Mission of the Library

The mission of the Horrmann Library is to identify, acquire, maintain, preserve, and provide access to information and research in support of academic programs offered by the college. Library staff seek to enhance the information literacy skills of patrons through instruction, work cooperatively with faculty to build appropriate collections in a variety of formats, adopt advances in information technology to library operations, establish and maintain cooperative agreements for resource sharing with other libraries, and encourage research and continued learning.
Our goals are to:

• Participate actively in the instructional process as a “teaching library” to promote information literacy.
• Promote understanding of the library’s research capabilities and encourage the use of its resources and services.
• Provide relevant, well-organized, and carefully selected materials for users of the library.
• Facilitate access to off-campus sources of information.
• Make the electronic resources of the library fully available to faculty and students both on and off the campus.
• Solicit and secure appropriate financial support for the continuation and expansion of library operations.
• Provide a positive, friendly, and inviting atmosphere for staff, students and faculty.

~Dean Dorothy Davison

Library Policies

The Horrmann Library is committed to providing an environment conducive to study and learning.  We are all collectively responsible for preserving the Library’s furnishings and collections.  Please adhere to the policies outlined below.

Cellphones | Food & Drink | Group Study Rooms | Notices | SmartLab | Study Center| Spotlight Gallery | Lost & Found

Access | Acquisitions | Archives and Special Collections | Collection Development | Gift Acceptance | Interlibrary Loan | Periodicals Selection | Copyright and Fair Use

Cellphone Use

Talking on cell phones is prohibited in the Library.  Cell phones should be turned off upon entering the building.

Food & Drink

Small packaged snacks (cookies, chips) and drinks are permitted in most areas of the library.  Beverages must be in spill-proof containers.  Eating and drinking are not permitted in the lower level Smart Lab and around Library computers.  All trash should be deposited in the proper receptacles located throughout the building.

Group Study Rooms

Group Study Rooms are part of the new Class of 1959 Learning Commons. Three of the four rooms contain SmartBoards for student use, and all rooms contain whiteboards with dry erase markers. The policy for usage of the group study rooms is as follows:

• Group study rooms are reserved for current Wagner College student use only.
• Study rooms are for groups of 3-7 students only. Individuals or groups of less than three may not reserve the rooms.
• Reservations may be made for up to two (2) one-hour blocks per day. If no one is waiting to use the space, students may remain in the study room beyond their reservation time.
• Reservations may be made in person at the Circulation Desk or by phone, 718-390-3401. Reservations may be made up to 14 days in advance.
• Reservations are scheduled on a first come, first serve basis.
• Reservations will be held for 10 minutes past the scheduled start time. After 10 minutes, the reservation will be canceled and the room will be available for other groups to use.
• At least three (3) members of the group must be physically present to pick up the key and use the room. ONE member of the group must leave a Wagner ID at the front desk while using the room. That individual will get his/her ID card back upon return the key.

Notices

All notices, posters, and signs must be stamped and approved by the Office of Co-Curricular Programs. All notices will be posted on the bulletin board at the entrance of the library on the main level. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Dean of the Library.

SmartLab

The Horrmann Library SmartLab has thirty student workstations and one teacher’s station with SmartBoard.  Faculty and Administration may request occasional use of the classroom but it is not intended for semester-long classes except during the days/hours on file with the Registrar’s office. Priority of use is as follows:

1. Information Literacy instruction by Faculty Librarians
2. Computer availability for students
3. Occasional, non-recurring use by faculty (with the exception noted above)
4. Library staff training

All scheduling for this lab must be done through the Library. Contact Cathy Perkins at (718) 390-3377 or instruction@wagner.edu.

Back to top

Study Center

The Horrmann Library Study Center is an open study room which contains part of the library’s circulating book collection. Peer tutoring sessions are held in the Study Center, and all students are welcome to study there. Faculty and Administration may request occasional use of the classroom but it is not intended for semester-long classes. Priority of use is as follows:

1. Peer tutoring sessions
2. Study space for students
3. Occasional, non-recurring use by faculty (with the exception noted above)
4. Library staff training

All scheduling for this room must be done through the Library. Contact Cathy Perkins at (718) 390-3377 or instruction@wagner.edu.

Back to top

Spotlight Gallery

The Spotlight Gallery exhibit space is not managed by the Library. Please contact Prof. Andy Needle, 718-420-4035 or aneedle@wagner.edu or Prof. Marilyn Kiss, 718-390-3369 or mkiss@wagner.edu for more information regarding current exhibits or booking the space.

