculty and staff. Faculty emeriti and retired faculty may be able to receive a limited number of articles. Please contact the Interlibrary Loan department for more information: ill@rhodes.edu.
The ILL department obtains materials such as books and journal articles for the purpose of teaching, learning and research. All requests must meet the guidelines as set forth in the most recent National Interlibrary Loan Code. We do not support research related to outside employment or commercial pursuits. Materials are for the requester’s personal use only.
While we will make every effort to meet your research needs, there are some materials that we are unable to obtain:
- Recently published items
- Textbooks, study guides and workbooks
- Required reading for a class
- Materials intended for reserve
- Recreational reading
- Entire volumes or issues of periodicals
- Copies over fifty pages
- Reference books (Can request copy of specific entry or pages)
- Rare and/or fragile books
- Audiovisual materials
- Computer software
- Genealogy materials
- Archival materials
- Items outside of North America
- Most dissertations and theses
- Items owned by Barret Library or area consortia libraries
- Any request that would violate copyright restrictions
Placing an ILL Request:
Access your ILL account at http://rhodes.cliohosting.com to place a request, check the status of a request or request a renewal. Complete and accurate citations for the item are necessary. Please include as much bibliographic information as possible.
Please be sure to check our catalog and area libraries before submitting a request. If a book in our collection is checked out, please recall it. We have reciprocal agreements with local libraries. Take your Rhodes ID with you to set up a borrowing account.
If you are working for a faculty member, please use that faculty member's CLIO account to make requests. If you make requests for someone else using your own account, you will be held responsible for the items if they are not returned.
Requests from patrons with outstanding library fines, overdue items or lost materials will not be processed. The library is not able to offer ILL service to alumni, inactive students, community or consortia users. Faculty emeriti and retired faculty may be available to receive a limited number of articles. Please contact the Interlibrary Loan department for more information: ill@rhodes.edu
Faculty requests are limited to ten items per week. Student requests are limited to five per week. Any requests over that number are held back to be sent the following week, or earlier, time permitting. It is helpful for the user to indicate items of priority, as those requests will be sent first.
Loan Periods
The loan period for ILL books is two weeks. You will receive an email when the item arrives. Pick up and return ILL materials at the Checkout Desk. You are responsible for the materials from the time they are picked up until they are returned to the ILL office.
ILL materials are intended for short-term use to supplement our collection. If you feel that you will need longer to use these materials or that they would be a good addition to our collection, suggest the item for purchase instead by emailing help@rhodes.edu. Materials needed for classes should be purchased for our collection. Please do not request to borrow and purchase the same item concurrently.
Whenever possible, we will extend the due date with the approval of the lending library. Please make sure to request renewals several days before the due date to give us time to process your request. Request renewals at http://rhodes.clioshosting.com.
Some items are designated for In-library Use Only by their home institutions. You must use these items in the building only and return them to the Interlibrary Loan office when not actively using them.
Due dates are strictly enforced. Overdue items jeopardize the borrowing relationship Barret Library has with lending libraries.
Fees
Whenever possible, ILL services are provided at no cost. When this is not possible, the requester will be informed of potential fees before the loan is processed.
Charges for lost or damaged items apply to all users and are billed at the rate determined by the lending library.
Overdue materials are assessed a $1.00/day fine.
All fines and fees are charged to your Rhodes account.
Failure to comply with due dates and restrictions may result in loss of Interlibrary Loan and other library privileges.
For questions regarding interlibrary loan, please contact Kenan Padgett or ill@rhodes.edu
The Library welcomes the donation of books and other materials in support of Rhodes College’s academic programs and mission of the College. The Library’s gift-in-kind policy is part of the Rhodes College Collection Development Policy. Due to the costs associated with processing, preserving and housing, the Library is unable to accept gifts that fall outside the scope of the collection policy. When a donation of materials is made for the collection it becomes the property of the Library, which will determine how to make best use of the materials both now and in the future. Gifts are added according to the same selection criteria as purchased materials.
