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OREGON STATE UNIVERSITY
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The library seeks to preserve a non-partisan environment for members of its university community. The spaces included in this policy are the interior of the Valley Library, the exterior walls, all entrance areas and the plaza in the front of the building.
Toward that end, the library will:
Responsibilities: the Building and Space Coordinator will authorize displays.
The library has designated a bulletin board space for posting notices and advertisements of student and community events in the Java II coffee shop area located on the 1st floor. This is the one bulletin board designated as and reserved for public posting. This board allows users to post without getting approval from the library. The Valley Library assumes no responsibility for materials posted, therefore individuals who utilize the board will be responsible for the maintenance of their posting. The library makes no guarantees as to the space available on the board. All advertisements or solicitations must not be fraudulent, misleading, or promote illegal activity. The board will be cleared of out dated items at the end of each month, and it will be cleared completely once a year in mid-summer.
In order to provide a welcoming, safe, and academic environment for all patrons and to reduce cleaning costs associated with the removal of messages, markings and graffiti, including those made with chalk, are not permitted. The university recognizes and supports the rights of free expression and speech. It is the purpose of these regulations to balance the free speech rights of non-OSU groups/individuals with the significant interests OSU has in preserving its limited space and employee resources for OSU needs. No speech activities shall unreasonably disrupt regular or authorized activities in university facilities and on grounds.
Use of chalk as a speech activity in the library quadrangle is generally admitted except:
OSU Libraries supports OSU’s policy on smoking, OAR Chapter 576, Division 040, that promotes clean and healthy air for everyone by prohibiting smoking on all of campus. The policy also greatly reduces littering on campus. For more information, visit OSU's Smoke-Free page.
Food and drinks are allowed everywhere in the library except where posted. The posted exceptions to this policy are the Special Collections and Archives Research spaces on the fifth floor, where food and drinks are limited to special events or occasions, and some other areas where signs will indicate that food and drinks are restricted. When bringing food and drinks into the library, patrons are encouraged to pick up after themselves and to use the appropriate trash and recycling receptacles.
The bicycle policies at OSU Libraries are defined by Oregon State University Bicycle Regulations. Campus regulations dictate that bicyclists shall comply with city ordinances regarding bicycle use, and that "students, staff, or faculty should be registered with the Department of Public Safety." - paragraph 5.10.1, standard 07-025.
"Bicycles may be parked, stored, or left only in areas so designated by bicycle racks, signage, or storage." - paragraph 5.10.6, standard 07-025.
"Bicycles parked at bicycle racks at or near academic or research buildings longer than five (5) days will be considered abandoned and may be impounded." - paragraph 5.10.7, standard 07-025.
"Bicycles users may be cited for: (e) Being parked in buildings except in designated bicycle rooms." - paragraph 5.10.8, standard 07-025.
OSU Libraries welcomes service dogs in the library in accordance with federal guidelines, but other animals are not allowed per OSU Administrative Policies and Procedures Manuals and other federal guidelines.
There is a lot going on at OSU Libraries and Press – and many ways for you connect with us to find out the latest news, changes to databases, hours and events, and the countless things that make OSU Libraries and Press great.
One of the ways that we want to share with you and have you share with us is through our uses of social media; you can find links to the various social media tools we use in our social media directory. Since what makes social media work is the social interaction, we also encourage you to comment, re-tweet, and share your stories via our social media channels. In addition, we’ve also created a web form for you to submit your own ideas or suggestions for things that we should add or investigate.
We also want to share your experiences, enthusiasm, and ideas with others, so we reserve the right to use your comments in promotional materials, to use your stories to show others what makes OSU Libraries and OSU Press unique and extraordinary.
Many staff members at OSU Libraries and Press are involved in our social media projects and, like all of you, we are individuals and have different ways of expressing ourselves in our personal and professional lives. As members of this campus community, we follow OSU’s Social Media Guidelines and adhere to the Official Web Disclaimer. We’ve also come up with and committed to follow some rules in our online behavior, and we ask that you do the same. We will not post:
So while we encourage you to express yourself, share or debate, we also expect you to do so with respect, civility and common courtesy. If these rules are not followed, we reserve the right to delete anything that is objectionable.
Individuals, classes, groups, or organizations wishing to photograph or film within the Valley Library are requested to inform the Executive Assistant to the University Librarian (541-737-4633) or the Valley Library Building Manager (541-737-8914) prior to photography/filming sessions. We reserve the right to stop photography or filming at any time if we determine it is disruptive to our patrons or if inappropriate or unsafe behavior occurs.