Back to top

Lost & Found

The library is not responsible for any items left unattended by patrons. All items left in the library will be held until end of business on the same day. If patrons do not pick up their belongings within that time frame, all found items will be delivered to Public Safety the following morning at open of business. End of business is usually 12 midnight Sun-Thurs and 8pm on Fridays & Saturdays during the semester. Between semesters, end of business is 5pm.

Access Policy

The Horrmann Library of Wagner College, a private institution, serves students, faculty, administrators, staff, and alumni of the institution. Members of the public are admitted under the conditions outlined below. The following guidelines for using the Horrmann Library, borrowing books, or requesting Interlibrary Loans are now in effect:

Provisions for Summer Access:
During the summer, the library may be used by students enrolled in Wagner summer courses, students participating in the BAR/BRI review course at Wager, Wagner-sponsored Kaplan courses, and Staten Island residents attending college outside the greater NY area.
Valid student ID must be displayed when visiting the library. Exceptions may be made at the discretion of the Dean of the Library.

A. Library use only, no borrowing privileges:

• Wagner College Alumni and “Community Patron” card holders.  Alumni and Community Patrons must present valid Alumni or Community Patron ID cards upon entering the library.
• Non-Wagner students with a valid METRO (Metropolitan New York Library Council) card.
• Exception: Alumni and Community Patrons may NOT use the library during Finals Weeks as study space is required by current Wagner College students.
• Exceptions may be made to this policy at the discretion of the Dean of the Library.

Download the Alumni Card Application        Download the Community Patron Card Application

B. Library use, including borrowing privileges:

• Current students, faculty, administrators, and staff of Wagner College.  Must present valid Wagner ID card upon entering the library.
• Wagner College Alumni or Community Patrons who have purchased a “borrowing privileges” card.
• Members of the Wagner College Board of Trustees.
• Current St. John’s University students, faculty, and administrators (must present valid St. John’s ID card).
• Non-Wagner students who attend WALDO (Westchester Academic Library Directors Organization) colleges, with a current ID and with a “WALDO” sticker affixed.
• Exception: Alumni and Community Patrons may NOT use the library during Finals Weeks as study space is required by current Wagner College students.

Borrowing Limits:

Wagner College students, faculty, administrators, staff, and Board of Trustees	Unlimited books and CDs. Maximum 3 DVDs.
Wagner College Alumni with “Borrowing Privileges” card	Maximum 5 books. Cannot check out audio-visual materials.
Community Patrons with “Borrowing Privileges” card	Maximum 3 books. Cannot check out audio-visual materials.
St. John’s University Students	Maximum 3 books. Cannot check out audio-visual materials.
Members of WALDO libraries with valid ID with WALDO sticker affixed	Maximum 3 books. Cannot check out audio-visual materials.

C. Faculty/Administrators/Staff (includes reserve information, borrowing period, and fines)

Faculty, staff and student must present their valid Wagner College ID at The Circulation Desk to check out materials. Faculty, staff, and students may borrow books and CDs for one semester. DVDs may be borrowed for one (1) week. Renewals may be made providing that another patron has not requested the materials. At the end of the semester, all materials must be returned to the Library. All returns must be made in person at the Circulation Desk. If a book is not returned within two years the faculty member, administrator or staff member must pay to replace the book (plus a $10.00 processing fee).

D. Reserve Books

Materials that are required reading for the entire class may be put on Reserve. Reserve materials are kept at the Circulation Desk and students may request these items by providing the Instructor’s name, the course number and title of each item. Reserve items are for library use only, unless specified by the instructor.

E. Student Circulation Guidelines

A Wagner College ID card, validated each semester, serves as a library card. It must be presented at the Circulation Desk to check out materials. The student is responsible for all materials checked out on his/her card. If the ID is lost or stolen, it must be reported to the Public Safety Office. Regular circulating books and CDs may be borrowed for the semester. A book may be renewed, provided another patron has not requested it. Up to three (3) DVDs or VHS tapes may be borrowed at one time. During intersession students may not borrow materials without proof of registration for the following semester.

College Bulletins, microfilm, newspapers, periodicals, reference books, and Wagner College master’s theses do not circulate.

F. Fees

Lost books – If the lost book is in print, the student pays the cost of the book plus a $10.00 processing fee. If the book is out of print, the cost will be determined on an individual basis. If a lost book, which has been paid for, is found and returned, the student will be refunded the replacement costs minus applicable fines.

Before students may register for classes all library materials must be returned and any unpaid fines and Lost Book fees paid. No clearance will be given for graduation or transcript release unless these matters are settled.

