The Gramley Library Handbook

Tel: (336) 721-2649
FAX: (336) 917-5339

Gramley Library is a great place to study--probably the best place on campus. It also houses a collection of books, periodicals, and other forms of recorded information which are available for your use and enjoyment during your years at Salem College. Because all these materials are published in so many different forms and are consequently arranged in the Library in different ways, a number of librarians work at the Reference Desk in the Research Center for the specific purpose of helping students find the information they want. Sometimes you will need brief answers to general or course- related questions, and at other times you will need to do in- depth research for a paper or project. Under any circumstances, your best bet is to ask a librarian to help you find things quickly, and without missing something vital.

HANDICAPPED ACCESS
Gramley Library strives to provide access and accommodations for handicapped patrons. A handicapped entrance is available on the ground floor near the lobby. Use the wooden door on the left of the entryway--outside the glass partition. You may ring the doorbell, or you may call the library (721-2649) in advance. An elevator provides access to all floors of the Library. A restroom on the ground floor has been remodeled for handicapped use.

One Internet workstation on the ground floor and three in the Research Area of the first floor are available for your use.

The staff will make every effort to assist with any special needs you might have (i.e., using the copier, reaching books in the stacks) and we welcome your requests and suggestions.

REFERENCE SERVICES
A professional librarian is available at the Gramley Library Reference Desk to assist you during the following hours:

THE RESEARCH CENTER
In the Research Center (at the top of the main stair), you will find help in using the library online catalog, Internet access workstations and printers. These computerized resources have been placed next to the information professionals who can help you make the most effective use of them as you carry out your library research. Most library or research assignments require the use of books, periodicals, and Internet resources. Those at hand in the Salem libraries, generously supplemented by those available through NC-PALS requests and Interlibrary Loan, offer ample material to the student who begins her research well in advance of the writing phase of her reports. For help, we recommend setting up an appointment with a member of the Reference Staff for a personal consultation. Remember that the reference librarians are the information professionals; the student assistants working at the circulation desk are trained to handle reserves and checkouts, not research.

USING THE SALEM ONLINE CATALOG
Salem has an online catalog that includes the collections of Salem, Bennett, Greensboro, and Guilford Colleges. Books and other materials owned by Salem's libraries are highlighted in green font color. You can place an online request for an item owned by one of the other libraries by clicking the Request title link and then by entering the numbers printed below the barcode on your Salem borrower's ID card. Usually, the book is received in Gramley Library in about four working days. You can also go directly to that library and check out the circulating item. You must present a valid Salem ID with a borrower's barcode. Your borrowing is done in accordance with the policies and procedures of the host college.

UNDERSTANDING CALL NUMBERS
Gramley Library uses Library of Congress (or LC) classification. This system may not be familiar to you since it is generally used in large or specialized libraries. A Library of Congress (LC) call number uses a combination of letters and numbers, for example...

BOOK LOCATIONS
A Stack Directory located to the left of the Circulation Desk (and on each floor of the Library) provides a guide to the location of books in the stacks. Generally, books are shelved alphabetically by call number, starting with A on the third floor and ending with Z on the ground floor.

FINDING PERIODICAL ARTICLES
The Salem Library system offers access to numerous databases, including those in NC LIVE, a Web site gateway to full-text articles in over 19,000 magazines, journals, and newspapers.  The Library databases provide searchable indexing as well as text, and all Library Internet workstations are connected to a laser printer.  The printing charge is five cents per page.  Remote access (i.e., from your off-campus computer) to some of the databases requires your Salem e-mail ID and password.

The Library also maintains hundreds of paper subscriptions to scholarly journals and magazines, which may be indexed but not provided in full-text by electronic databases. The periodical collection is shelved on the lower floors of Gramley Library. Unbound periodicals, less that one year old, are kept on Reserve in the Technical Services area on the Ground Floor. You will need a Salem ID to check out these issues. Bound periodicals are shelved on the Ground Floor in alphabetical order by title. Periodicals over ten years old are stored in the compact shelving in the Basement Level.

Use the online catalog to determine whether or not the Library has the periodical volume and issues that you need. Do a title search for the title of the periodical, and then consult the holdings list. (Remember: the Reference Staff is there to help you with these things.) To obtain a copy of an article from another library, ask Sarah Rothstein to help you with Interlibrary Loan. Usually, the Library does not pass on to Salem students and faculty members charges for Interlibrary Loan.

Several of our periodical and newspaper subscriptions are on microfilm or microfiche. The collections are stored in cabinets on the ground floor of Gramley Library. The microform reader-printers make paper copies at no charge.

CIRCULATION POLICIES AND PROCEDURES
Most library materials circulate, but some--such as reference books, reserve books and periodicals--usually do not. (Ask about a Special Checkout.) Under any circumstances, you must check out library materials before removing them from the building. A CURRENT PHOTO ID WITH A BARCODE IS REQUIRED TO CHECK OUT LIBRARY MATERIALS. At check out time, you will receive a computer-printed date due reminder. The student to whom a book is checked out is the one responsible for it until it has been returned to the library.