Individuals affiliated with OSU (students, faculty, staff, student organizations and individuals working on behalf of the university) that wish to publish their photographs or distribute their film in any format or medium are required to obtain a model release form from any OSU students, faculty, or staff. The OSU Model Release Form is available from University Relations and Marketing. We highly recommend that individuals or groups not affiliated with OSU request permission from bystanders if they will be included in your photography/filming.
The Special Collections and Archives Research Center receives many requests for use of its facilities for events. In order to maintain normal operations and provide adequate access for researchers, SCARC can only accommodate a limited number of these requests. The full policy may be viewed at on their website.
As the OSU-Cascades library collection is currently located inside Tykeson Hall, room 202, requests regarding photography and filming should be made to the OSU-Cascades Library staff.
OSU Libraries and Press is pleased to make available conference rooms, general meeting rooms, and classroom space to the OSU community in support of academic success, intellectual freedom, and free speech. These rooms are exclusively for university activities and are available to university faculty, staff, and students to schedule, per Oregon Administrative Rules (576-005-0015). Representatives of SEIU Local 503/Sublocal 083 at OSU, the Coalition of Graduate Employees (AFT Local 6069), and United Academics of Oregon State University may schedule meetings between their organizations and their OSU members in the Willamette Rooms. The serving of alcohol in these spaces is limited to library and university administrative functions, with exceptions approved on a case-by-case basis by the University Librarian.
The primary purpose of the rotunda of the Valley Library is to provide a space for students to study. It is used for Library and Press functions and occasionally for university functions.
Every attempt is made to respect the primary purpose of the Rotunda – namely, being a study space for students – so that limits the number of functions hosted especially during mid-terms, dead week and finals.
Guidelines for the use of the Special Collections and Archives Research Center reading room can be found on their website.
Guidelines for the use of Undergrad Research and Writing Studio can be found on their website.
If you have questions about the use of the Rotunda, please contact the Executive Assistant to the University Librarian at 541-737-4633.
This policy is designed to ensure there is a variety of study space in the library with different levels of noise. Signage is prominently displayed at the entrance(s) to these areas. Library faculty and staff are responsible for enforcing this policy.
Quiet Areas
There are two designated quiet areas in the Valley Library: the fourth and fifth floors of the Rotunda. Floor maps designate these areas.
The following are enforced in quiet areas.
Silent Floor
The sixth floor is designated as a silent floor.
The following are enforced in quiet areas:
The library has five study rooms that are ADA accessible; all study rooms are ADA compliant. You may reserve online or at the Circulation counter.
To avoid scheduling problems, please read the information below before requesting a room.
Classroom assignments will be determined by considering availability, technology requirements, class size and preference.
Reservations are on a first-come, first-served basis, following these guidelines:
Classroom scheduling is maintained by the Valley Library.
Note: Requests are filled based on availability and priority use guidelines. Please submit your request 1-2 weeks ahead of time. All rooms are only for university business.
If you need to cancel or reschedule, please call the Valley Library Information Desk at 541-737-7295 or send an email to the classroom Outlook account.
If a technician is required to perform special classroom setup, a $45/hour charge will be made (minimum one hour charge). If special software is needed, make sure to mentioned that when scheduling the room, and allow two weeks time for setup.
Research rooms are available for a 90-day loan period to all faculty and to doctoral students who are within six months of taking their qualifying exam or if they have completed it.
Once you have received an email that a research room is available, the key card may be picked up at the Circulation Desk. Each 90-day research room is equipped with a table, chair, shelves and a cork board. Wireless access is available in all rooms.
The Valley Library has a limited number of rooms that serve a large OSU population. Between the hours of 7:00 a.m. and midnight, the Valley Library will extend a room’s check-out period (renew the room) only when availability allows it.
The primary purpose of the the Valley Library's Rotunda is to provide a space for students to study. It is used for OSU Libraries and Press functions and occasionally for university functions. The number of functions hosted in the Rotunda, especially during mid-terms and dead and finals weeks, are therefore limited.
If there are questions regarding the use of the Rotunda, contact the Executive Assistant to the University Librarian at 541-737-4633.
Use of the library quad is governed by Oregon State University Standard 576-005, Time Manner, and Place Rules for Speech Activities. Please note that OSU Standard 576-005 does limit the size of tables, carts, booths and similar structures. Requests for use of the library quad must follow the policies outlined on the LaSells Stewart Center website. Permission to use the library quad can be granted by the Library Building Coordinator at 541-737-8914.
So as to not impede access to or from the Valley Library, tables, chairs and tents are not permitted on the library courtyards. Individuals and groups may not impede access to the building or courtyards, per OSU Standard 576-005.