Mutilation of Library materials or facilities – Anyone who mutilates books or any other Library materials or facilities is subject to disciplinary action and fines (including replacement costs)

Theft of Library materials – Any one who removes Library materials without permission is subject to disciplinary action and or fines.

For further information contact: Veronica Knight at (718) 390-3375 or vknight@wagner.edu

Back to top

Acquisitions
The Horrmann Library seeks to acquire materials in appropriate formats and in sufficient quantity, depth and diversity to support teaching and basic research in the subject areas of the curriculum. In order to foster intellectual partnerships with students, faculty and staff, the Library encourages you to become involved in building its collections by recommending Library purchases.

Recommendations are evaluated by departmental liaison librarians according to the following criteria:

• Relevance to the curriculum
• Support for the research needs of students
• Support for faculty course preparation
• Relationship to existing holdings
• Departmental liaison librarians may initiate a dialogue with the requestor as they consider an item’s cost, availability and format.

The Library currently acquires books, periodicals, audio-visual materials, and online resources. While every effort is made to provide a wide range of materials, the Library does not normally acquire the following:

• Multiple copies of single titles.
• Juvenile and young adult literature.
• College textbooks.
• Vanity press publications.
• Please note that the ordering, shipping, and processing of new acquisitions take approximately 6-8 weeks, and occasionally longer for hard-to-find or out-of-print titles. Please allow sufficient time when submitting requests. Requests may be submitted by phone or email to the designated departmental liaison librarian, or by using the online Materials Request Form.

For further information contact: Dennis Schaub at (718) 390-3378 or dschaub@wagner.edu

Back to top

Archives and Special Collections

Materials in the archives and special collections do not circulate. The Wagner College Archive contains materials related to the history and campus publications of Wagner College; the Edwin Markham Archive contains the correspondence, personal ephemera, and book collection of American poet Edwin Markham. Archive access is available by appointment. Please call 718-420-4352 or email wagner.archive@wagner.edu to schedule an appointment.
The Sutter Memorial archive collection contains the Metropolitan New York Synod ELCA collection. It is not managed by Horrmann Library staff. Please direct all inquiries about this collection to the Sutter Archives’ volunteer archivist. More information is available at http://www.sutterarchives.org.

Back to top

Collection Development

The primary patrons of Horrmann Library at Wagner College are the students and faculty. The subject areas of the collection purchased reflect the mission of a liberal arts college. In addition to user needs (research, instructional, reference, contemporary) specific programs are also given attention, such as the First Year Learning initiative and graduate degree programs. The American Library Assoc. (ALA) has created levels of collection development to reflect various types of libraries. Horrmann Library is a combination of the Research Level that requires major published materials needed for independent research and the Study Level that adequately supports the coursework at the undergraduate and graduate level.

The general priorities of collection development are to provide a strong, basic collection that includes up-to-date reference books, monographs, journals, newspapers, and periodical databases, which meet the criteria for a small, academic library. Books and materials in foreign languages primarily support the languages taught at Wagner. The regional emphasis of the library centers on books and materials related to New York, especially Staten Island.

The major ways in which the professional staff selects books and materials for the Library come from reviews (academic, professional, newspapers), awards (international, national, regional), recommendations from faculty and students, major publishers’ catalogs, comparative observation of college libraries, and the combined readings of the professional staff of the Library. The purchase of books and materials is prioritized first by the needs of the classroom and then all other typical areas.

TEXTBOOKS – Ordinarily, textbooks will not be purchased. Single copies may be selected if they represent the best source of information in a particular field. However, textbooks may be placed in the Reserve Section if purchased by a faculty member, department, or the student union.

Usually, the Library will select the hardcover copy of a book over a paperback because of durability and permanence. However, because of exorbitant prices of some hardcover books or because the paperback is the only available edition, the paperback will be purchased. Works of fiction are selected to meet the needs of the college curriculum, to provide additional reading for the Wagner College community, and to add to those author’s works already in the collection. Titles are selected on the basis of literary merit and artistic value, as well as the recommendations from the faculty and students. Videos, DVDs and CDs may be purchased by the Library based on faculty requests, provided they are intended for classroom use.

For further information contact: Dennis Schaub at (718) 390-3378 or dschaub@wagner.edu

Back to top

Gift Acceptance Policy

Horrmann Library welcomes gifts and contributions for the development of the collection. Especially useful are books and journals that fill existing gaps and that support the curriculum. Gifts are evaluated by the same standard as purchased items to ensure that the collection maintains quality, consistency, and relevance to the needs of the college.