General guidelines for acceptance:
- General Collection - Books may be accepted for the circulating collections if they clearly support the curricular and research interests of students and faculty and fill existing gaps in the general collection.
- Media (non-print) - Non-print materials that will contribute to Rhodes College’s curricular focus or interests of students and faculty are of particular interest.
- Archives and Rare Books - Gifts of rare books and special collections materials, including archival/manuscript materials relating to the history of Rhodes College and to the intellectual interests of the College or that expand existing holdings in areas of special collection strength, are accepted.
The library does not accept the following categories of materials:
- duplicates, and in most cases, earlier editions of materials already owned
- lab manuals, textbooks, workbooks
- outdated materials
- materials in poor condition (highlighted, ink damaged, mold damaged)
- academic journals and general interest magazines
- music scores accessible on the internet
- cassette tapes, vhs tapes, software, and software manuals
- preprints, offprints, photocopies
- vanity press book
- collections of journal articles
- popular pamphlets, promotional materials
Ownership and disposition
Gifts accepted from a donor may not be added to the collection. Upon receipt, Rhodes College becomes the owner of the material and reserves the right to determine its retention, location, cataloging treatment, and other considerations related to its use, maintenance, or removal. Gifts that are not added to the collection may be donated to other libraries, the Salvation Army, sold in a book sale, or sent to Better World Books or another similar organization.
Acknowledgement of gifts
Rhodes College Office of Development will provide a letter of acknowledgement for all gifts accepted by the library. The Library Director will also provide a letter of acknowledgement in the case of especially large or valuable gifts-in-kind. Letters of acknowledgement will generally list the number of volumes, not the specific titles donated. If the donor wishes, bookplates acknowledging the donor will be placed in gift materials added to the collection.
Procedure for donors
Before bringing or shipping gift materials to the library, the donor must contact a Barret Library representative. For large gifts a librarian may visit the home or office of the donor to review the collection as part of the process for determining the suitability of the items for the collection. Donors are expected to complete and sign one of the following forms: General Collections and Media Deed of Gift [PDF], or an Archives and Rare Books Deed of Gift [PDF]. The library will not accept gifts without a Deed of Gift signed by both parties.
To give a gift for the General Collections, contact:
Rachel Feinman (901) 843-3893
To give a gift for Archives and Rare Books, contact:
Bill Short (901) 843-3792 or (901) 843-3902
The development of the collection of Barret Library is the collaboration between the faculty and librarians. Although suggestions of items for purchase are welcomed and encouraged from students, alumni, and other library users, the responsibility for selection rests mainly with those who teach and administer the library. The faculty is encouraged to recommend publications in their disciplines. The library assumes responsibility, as identified by the curriculum for coordinating collection development, and for assisting the faculty in obtaining bibliographies, advertisements, and other selection aids.
Any policy statement must maintain flexibility to permit adjustment to changes in the curriculum, faculty, and objectives of the College. It must, however, be consistent enough to provide selection guidelines and responsibilities that will remain relatively constant through personnel changes and budget fluctuations. Collection development considers the maintenance of current holdings in areas of strengths, support new disciplines and identify future education needs of the institution. In addition, especially with/limited growth budgets, the factor of usability must be seriously considered when making selections. Because Rhodes is primarily a four-year college our top priority is to support the undergraduate curriculum, and not attempt to house a research collection. The increasing importance placed upon faculty research necessitates a change in direction for the library. The library provides a basic level of support in both the collection and services for faculty research.
It is important that the growth of Barret Library be planned and coordinated. The necessity of wise selection, is readily apparent in light of steadily increasing book production and costs, increasing demands for library materials, and rising costs of acquiring, processing, and housing books and journals. Planning and coordination will entail continued library and faculty cooperation in the areas of curriculum development, course content, and student needs. This policy provides a framework upon which we base the development of Rhodes College's library resources.
