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Houff Library Resources and Services: Circulation

Welcome to Blue Ridge Community College and the Houff Library. This guide will tell you about the resources and services available to you.

Circulation

Library materials may be checked out by BRCC students or employees from the Information Desk with a BRCC student/staff ID or other photo identification. Library materials must be picked up in-person at the Information Desk. If there are extenuating circumstances that prevent in-person pick-up, please contact library staff (library@brcc.edu). A BRCC student ID card or BRCC faculty/staff card (issued by Card Services in G167) serves as a library card. Effective March 1st, community members must have a BRCC library card to access all library resources, including usage of library computers. The library information desk can issue a free library card with any form of government issued ID. Persons under 18 will need a legal guardian present to obtain a signature. As a community service, the Houff Library is open to the public free of charge.

Circulation Periods

The amount of items that may be borrowed depends on the patron's borrower status. If a patron is a student, faculty, or staff member they borrow up to 20 items. Community members may borrow up to 5 items. 

*Calculators, webcams, laptops, DVDs, course reserves, and ILL materials are not available to community members. 

Books Magazines/Journals Calculators Webcams Course Reserves ILL Materials Laptops
Loan Period: Four week loan Seven day loan Four week loan One week loan Majority are in-library use only, usually for 2 hours unless stated otherwise Loan period is set by lending library Available for on-campus use, 5-week, or 15-week periods
Renewal Options: One renewal No renewals Can be renewed in person every four weeks  Can be renewed in person every week No renewals Renewals are set by lending library No renewals 

Renewals

Library books and interlibrary loans can be renewed by being brought to the library, emailing the library, or calling the library. Calculators and webcams can be renewed every 4 weeks in-person at the library. 

Blocks, Fees, and Replacements

Blocks, Fines, and Replacements 

Once library items or materials are determined to be past-due, BRCC students and community patrons receive four notices incrementally regarding the due date and the status of their borrowed items. Once library items (excluding laptops, laptop accessories, and webcams) are 30 days overdue, borrowers will receive a letter by mail and email informing them of the date they need to return their item(s), pay the replacement fee, or purchase a replacement copy.

Students will have a hold placed on their library account so they will be unable to check out library materials after 30 days; community patrons will have a hold placed on their account so they will be unable to check out library materials after 16 days. Borrowers will also be informed when a negative service indicator will be placed in SIS which will prevent: registration for classes, student refunds, graduation, and future check out of library materials. 

Students that do not return their laptop, laptop accessories, or webcam after 3 business days past their due date will have a hold placed on their account and a negative service indicator will be placed in SIS. 

 

Library items (excluding laptops, laptop accessories, and webcams) 

Laptops, laptop accessories, and webcams 

Fees:

Minimum of $50 

The cost of each item 

Are borrowing patrons able to purchase a replacement item:

Yes

No 

When a negative service indicator is placed in SIS: 

45 days past the due date 

3 days past the due date 

Starting January 2025, students that return their laptop and laptop accessories on time are eligible to renew/borrow laptops as they are available. Students that return their laptop or laptop accessories within 3 days past their due date are not eligible to borrow a laptop for the remainder of that semester or the following semester. Students that do not return their laptop or laptop accessories after 3 business days past their due date will have a hold placed on their account, a negative service indicator will be placed in SIS, and will no longer be eligible to borrow a laptop from the library.

Holds

Place a hold on items you want!

Physical items can be placed on hold. This can be done if you would like to have an item available for easy pickup at the Information Desk or if someone else has an item that you would like when they are done with it. Placing an item on hold can be done through the catalog or by contacting the Information Desk. All holds will expire within seven days of being contacted that the item is available.

Navigating the Book Collection

How are books arranged on the shelves?

Libraries use classification systems to organize books on the shelves. Most colleges follow the Library of Congress classification system which uses letters and numbers to arrange books so that items on the same subject are together on the shelf. 

Each subject area has a corresponding letter or group of letters with it. For example, science books are found in the Q section while the History of Education is found in the LA section. These letters and numbers are usually located on the spine of the book and are called "call numbers."

For a complete list, see the Library of Congress subject list located here: https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/

*If you find one book on the shelf that works perfectly for your research interest, make sure to check the surrounding books because they might also be perfect resources for your research.

Reading Call Numbers

How are Call Numbers arranged on the shelves?

The first letter(s) of a Call Number are shelved alphabetically.

P is before PR is before PS

call number example

The numbers following the first letter(s) are whole numbers.

5 comes before 10; 10 comes before 100; 100 comes before 2,000, etc.

call number example

HV 52 is before HV 502 is before HV 4311

The number to the right of the decimal point is a fraction of the whole number to the left.

PA 128.25 is before PA 128.3 is before PA 128.325

call number example