Policies

Overdue fines will be assessed for items not returned on time (see information below). UW-Whitewater patrons with more than $200 in outstanding fines may not borrow library materials until the fines are paid. Fines not paid on student accounts at the time the material is returned will be processed and sent to Student Billing. These fines are then only payable at the Cashier's Office in Hyer Hall. Please note that not all items listed below are available for check out at both libraries. If you have any questions please contact your branch campus library's circulation desk. 

Overdue Fines 

Overdue fines accrue at a rate of

• $1.00 per day for items from the following collections: Charging Cables, Dry Erase Markers, Fans, Headphones, HDMI Equipment, Power Strips, Reserves, and items that are recalled.
• $5.00 per day for items from the following collections: Calculators, Cameras, External Harddrives, Hand Held Scanners, iPads, and Video Game Consoles. *note, not all items are available for check out at both libraries. Please inquire at circulation for more information. 
• $20 per day for Laptops at both campus libraries.

Community Borrowers and Overdue Fines

If a Community Borrower fails to return items borrowed on time overdue fines will begin to accrue for all item types they may have checked out.  If more than $5 in fines or fees have accrued on a Community Borrower account, borrowing privileges will be suspended until fines and fees are paid. The overdue fines accrue at a rate of

• $.25 per day for items borrowed from Audiobooks, Browsing books, Curriculum, Graphic Novels, Great Minds, and Main collections.
• $1.00 per day for items borrowed from CDs, DVDs, and VHS collections. 
• $5.00 per day for dry erase markers, HDMI equipment, headphones, charging cords, fans, and power strips.
• $10.00 per day for items borrowed from the Reference Collection. 

In cases of disputed fines, patrons may submit an appeal and/or contact the Circulation Desk at Andersen Library 262-472-5511 or circdesk@uww.edu. or at Lenox Library 608-758-6533. 

Any item that has not been renewed or returned within a designated number of days is automatically declared "lost". If the item is returned within two semesters of being declared lost the replacement charge will be removed from the patron's account and the appropriate overdue fines will be assessed. In some cases, a patron supplied copy may be accepted in lieu of the replacement fee. Patron supplied copies must be approved by consultation with Head of Access Services. Copies that were purchased without first being approved may not be accepted by the library and the full replacemnt cost will still be due. The Library will not accept the return of nor will it remove replacement fees for items that have been lost more than two semesters.

Library materials that are not returned within a specified period of time will be considered "lost." 

Lost Items Intervals and Replacement Costs

The default fee for an item lost in the UW System is $100, however, some items have varying costs either due to rarity, expense to replace, or the ease of which they can be replaced. 

• $100 is charged for "lost" items from the audiobook, browsing books, CDs, curriculumn collection, DVDs, Gov Docs, graphic novels, main, reference, and video game collections. Items borrowed through ILL will also be charged the $100 default replacment cost unless otherwise specified by its lending institution.
• $1,000 is charged for replacement of iPads.
• $2,000 is charged for replacement of laptops. 
• All other collection items vary depending on type of item. 

The list below shows the specified time period for long overdue items to have their status changed to "lost." 

• 3 Days: External hard drives and webcams
• 7 Days: Calculators, charging cords, HDMI equipment, hand held scanners, headphones, iPads and accessories, laptops and accessories, mice, reference, reserves, umbrellas, video gaming consoles, and video recording cameras.
• 14 Days: Any item borrowed through inter library loan service (ILL). 
• 10 Days: Cds, DVDs, point and click cameras, VHS, and video games.
• 28 Days: Audiobooks, browsing books, curriculumn, Gov Docs, main, and test collections. 

If any overdue fines are accrued for the type of item that went into "lost" stauts, the fines will be adjusted once the material has been returned. Patrons with Lost items may not borrow library materials until the lost materials are returned. Unpaid fees will be sent to Student Billing. These fees must be paid at the Cashier's Office. Any material which is lost, stolen, destroyed, or damaged should be reported immediately. Although faculty and staff do not pay overdue fines, they will be billed replacement fees for any lost or damaged materials. It is also highly discouraged for patrons to loan their library materials to others. All item's that are "lost" are the responsibility of person's account the items were checked out. 

Claims Return

If you feel a lost item replacement fee was assessed to your account because you returned it, please contact the Access Services Librian to discuss the library's Claims Returned procedure.

During the Claims Return process, the patron will be asked to check for the item while the circulation staff conduct 3 separate searches of the library. This process will continue for the next four weeks and will involve the staff member searching our stacks, our book drop locations, our repair shelf, the circulation desk, and other areas in the library. If the item still has not been located after four weeks, the Head of Access Services will contact you regarding further procedures. A Claims Return is not a guarantee that the lost item fee will be removed from an account. If you have any questions regarding this policy or its procedures, please do not hesitate to contact the Head of Access Services or the circulation desk.

Patrons may appeal fines and/or fee charges by contacting the Circulation Desk at 262-472-5511 or circdesk@uww.edu. All patrons should be prepared to discuss the nature of the charges and why they believe the charges should be reduced or waived.

