Top ? and Answers

Hello and welcome to the Semester at Sea Library Blog. That the 7 librarians would like to inform you of the regular main questions that are asked at the library desk.


WHEN DO I HAVE TO RETURN THIS?
Books in the regular stacks- 2 weeks
Dvd's in the regular collection, these are located in the right back corner of the library- 3 days
Books on reserve- 2 hours
Doc Nancy's Binders- 1 hour and it must stay in the library in order to share since it is so popular
Dvd's on reserve- 2 hours

WILL MY SHIPBOARD ACCOUNT BE CHARGED IF I FAIL TO RETURN THIS?
If any of these are not returned in the time allotted, the student will be charged a fine of $9.99 for each late item. This may seem like a harsh penatly, but in reality it simply enforces that a student will turn in material on time. This is especially important in cases of course reserves because usually the night before a quiz many students hound the library desk in search for a book. If it is not turned in on time, some students do not get the opportunity to study, which every student does every night (of course). However, there are two exceptions both dealing with course reserves. The first exception is in special importance to the night owls, a book or dvd may be checked out for more than 2 hours only if it is after 22:00. It is then available for the entire night, but it must be returned to the library no later than 8:05 a.m. or in the library drop box by 8:00 in the morning. The second is that a DVD may at times be checked out for more than 2 hours if the DVD is longer than 2 hours. This late fine penalty is impractical and the library recognizes this.

WHEN IS THE LIBRARY OPEN?
The library desk, including the course reserves, are open between the hours of 8:00-23:00. The library does not take lunch breaks and puts the students education at the highest priority. Thus there is always a librarian available to help you find articles in the data base, find books, open the DVD drawers, make copies, check out books, and manage the course reserves. The library is also technically open 24 hours since the table and books are all still available for check out, even if there is no librarian on staff at the time. DVD's and regular collection books are able to be checked out manually by simply writing down one's name, id number, date, and the book's id number. Also, there is a brightly colored box that sits atop the library desk while the library is closed and students are welcome to return books at their convenience. The desks are always open for students looking to brush up on their global studies and what not.

WHAT ARE THOSE BOOKS ACCROSS THE HALL?
These are books for your leisure. They are sorted according to genre and may be taken out AND returned at any time. These book cases are open 24 hours and there is even a travel section that students may peruse before traveling.

CAN I CHECK OUT A DVD AND A VHS?
The library has 2 storages of this material, the first is located in the back right corner if one faces the books and the second is located accross the hall. A dvd may be checked out for 3 days and the library has a wide collection of dvds, not all of them are extremly educational. A few examples include, Hotel Rwanda, Black Hawk Down, and City of God. A VHS is a little more complicated since one is not able to simply play it on one's laptop. In order to watch a VHS, the vcr's are located in classrooms, one must have the classroom approved and have faculty consent. If one is able to obtain this magical consent, there is a multitude of VHS's from Clueless to Semester At Sea 1984.

WHERE IS THE TRAVEL SECTION?
The travel section is located by the maps and by the copy machine. If one does not know where either of these library neccessities are, the travel section is located in the back right corner of the library when one's back is towards the desk. There are many travel books by that are very helpful when planning one's itinerary. One should be aware that these books are only allowed to be checked out for 2 hours, unless one checks it out after 22:00. Also there is a high demand for these books a few days before port, thus be prepared.

HOW DO I MAKE COPIES?
Simply asking the information desk is sufficient. The really cool librarian will then proceed to show you how the copy machine works. Once the copies are made on fills out a small paper that asks room number, name, number of copies, id number, and total. Copies cost 25 cents per page and this is charged to one's student account.