Mickel Library

All students must use their Mickel Library or Converse ID card to check out library material. Using another student’s card is a violation of the Honor Code.

Please observe the following library policies:

1. Regular Circulation
   1. Converse students may check out books, scores, and recordings for three weeks. Reference material and periodicals do not circulate. Loan periods for videos and DVDs vary from three days for undergraduates to five days for Converse II and graduate students who live away from campus. Students must purchase their own copies of assigned textbooks, test preparation guides, and performance scores for studio practice or public performance.
   2. Students may renew a circulating item once unless another borrower has requested it. Renewal must occur before an item becomes overdue and may be made by phone, at the circulation desk, or directly by the borrower from the library website.
   3. All library materials must be returned to one of the two designated book drops at the library or handed directly to an employee at the circulation desk. The library is not responsible for books or other items left in any other location on campus.
   4. Students writing a dissertation or honors thesis may request an extended loan period on necessary research materials for the duration of the term with the understanding that such items must be returned within 24 hours if recalled by the library.
   5. Students may not remove library materials from the building unless it has been properly checked out. Failure to check out books or other items is a violation of the Honor Code. The library reserves the right to inspect the belongings of anyone leaving the building.
2. Overdue Materials
   1. Overdue notices are sent as a courtesy by the library. Failure to receive a notice does not excuse a student from responsibility for returning overdue items. Credit for academic work may be withheld pending their return.
   2. The library will determine the cost of repairing or, if necessary, replacing any library items that are damaged while checked out. The borrower will be billed for the cost of repair or replacement, plus any processing or cataloging expenses. Borrowers are also billed for lost items. Checkout privileges may be suspended until payment is received.
3. Reserves
   1. Faculty often place books, articles, DVDS, or CDs on reserve in the library for the use of their students. These materials, which are generally kept on reserve until the end of a term (unless the professor removes them), may be checked out at the circulation desk for a specified period of time. Reserve material may not be renewed or placed on hold.
4. Official Recall
   1. The library reserves the right to recall books or other items at any time.
   2. Material that has been recalled is due in the library within 24 hours of notification.
5. Periodicals and Reference Materials
   1. Periodicals and reference books may not be removed from the library without the permission of a librarian. Students should restrict such requests to meeting unique needs. A librarian will determine if the request is justified.
6. House Rules for Library
   1. Smoking is not allowed in the library.
   2. Food and drink are allowed in the library on a limited basis. 
   3. Library users may speak in a normal conversational tone in any part of the building that is not designated as a quiet study area. In quiet study areas, located on the upper floors, conversational volume should be kept low.
   4. Cell phone use in the library should be kept to a minimum. Ringtones should either be muted or kept at the lowest level.
7. Other Services and Facilities Offered by the Library
   1. Converse students, faculty, and staff may utilize the interlibrary loan service to request books or articles not available from the Mickel Library. Depending on the type and location of the lending library, the arrival of loans can run the gamut from several hours via digital delivery to several weeks in printed form. If other libraries are unable to fill a request, the student will be advised that the item was not available.
   2. In addition to traditional interlibrary loan, the Mickel Library offers "PASCAL Delivers," a service that enables students, faculty, and staff to borrow books from other college and university libraries in South Carolina. Items typically arrive within several weekdays.
   3. Computer workstations, conference rooms, carrels, desks, and seating are available throughout the library.
   4. Materials in Archives and Special Collections may be accessed by appointment with the Archivist.