LOAN PERIOD
Books circulate for three weeks; some library materials (such as children's big books, videos, and CDs) have a shorter loan period. Your date due printout will tell you when items are due and you are responsible for returning them on time. All library materials are due on the Sunday of exam week.

You can renew books that have not already become overdue using the "My Account" feature of the online catalog. Use your borrower barcode numbers for the borrower ID. Books may be renewed as often as necessary unless they have been requested by another borrower.

Books should be returned to the Book Drop at the Circulation Desk, or placed in the Book Return inside the front door when the Library is closed.

If you cannot locate a book, please check at the Main Desk. If it is missing, we will search for it. If it is checked out, you may put a "hold" on it and we will notify you when it is returned.

OVERDUE MATERIALS
Fines of 5 cents per day begin the day after the due date. The maximum fine for an overdue book is $5.00. An overdue notice is sent--to your Salem e-mail box--on the first Monday following the due date.

Overdue notices are sent as a courtesy. Borrowers are expected to return and renew books on time.

At the end of each semester, a list of students with unpaid fines and overdue books is sent to the Business Office.

LOST MATERIALS
Lost books should be reported to the Library immediately. Borrowers who report lost books will be charged for the replacement cost (including a $5.00 processing fee) and the accumulated fine.

Books not returned within five weeks of the due date are considered lost and the borrower will be billed for the current replacement cost (including a $5.00 processing fee) and the maximum overdue fine.

INTERLIBRARY LOAN
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) is a service provided to the students, faculty, and staff members of Salem Academy and College. It is to be used for materials found in libraries other than those of Salem, Bennett, Greensboro, or Guilford --which are available through the Request feature of the NC-PALS online library catalog. Be sure to search NC-PALS Online Catalog first. If the book you need is not available in the NC-PALS network, use the Interlibrary Loan Request Form.

OPEN AND CLOSED RESERVE BOOKS
Required readings placed on Reserve by faculty members are shelved behind the Main Desk. A notebook on the desk lists items on reserve by course number. A CURRENT PHOTO ID WITH A BARCODE IS REQUIRED TO CHECK OUT RESERVE MATERIAL.

Closed Reserve material circulates for three hours, and it is not to be taken out of the Library. The only exception is overnight circulation when material may be checked out one hour before the Library closes. Reserve material checked out for overnight use is due 30 minutes after the Library opens the following day.

The fine for overdue reserve items is $1.00 for each hour or fraction thereof.

Open Reserve material --readings which are recommended, but not required -- is shelved in a special section of the stacks near the Circulation Desk. These books have a regular three week loan period.

COPYING FACILITIES
Copiers are located on the ground floor outside the Technical Services area and on the south wall of the first floor. Copies (letter or legal size) are 5 cents a page. The machine will take nickels, dimes, quarters, $1 and $5 bills.

Two microform readers (one for microfilm and one for microfiche) will make positive (black on white) paper copies from either negative or positive microforms. There is no charge to Salem students for these copies.

If you have a problem, ask for assistance at the Technical Services office. Read and follow directions carefully--no money will be refunded.

COMPUTER WORKSTATIONS
The library has placed its public computer workstations in the Research Center at the top of the central stair case, near the Reference Desk.  Library staff members are available to help students learn to use the many useful information resources accessible through these workstations, which are connected to a laser printer.  This printing is deducted from the student's allocation of "free" copies.   As is the case with all workstations on the Salem campus network, academic uses always take priority over personal use, such as sending and receiving e-mail.

GRACE L. SIEWERS ARCHIVES ROOM
 Named in honor of Librarian Grace Louise Siewers (C '09), the Archives Room houses letters, personal papers, early library books and textbooks, photographs, yearbooks, newspapers, and other materials pertaining to the long history of Salem--as Girls' Boarding School, Female Academy, and finally as Academy and College. The Siewers Archives Room is accessible by appointment during regular weekday hours.  Contact Rose Simon, (336) 917-5421.

CLARENCE E. CLEWELL RARE BOOKS ROOM 
The gift of Ruth Clewell ( A '28, C '34) in honor of her father, John Henry Clewell, president of Salem Female Academy from 1888 to 1909, the Rare Books Room houses Salem's collections of rare and early imprint materials. Special collections include first editions of the works of Dr. Samuel Johnson and  James Boswell, Hogarth Press publications, and Southern women writers, as well as pamphlets and other materials pertaining to the nineteenth century slavery debate in the United States. The Clewell Rare Books Room is accessible during regular weekday hours.  Contact Rose Simon, (336) 917-5421. 

TEACHING RESOURCES CENTER
The Teaching Resources Center houses the collections of materials and equipment useful to students in the Salem teacher education programs, as well as to Salem faculty members, in the design and preparation of teaching materials for the classroom.  Equipment includes computers, a laser disc player, and a T-VCR.  Materials include computer software, video and laser disc collections, kits, models, and books.  The juvenile books and the curriculum materials collections are also located in the Teaching Resources Center. Visit the Library Resources in Education Guide.