See our webpage on borrowing from the library.
A textbook is defined as:
“An edition of a book specifically intended for use of students who are enrolled in a course of study or preparing for an examination on a subject or in an academic discipline… sometimes published in conjunction with a workbook, lab manual, and/or teacher’s manual.”
— Joan M. Reitz, ODLIS – Online Dictionary for Library and Information Science, (11/19/07)
Like most academic libraries, OSU Libraries is not able to purchase textbooks. Library funds are limited, and thus, the Libraries’ priority is books and other materials that supplement and enhance coursework and research.
Since not all books required for a course are textbooks, and in some instances a textbook provides the only or best coverage of a subject, or is a significant or historical study of the subject, exceptions can be made.
Faculty members are encouraged to place a personal copy of a course textbook on reserve.
OSU Libraries makes desktop and laptop computers available to students, faculty and staff with a valid ONID account to provide access to library collections and other information resources for the purpose of supporting and facilitating learning, research, and teaching. OSU Libraries also provides a limited number of computers that may be used by students, faculty, staff, and by guests without valid ONID accounts.
In accordance with the OSU Libraries’ policy regarding the issuance of library cards, all patrons under the age of 16 are required to have parental/guardian consent before using the computers located in OSU Libraries. Patrons under the age of 16 will be required to obtain a library card or a computer use card by submitting a completed application that includes the signature of a parent or guardian. Click here to read the complete policies on accounts.
Priority use of OSU Libraries computers is for research and library resource access. Course-related work and university research have preference at all times. If the number of workstations is insufficient to meet demand, non-priority activities will be restricted. These include, but are not limited to, any of the following that are unrelated to coursework or research:
When others are waiting to use a computer, sessions are limited to 60 minutes.
Computers must be used in compliance with state and federal laws and with OSU's policy, "Acceptable Use of University Resources." Those who violate state or federal laws or the "Acceptable Use of Computing Resources" may be subject to criminal or disciplinary proceedings.
Databases, online journals, ebooks, and other electronic resources are made available by OSU Libraries to the OSU community. These products are licensed to be used in support of research and teaching at Oregon State University.
The licenses specify who can use the resources and how they may be used. The providers of these products may suspend access for the entire OSU community if the terms of the license are violated. Though each license is different, the following information applies to the majority of resources licensed at OSU.
The user community typically includes:
For questions, please contact the Acquisitions Unit Manager at 541-737-3443.
The purpose of Oregon State University Libraries and Press is to cultivate superior scholarship and creativity, empower discovery, and preserve and disseminate knowledge for Oregon State University and residents of the state of Oregon. Learner success, scholarly excellence, and community engagement require free and unrestricted access to information and to a wide spectrum of viewpoints and theories. OSU Libraries and Press will strive to guarantee open access of information to the best of our ability so all students, faculty, staff and our community can be granted privacy of inquiry, confidentiality and no fear of censure or examination.
OSU Libraries and Press endorses the policy statements on intellectual freedom, privacy of inquiry, and confidentiality of library records promoted by the American Library Association and set forth in the following documents:
OSU professional and academic faculty are also governed by the OSU Faculty Handbook, and they should refer to the sections titled “Statement on Academic Freedom” and “Statement of Faculty Responsibilities" on the Academic Freedom Faculty Appointments page.
Challenges to materials available in our collection, or to any OSU Libraries and Press policy, shall be made to the University Librarian or her designee. Requests from law enforcement and requests for information made via the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) shall be immediately directed to the University Librarian and the OSU Office of General Counsel.
The Oregon State University Libraries follow Oregon state law, which exempts libraries from public disclosure of “the records of a library, including (a) circulation records, showing use of specific library material by a named person; (b) the name of a library patron together with the address or telephone number of the patron; and (c) the electronic mail address of a patron" (ORS 192.355 (23)).
OSU Libraries treat patron information as strictly confidential to the extent permitted by law. It is generally for the use of library staff only; it can, of course, be divulged to the patron. Unless required by law, patron information is not to be given to non-library individuals, including parents, friends, professors, university administrators, police, FBI, university security staff, or the CIA. The University Librarian is responsible for compliance with legal obligations and court orders.
Students may allow the release of their library information to specific persons by completing a Permission to Release Student Education Records form. OSU Libraries will maintain this disclosure authorization with the records of the above student, as long as the specific records disclosed are maintained by OSU according to its Records Retention Schedule. The release will expire one year from the date of signing unless an earlier date is specified.
Questions? Contact the Circulations Unit Supervisor at 541-737-3627.
121 The Valley Library
Corvallis OR 97331–4501
