AIC staff

Circulating materials include:

• General collection monographs published after 1923 that are in stable condition  

 

These materials may not circulate outside the reading room:

• Accessioned materials

• Archival materials

• Artist files

• Auction catalogs

• Periodicals

• Bound-withs (one volume containing multiple titles bound together)

• Boxed materials

• Departmental library materials (Prints and Drawings, Asian Art, Textiles, Conservation and Science, Ancient Art, Paper Conservation)

• Materials published prior to 1923

• Microforms

• Open-shelf reference collection materials

• Oversized materials (materials stored in f stack and fx stack)

• Portfolios of loose plates

• Special collections materials

Circulation of materials is not guaranteed. Items maybe restricted from circulation at the discretion of the librarians.

 

Permanent AIC staff are eligible for circulation privileges under the following conditions:

• A library orientation must be completed prior to obtaining circulation privileges.
• Circulating materials may be removed from the museum building, but the patron is responsible for any fees assessed for missing, damaged, or overdue items, as outlined in the replacement policy below. Interlibrary loan items from other institutions cannot be taken outside the museum.
• Failure to return materials in a timely manner may result in the loss of privileges.
• All materials charged to a staff member's library and interlibrary loan accounts must be returned prior to the person's separation from the AIC. Materials may not be remotely transferred from patron to patron. Items must be returned to the library in order to be transferred to a different patron’s account. 
• All items checked out to the patron’s account by interns, volunteers, or temporary fellows are the responsibility of the patron.
• No more than 250 items at a time may be checked out on any one patron’s account.
• No more than 3 items at a time may be hand carried out of the reading room. If any of the items are large or heavy, we may require users to take them on a cart.

 

Best Practices for Handling Library Materials

• Books should not be stored or used near food and drink. Do not keep any beverages or other liquids on the same surface where books are consulted or stored.
• Do not shelve books where they will be exposed to sunlight.
• Store books in a secure area away from children and pets. Select an area not directly exposed to heating and cooling vents and away from other sources of heat and water.  
• Do not pull books from the top of the spine. When pulling books off a shelf, push surrounding books in and pull the book out by the middle of the spine.
• Avoid carrying more than 3 books at a time. No more than 3 items at a time may be hand carried between the museum and your home. Larger groups of materials must be securely boxed and transported by insured automobile. Remember that the museum’s insurance policy protects you and the collection materials only when you and the materials are onsite. You are liable for all damage to yourself and the collection items in your care when you are off campus.
• Book shelves should not be packed too tightly or too loosely. Use bookends to loosen and tighten a row of books; the libraries have bookends available for your use.
• If you must store a book on its side (because of height), always shelve with the spine down.
• Never use other books to prop open a book. Do not bend pages to mark your spot or store a book spine up on a desk or table to save your page. If important passages in books must be flagged, please use uncolored, acid-free strips of paper (available in the libraries).
• Never store papers or use post-it notes in books. The weak adhesive mass that allows post-it notes to stick leaves an adhesive residue on the paper surface long after the note itself is removed. Dirt can adhere to this and book pages may become stuck together. If important passages in books must be flagged, please use uncolored, acid-free strips of paper (available in the libraries).
• Books should be copied on overhead copiers only; never force a book flat to copy it on a face-down copier or scanner.
• If something does happen to a book that affects its condition or results in damage of any kind, please bring this to the attention of library staff immediately.

 

Please note:

The AIC insurance policy protects the materials only while they are onsite. 

The user accepts liability for any harm to their person or to the materials charged out on their account when the materials are off campus; this may include situations such as:

• Physical harm to the patron caused by carrying heavy materials

• Harm to materials caused by inclement weather, improper storage, or damage due to exposure to food or drink

• Harm to the staff member or the materials caused by misadventure (i.e., auto accident, flood, fire)

 

Staff Reserve

Staff with library privileges will sometimes not have a secure office for storing library materials or have another reason for preferring to keep materials in the reading room rather than checking them out. In these cases, we check materials out to the Staff Reserve shelves and store them by last name on the Staff Reserve shelves in the east alcove. Staff Reserves are limited to 25 items at any one time. Specials, archives, and oversized material that staff wish to work with over a period of time will also be checked out to Staff Reserve but kept in the cabinet behind the Circulation Desk.

Short-term researchers, including interns, volunteers, and fellows on placements of a duration of less than one year, may use library materials in the reading room under the following conditions:

• An orientation must be completed prior to obtaining reading room access privileges.
• When the reading room is open, interns, volunteers, and fellows may request general collection library materials from the stacks. These materials will be retrieved during our regular paging schedule and placed on staff reserve in the east alcove.
• Interns, volunteers, and fellows may request special collection library materials from the stacks. These materials will be retrieved during our regular paging schedule and placed on staff reserve in the locked storage. Access to these materials is available by making a research appointment.

 

Recalls

If a book that you need is checked out, you may request it through the catalog. We will retrieve the book and route it to you on the hold shelf as soon as it is returned. Please be considerate about returning materials that you have when they are recalled.

 

Offsite Storage

Materials marked with the location Offsite-NU in the online catalog are stored in climate-controlled stacks in an offsite facility. Request the item through the catalog and, within a week of receiving your request, and you will be emailed once the item is available on the hold shelf. 

 

Replacement Policy for Missing or Damaged Library Materials

Library users are responsible for replacing library materials that are damaged or that go missing when checked out to their accounts. If materials are not returned prior to the end of the staff member’s employment at AIC, the staff member will remain responsible for the materials. The staff member will be charged the current value for replacing damaged or missing items that are replaceable. If we are not able to locate a replacement copy, the staff member will be assessed a $500 fee. 

 

Please note:

• No refunds will be granted for missing materials that have already been replaced.
• If an item is found once the libraries have replaced it, that item can be withdrawn and kept by the curatorial department if desired.
• Damaged items should be returned to Circulation, where staff will route them to the Book Conservation department to determine whether a replacement in warranted. If an item must be replaced, staff will notify the patron and the applicable replacement fee will be assessed.
• If materials cannot be accounted for when recalled to the library or upon an individual's separation from the AIC, library staff will conduct one thorough search of the stacks for the missing materials. If the missing materials are not found in that search, the staff member will be billed for replacement.
• Payment for missing or damaged materials is due within 30 days.