Gift materials are accepted under the following conditions:

• The Library reserves the right to determine their retention, location, cataloging treatment, and other considerations related to their use. Bookplates identifying the donor will be provided upon request. Items not appropriate for the collection will be sold.
• In rare cases gifts will be refused if there are unacceptable conditions attached to the donation (i.e. restrictive borrowing limits) not in keeping with the mission of the Library.
• A gift acknowledgement letter will be provided by the Wagner College Development Office on request. To protect the donor and the College and comply with U.S. tax laws, the Library cannot appraise gifts for tax purposes. The Library can, however, provide a list of reputable appraisers. Appraisal costs are the responsibility of the donor.
• Gifts must be brought or mailed to the library; the library does not provide pick-up service.
• The donation of old textbooks, magazines, newspapers, or items in poor condition is discouraged.

For further information contact: Dorothy Davison at (718) 420-4221, or ddavison@wagner.edu
Back to top

Interlibrary Loan Policy and Guidelines

The Horrmann Library provides free interlibrary loan and document delivery services to all currently registered Wagner College students, faculty, staff, and others that are registered for borrowing privileges, including Friends of the Library, alumni, and community patrons.

Interlibrary Loan service is governed by the American Library Association’s National Library Code and US Copyright Revision Act of 1976(17. United States Code. 101 et seq.) and the Digital Millennium Copyright Act (DMCA).

Interlibrary Loan requests are made through the Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services website. Select the material type you would like to request from the left hand menu and fill out the form. You will be notified by email when your request arrives.

There is no limit to the number of requests that can be made at one time.

To make a request, gather information about a book, DVD, audio CD, or journal article that you would like to get. Then, log on to your ILL account and fill out the appropriate form from the new request form links on the left side menu.

The ILL department will notify you by email when your request is ready. Also, you can track your requests from your ILL account. Depending on the request type, materials are available for pickup at the Horrmann Library Circulation Desk, or are delivered to you through your Interlibrary Loan and Document Delivery Services account online.

Most articles and document deliveries will be available to you through your ILL account within 24-48 hours. Most books are delivered to the library through UPS or courier and are usually available to you within 5 to 10 business days.

Most materials can be obtained through ILL request, though there are some things that are usually not available through ILL services. These include : text books, dissertations and theses, very old or very new books or DVDs, and very rare materials available through archives or special collections. Don’t count on being able to get these types of materials through ILL.

The loan period for ILL materials varies and depends on the lending library’s policies and procedures. In general, the loan period for ILL books, DVDs, and CDs is three to six weeks. While some libraries will renew, some will not. Renewal requests are made through your ILL account. Select the item you would like to renew and click the renewal request button.

Library patrons are responsible for reimbursement for lost or damaged books. Books kept beyond 3 months will be considered lost, and will be subject to replacement cost determined by the lending institution. Photocopies of journal articles do not have to be returned.

When ILL requests arrive, or more information is available about the request, the Horrmann Library staff will notify the patron by e-mail. Patrons can track the status of their requests at any time by logging into their ILL accounts.

For further information contact: Toni Rosario, Interlibrary Loan Assistant at (718) 420-4113, or email us at interloa@wagner.edu.

Back to top

Selection of Periodicals and Other Serial Publications

Serials represent a long-term, continuous commitment of library funds for subscription costs, processing, and housing. The selection of periodicals and serial publications helps to shape the Library’s collections that support your discipline. It is therefore essential that each title be reviewed in relation to the guidelines provided below.

• Priority is given to titles that are directly relevant to the curriculum, to the research needs of the students and to faculty course preparation. Specialized titles intended primarily for faculty research will be purchased on a highly selective basis and must meet other criteria cited below.
• Titles selected are appropriate to the level of study, based on the prospective audience and use.
• Titles that overlap with existing collection resources will be reviewed in terms of the unique contribution they may make to the subject area.
• Titles of an interdisciplinary nature are considered both in terms of the support they provide to the requesting department as well as the potential relevance to course offerings and student research within other departments.
• Preference is given to those titles indexed in printed or electronic sources that are available in the library.
• Availability through other local collections, or through full-text electronic retrieval via library databases, is balanced against the need for on-site access. Subscription cost is a particularly relevant factor in this portion of the title’s evaluation.

For further information contact: Dennis Schaub at (718) 390-3378 or dschaub@wagner.edu

Copyright and Fair Use

Please see the Copyright and Fair Use LibGuide created by Dean Dorothy Davison, Wagner College DMCA representative.