Obligations of the Library
The library acquires materials in all formats to meet its obligations:
[1] To own and make available library materials required for general information in subject areas not covered by instructional purposes.
[2] To own and make available library materials needed for the curriculum of the College.
[3] To own and make available materials required by the student population to accomplish library research as part of their course requirements.
Limitations
The Library will follow these general directives, taking into account available funding and space requirements, to meet the obligations outlined:
[1] Current publications of lasting value will be given priority over out-of-print publications or retrospective completion of holdings.
[2] Library resources within Memphis and the surrounding regions will be considered in the selection process
[3] Duplicate copies will be purchased only when needed to meet the curricular needs.
[4] Textbooks will not be purchased.
Retrospective Acquisitions
With available funding, the library, working with faculty, will fill in gaps in the collection. Identifying these areas will be done primarily by comparing Barret Library’s holdings to standard academic lists. The Library’s collection will be continuously assessed as it relates to the current and evolving curriculum of Rhodes College.
Intellectual Freedom and the Library
Rhodes College pledges to uphold the tenets of intellectual freedom as denoted in the following documents of the American Library Association:
Serials (Periodicals and Newspapers)
Due to rising subscription prices and space limitations, the library follows a selective policy. The library will acquire serials in the following manner:
[1] Serials that support the curriculum of the College
[2] Selected periodicals of wide popular circulation
The library will acquire selected newspapers in the following areas:
[1] Local newspapers.
[2] Selected newspapers of the major cities in the region
[3] Selected major newspapers of the nation and foreign press
The Library will retain print newspapers for one month. Hundreds of newspapers are available in electronic back-file format via online databases
Non-Print Material
Many types of non-print materials are important to the transmission of information and as an adjunct to the learning process. Materials of this nature that are to be added to the collection will be selected on the basis of curricular need and general interest on the part of library users. Selection is done in collaboration of faculty and librarians.
Recordings used for music courses are ordered by members of the Music faculty, and the Library liaison using the staff resources of the library for processing. Music recordings are stored and use in Media Center. Non-music resources may be ordered by library staff or faculty held in the Barret Library. The library will not purchase cores in quantities needed for performance materials.
Rare Materials
See Archives Policy
Archival Materials
Gifts of Non-Print Materials
Gifts of Barret Library non-print materials or money will be accepted when they fit the Barret Library acquisitions policy. The library must be free to dispose, by gift, exchange, or salvage, of any publications which are not needed, and it cannot, except under unusual circumstances, maintain a gift collection as a separate entity.
Juvenile Materials
The library does purchase materials in this category when the curriculum warrants.
Weeding
The Barret Library views the weeding of the collection as an essential part of the Collection Development/Management process. The Collection Development librarian, Library Liaisons, and faculty collaborate together to continuously evaluate the physical collection to determine the future of materials. The physical discarding of materials is administered by the Cataloging Department.
Weeding Policy
Weeding of the physical book collection criteria:
- Items with a history of non-use. Superseded editions of which we have the latest.
- Duplicate copies.
- Volumes in states of ill repair should be identified and decisions made concerning their future.
- Importance of the material to the collection, in particular curriculum support or historical value.
- Volumes containing out-of-date and/or misleading information.
Weeding of Journal Collection Criteria:
- There are only a few volumes or issues of a title.
- The journal publication has been discontinued.
- The title no longer valuable to support the College's curriculum.
- If the title is available in electronic format, consideration will be given to removing the print run.
Weeding of the Media Collection Criteria:
- Condition of the material
- Items with a history of non-use.
- Duplicate copies.
Weeding Procedures:
- Faculty concerned with the weeded area will be asked to review the designated items.
- When the decision to remove is finalized, the items will be moved to the cataloging office:
- Change OCLC, online catalog, and shelf list records
- Note the withdrawal in the cataloging statistics
- Dispose of the item in the most suitable way
Review of Policy
The Director of the Library and the Collection Development Team will review this statement annually and revise when necessary.