Borrowing

Part-time lecturers can borrow 10 books for one semester, with a fine of 30c per item per day for late returns. Borrowing privileges are suspended or renewed at the end of the semester and the books that you have borrowed should then be returned or renewed. A list of lecturers who have not returned materials on time or paid for overdue materials will be handed in to your Dean's office at the end of the semester or academic year. If you need to extend your privileges you must provide proof that you are still a member of faculty.

As a part-time lecturer you are expected to present your current Library card or current employee slip from the Campus Director’s Office. After filling in the Registration Form at the Circulation Desk, you will be given a Library card to be presented every time you borrow materials.  Borrowing policies vary depending on the item type (i.e. book, audiovisuals, music scores, etc.) and the user group (i.e. part-time or full-time lecturer, researchers, off campus, etc.)
Also a due date may change if someone else recalls an item that has been checked out.

Use the library catalog to search for all types of items in the library Collections.

When you enter our catalog in "My Library card" you can see how many books you have borrowed, when they need to be returned, what your loan history is, etc. Once you finish checking your record be sure to exit to prevent anyone else from seeing your personal information

When materials are checked out, a due date is stamped on the back slip of the book that indicates the length of the loan period.

You may borrow books from any campus library. Loan periods, dates and fines vary among the campus libraries. It is your responsibility to know the dates for materials to be returned / renewed. Familiarize yourself with the loan policies of each library from which you borrow.

Borrowing Policy

        Books

        Audiovisuals

     Only registered University of Nicosia/Intercollege students can borrow books on Reserve
     Only Music department Faculty can borrow Music CDs and scores (for one week)

Library membership is free for all users except for External Users (20€ for 6 months and 40€ annually non-refundable) and for Alumni (17€ annually non-refundable).

Books in the following collections do not go out: Reference, Law Reference, Cyprus Reference, Rare Periodicals, Dissertations and Government Documents.


Returning

Return your books to the Circulation Desk before or on the date indicated at the back of the book otherwise a fine will be issued (click on Loss of Privileges/Fines).


Renewing

You can keep your books longer if you present an employee slip from the Campus Director that you will be teaching the following semester.
 

Holds & Recalls

There may be times when a book you want is not in the library and the catalog shows that the item is loaned out to another user. Once you search for the item on UniCAT, and you find it, make a note of the Call Number   and ask the Librarian at the Circulation Desk to put a hold on it or recall it. If an item is recalled, the current borrower is notified by phone or e-mail that the book has been recalled and a new due date is specified for the book to be returned (usually within two days) regardless of the date originally stamped at the back slip of the book. Only urgently needed books will be recalled.

You should normally expect to collect recalled books within three days of placing the hold, provided that the borrower responds promptly to the recall notice. Items awaiting collection will be kept at the Circulation Desk for three days only. After that, they will be either returned to the first borrower if the borrower still needs the book, or they will be returned to the collection. If the current borrower fails to return a recalled book by the new return date given, it will be considered overdue and a fine of 1.70€ per item per day will be charged for not responding to the recall. The borrower's borrowing privileges will also be blocked (Loss of Privileges/Fines).


Loss of Privileges / Fines

In the case where you do not return your loans by the due date, you will receive a letter, e-mail or phone call reminding you that your items are overdue. This reminder is a courtesy service that the library cannot be held responsible for non-receipt by post or e-mail service. Fines will not exceed the amount of 50€.

Fines for items returned late are, per item:

	Standard Loan Books	30c per day
		80c per day for External Users, Alumni, Off-Campus Faculty and Off-Campus Students
	Reserve Books	70c per hour, 5€ per day or 45€ per day during exam period
	Recalled Items	1.70€ per day
	Lost/Damaged Items	Cost of item plus a processing fee of 17€

A list of borrower's names who have not returned materials on time or paid for overdue loans, will be handed in to the Dean's office at the end of the semester or academic year. Borrowing privileges will be suspended until materials are returned and fines paid.
 
In order to avoid fines and/or loss of privileges:
     Make sure you check the status of the items that you borrowed on our on-line catalog on a regular basis (go to
        My Library Card).
     Return/renew your loans on or before the due date stamped on the date slip at the back of your book.
     Avoid giving your ID card to friends and avoid giving the books that you borrowed to others to use or to return
        since you will be responsible for any fines, loss or damage that may occur.
     Report the loss of your card, or any change of address, phone number or e-mail address to the Circulation Desk as
        soon as possible.

Extension of Privileges

In the case where you need to borrow materials beyond the period that you are allowed, you may extend you privileges by  presenting proof at the Circulation Desk, that you are still a member of faculty.



Support Services
Services
Resources
Research:  Library Research Assignment
         
Services

How can I borrow and for how long?
     Check under Borrowing Information for your borrowing rights and limits to see what you can borrow, for how long,
        for returns and renewals, and loss of privileges (fines).

How do I request items be placed on Short Loan (Reserve)?
Before each semester, you can submit lists of materials you would like your students to read.

You may place items that will be in high demand for your classes, "on short loan" or "Reserve" for a designated period of time, by completing the Place a Book on Reserve form or in person at the Circulation Desk.

     Titles from Recommended Reading lists may be placed on 3 day loan. Make sure that the library is alerted to any
        changes made to the original Recommended Reading lists.
     Please note that prescribed textbooks are automatically placed on 3 hour loan.
     Materials of your choice can also be placed on short loan (3 hr, 1 day, 3 day).

How can I request that you obtain new items for the Library?
If you are developing a new course or revising an old one, you need to have the approval of the Head of Department and your Dean.

An e-mail will be sent from the Library, at the end of May and the first week in December, to remind lecturers to inform all relevant departments for any updates or changes that need to be made to course syllabi.

     For recommended textbook(s) for your teaching, you can contact the Bookshop. As a Part-time lecturer you can
        pick up your textbooks(s) from the Bookshop and return them at the end of the semester. Materials will be renewed
        after presenting a new employee slip from the Campus Director.
     For ordering materials for the enrichment of the Library, either books or journals, orders have to go through
        the Head of Department for signature, and then handed in to the Library Director. Books orders go in May/June or
        October. Full bibliographic details should be provided with Author, Title, Publisher, ISBN (see Recommend a
        Book/Journal to Purchase) form.
     Journal orders, either in print or e-form, go through once a year - October - and careful consideration must be 
        given for selecting the most relevant titles, as journal orders entail commitment to an ongoing cost.
     For materials urgently needed, orders can be made through on-line bookshops or local bookshops, after
        consultation with the Library Director.
     Orders through local bookshops should be accompanied by special permission from the Library Director and Head of
        Department. On approval, the invoice should be issued to the "University of Nicosia Library" with the name and
        signature of the person who put the order through. Once materials are processed through the library, they can be
        loaned out. Multiple copies are only purchased in the case classes exceed the number of 30 students or in special
        cases.

How do I request purchasing of Audiovisuals?
For ordering Audiovisuals, special care must be given as these have a high purchasing cost. Materials that do not exceed 30 minutes duration will not be ordered. Both the Library Director and the Head of Department should be consulted. Allow at least two months for the delivery of such materials.

What budgetary restraints exist and what are the deadlines for orders?
Budgets run from July 1st - May 31st the following year.

     For materials to be on the shelves at the beginning of the Fall semester, orders have to be submitted before the
        beginning of August.
     Orders are compiled depending on the status of the existing collection, its level (Bachelor, Masters, etc.), the 
        number of students and the cost of materials in the specific field.
     Materials ordered will appear in the catlog with the status "On Order". Once received, the status will change to "In
        Cataloguing".
     Once materials are cataloged, the library e-mails a list to the relevant department.


Resources

How can my students or I find out what is available in the library?
     Orientation classes & tours are offered at the beginning of each semester and throughout the year. Call at the
        Circulation Desk and make an appointment. For better results, divide your classes into smaller groups.
     Prior to assigning topics, check our on-line catalog and other sources on our Web Page, to see if there are adequate
        materials on the topics you assigned. Make sure you read through our Library Research Assignments page to avoid
        unnecessary confusion and fustration for yourself and your students.
     Check our various guides to resources, under How to... . Refer your student to Reference Materials (Pathfinders) for
        guidelines to the various sources they can use for their research. How to... Start my Research guides them
        through the steps they can take for doing research, what plagiarism is and how to cite and reference their papers  
        (Cite your Sources). Finally, check Search our Databases and Evaluate Web Resources for guidelines for better
         use of these tools.
     Vary your topics so that not all students rush for the same two books.
     Supply us with our bibliographical list to be checked against our collection and discuss your topics with us.
     Accompany your class during orientation - it helps your students feel that what they are doing is important and they
        are not wasting their time.

Whom do I contact for information in my subject area?
The Cataloger is the most appropriate person to assist you with your subject area. For English materials you can contact Carrie Rodomar. For Greek Education materials you can contact Ersie Neofytou.

What Electronic Resources are available for research?
     Check under Databases & Articles by subject area, for access to a number of electronic databases with thousands
        of journal articles in abstract or full-text which can be downloaded in PDF or HTML format and sent to your e-mail
        account.
     Access is available from anywhere on campus, or from home (find information for connecting under Off-Campus
        Access
     Under E-Resources you can find a selection of electronic journals, books or other E-resources with valuable web
        pages relevant to your subject area.

How can I obtain materials not available in the Unic Library?
     Materials from the other two campus libraries can be requested through our Circulation Desk and picked up within 3
        days from the date of order. If not picked up they will be returned to the library of origin.
     For materials not found in our catalog, you can check under Cyprus Libraries Union Catalog located on our web 
        page under Other Libraries & catalogs, with 300 000 records from 15 libraries within Cyprus, including our own.
     For materials that cannot be located anywhere on the island, you can use our Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL) for a 
        fee. Our library cooperates with the British Library  ant the University of Utah (for medical material).
       Contact Christina Papadopoulou


Research

How can I keep up-to-date with my research topics of interest?

     Many of the Library databases have alerting services. Read their guidelines for how to activate and use this feature.
     You may use our Interlibrary Loan Service (ILL) for a fee. Contact our ILL librarian Christina Papadopoulou



   Library Research Assignments

Why give Library Research Assignments?

Once you, as a lecturer find yourself in front of your class, you should realize that through the assignments you give, you have the power to influence your students’ development as information seekers. Encourage them to find out about the library as this will increase their confidence and improve their ability to locate and evaluate information.

Not all students who find themselves at university are information literate. Coming from a background where their only experience of libraries is a place where they are sent for punishment, students find it hard to change their view and treat libraries as places where they can locate relevant information for their projects. In addition they find it hard to think critically about any information they come across. Assignments given to them may be their only opportunity to learn why there is a difference between surfing on the internet and doing research through valuable resources.

Assignments can be very confusing and frustrating. But, a well-planned assignment can take a student through the experience of learning valuable research skills which can improve the quality of their papers. It is up to you as a  lecturer to help the student to go through such an experience to produce good results.
Below you will find some recommendations as to what you can have in mind when setting assignments that require library or internet research.

Have in mind that through a library assignment you:
- Enable students to avoid unnecessary frustration and enjoy the process of learning
- Familiarize students with materials, services and sources available in the library
- Help students discriminate between scholarly and non-scholarly information
- Help students refine their topics and aim at their specific research goal
- Teach students that valid research takes time

Below we present some aids and reminders for you to avoid unnecessary fustration and to teach your students how to enjoy the process of learning:

Set up a strategic plan…
Get to know your students…
Don’t assume that your students know anything about research or using the library regardless of what they say. They often will not admit that they don’t know much.


Provide clear expectations…
1.  A few lines with your objectives can help students understand what you expect from their assignment.
2.  Discuss how many articles you want and how long they should spend on it.
3.  Ask students to present their research steps (e.g. a printout of their search strategy in a database or on the internet).
4.  Explain to them what quality research is (newspaper articles vs. scholarly articles; primary vs. secondary sources)
     and that not everything on the internet is considered scientific research.
5.  Teach them specific terminology – do your students understand what an “index” or an “abstract” is and how you
     expect them to use it?
6.  Indicate to them which citation style manual you would like them to use for their research assignment.
7.  Explain to them that not everything on the internet is considered scientific research, this is why you don’t want them to
     use only one specific source.


Set specific timing…
If the goal is to have the students write a well-researched paper for the end of the semester, start giving small assignments throughout the semester. For example,
- Ask them to find background information in an encyclopedia.
- Give them a list of relevant keywords and phrases to search in the library catalog; use the library catalog to find books
  on  the topic.
- Use databases with abstracts to find more recent information in magazines and journals. ( Databases & articles)
- Use other on-line resources selectively to locate authoritative, high-quality web sites ( Other E-Resources (by    
  Subject).
- Ask them to properly cite sources (Evaluate Web resources).

Strategic placement of library orientation tours at the point of panic can prove very effective.


Restrict resources…
1.  How many students are in your class? Is there a sufficient variety of topics and material to avoid students competing
     for resources?
2.  Make sure that the library owns recommended readings. 
3.  Let them know that they are expected to use other libraries too, if our library does not own specific materials (e.g.
     University of Cyprus Library).
4.  The library provides various leaflets with subscription databases or other needed information (e.g. Pathfinders). Feel
     free to distribute these, or link them to your courses related web page if your have one.
5.  Specify resources you want your students to use for their assignment (reference book, current journals, specific
     databases). Resource lists give students a starting point and help them go to the most useful information source for a
     certain topic.
6.  Limit the overwhelming universe of resources available to them.


Consider developing an assignment with a librarian…
Collaborate with a librarian who can help you generate assignments with sources that are actually available. This also enables us to enrich the library with sources not available at the time as you may need to order specific items, or to create specific research guides customized for you needs.


Spare us and the students the ‘unexpected tension’…
Call the Circulation Desk and inform them of upcoming assignments and place materials on Reserve or request the purchase of materials we do not own.
- A class of 40 looking for one piece of information or researching the same specific topic is especially difficult when 
  printed materials are involved and have not been placed on Reserve ahead of time.
- Students required using materials which the library does not own.
- Students working from partial/incomplete/incorrect citations.
- Students assigned vague or general topics, e.g., “women artists,” without guidance on narrowing that topic as to what
   kind of an artist.
- Students given obscure trivia questions or sent hunting around the library for some vague information.
- Students encouraged going to the University of Cyprus library before even exploring our own resources!
- Students encouraged using Interlibrary Loan when their paper is due in 2 days.
Such assignments lead to resentment rather than appreciation of library research.

Beyond this assignment…
Encourage your students to investigate other library services that might be useful later in their life or in their academic career.

Inform them that they can use:
Interlibrary Loan (ILL) – this service allows students to request materials from out of the country libraries.

Orientation Classes & Tours – remind students that we conduct tours of the library for the whole semester as well as on demand throughout the semester, provided we have groups of at least 10 – 12 people. All students, staff and faculty are encouraged to join in.

For successful library instruction it is important to keep the following in mind:
- Schedule your library orientation through the Circulation Desk in advance, so that there are no clashes. Have an
  alternative date in mind in case the preferred date is unavailable or in case there is an internet failure.
- Consider dividing your class into groups of 10 – 12 or 15 - 20, if your class is too big. The library has only a limited number of
  computer terminals.
- Talk with the librarian ahead of time and provide a copy of your class assignments so that the library orientation will be
  more relevant, informative and more interesting to your students. Timing the orientation around a specific assignment
  can make all the difference. Students find library orientation more meaningful when it is relevant and course-integrated.
- Accompany your class to the library orientation. Students are usually more motivated and involved when their lecturer
  participates and they are not left on their own. The absence of the lecturer gives the impression to them that the
  orientation is not of much importance.
- Encourage them to ask a librarian and not wander around helplessly.