If the matter is not resolved to the patron's satisfaction, a formal written appeal may be made to the Head of Circulation. This appeal should include the patron's name, ID number, telephone, email, and current mailing address. In addition, the patron should explain why they believe the charges should be reduced or waived as well as why the previous resolution was unsatisfactory. The Head of Access Services will make every attempt to respond to all fine appeals within two weeks; however, it is the patron's responsibility to see that the matter is ultimately resolved.

If the matter still has not been resolved to the patron's satisfaction, an additional appeal may be made to the Library Director. The Library Director will appoint an Appeal Board to hear both sides of the dispute in order to reach a decision. This second appeal must be made within 10 days of the Head of Circulation's decision, and should include a detailed explanation of why the previous attempts to resolve the issue have been unsatisfactory. The Appeals Board will render its decision within 10 days and will serve as a final decision.

*Please note: All fine/fees appeals must be made within 120 days of the original due date.

Library workstations are for Library applications and educational purposes only. Patrons may log onto any public workstation by using their UWW Net-ID or a Library supplied password. Patrons are required to accept and follow the University Acceptable Use Policy regarding computer usage. Violators of this policy will be asked to leave the Library, barred from entering the library, or reported to the police.

Printing from Library computers is controlled by a University print management system. Students are given free printing privileges. They release the print job at the public print release stations using their Net-ID and password. Faculty, staff, Community Borrowers and guests are charged ten cents per page of printing for B&W or $1 for color. To use these print options, select either the "BW Pay at CircDesk"  or "Color Pay at Circ" printer before sending a print job, then pay and pick up the print job at the Circulation Desk.

Use of Andersen Library's and Lenox Library's Instructional Spaces

The University of Wisconsin - Whitewater Libraries' instructional spaces are primarily used to provide library patrons with information literacy instruction. During times when the facilities are not scheduled for instructional purposes, the facilities are open for general computer use.

See also the campus  Facilities and Grounds Use Policy.

Instructional Use

First priority is given tolibrary instruction provided by Library staff to UW-Whitewater faculty, staff, and students, and other patron groups. Second priority is given toother instructional uses of the facility, such as information literacy instruction by non-Library UW-Whitewater faculty to students or demonstration/training sessions for Library staff. Such sessions must not conflict with scheduled library instruction sessions. The Coordinator for Library Instruction oversees the scheduling of instructional spaces. Because library instruction sessions may be scheduled during any of the Library's normal operating hours and the number and times of sessions will vary from week to week, this facility may not be scheduled for regular meetings of university classes. All other uses must be approved by the Library Director. During times when this facility is scheduled for instructional use, only valid attendees of the scheduled session(s), such as students enrolled in the class, and the instructor may be in the room.

General Computer Use

When instructional sessions are not scheduled, this facility is open for general computer use. Hours when the facility is reserved for instructional purposes will be posted each week. The Library reserves the right to revise this weekly listing more frequently if the need should arise. General use of the computers is on a first come first served basis and subject to the terms of the ICIT Acceptable Use Policy .

It is the responsibility of the student to determine that enough time is available in the lab before beginning a project, an online quiz, or exam. The Library is not responsible for work that cannot be saved.

Security Gate Procedure

• Library patrons are called back to the Circulation Desk when the security gate sounds.
• Library patrons are asked if they have materials from the Library that are not checked out.
• If Andersen Library-owned materials are found, on the patron or in the patron's belongings, that are not checked out or are non-circulating, a security report is completed.
• The security report is given to the Head of Circulation and a copy is forwarded to the Dean of Students Office.
• The Dean of Students Office will contacts the patron, discusses the incident, and decides if further action is necessary.

Student Misconduct

When student misconduct is reported to the Circulation Desk, the Head of Circulation will complete a security report and forward a copy of the report to the Dean of Students Office. Personnel from that department will contact the student to discuss the incident and decides if further action is necessary. Examples of student misconduct may include, but are not limited to:

• Excessive noise or other disruptive or inappropriate behavior
• Marking in or vandalizing Library resources and equipment
• Threatening behavior or unwanted attention toward another individual

USA Patriot Act & Libraries

On October 25, 2001 Congress passed the  Uniting and Strengthening America by Providing Appropriate Tools Required to Intercept and Obstruct Terrorism (USA Patriot) Act. This Act increases the ability of local, state, and federal law enforcement officials to obtain search warrants and subpoenas to gain access to records from libraries, bookstores, and Internet service providers.

For more information on the USA Patriot Act, see:

• The USA PATRIOT ACT (H.R. 3162)
• The USA Patriot Act in the Library (American Library Association)

UW-Whitewater Library Policy on Privacy

It is the policy of the University of Wisconsin-Whitewater Library to protect the privacy of all users to the extent permitted by law. The Library endorses the  Code of Ethics of the American Library Association, which states, "We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received." The Library circulation system (Alma) severs the link between the item and patron record when the material is returned. Public workstations are set up not to retain historical searches.For more information on the  Code of Ethics of the American Library Association, see:

• Code of Ethics of the American Library Association

Requests for User Information

The UW-Whitewater Library may receive requests from private individuals or local, state, or federal law enforcement agencies for information about Library users. The Library will not disclose information about individual users to any requester unless required to do so by law. This information may include:

• the identity of users (names, addresses, telephone numbers, social security numbers)
• material users have borrowed from or through the Library
• online services used
• reference consultations conducted in person or via phone, e-mail or live chat

This type of information is confidential and may only be released under very specific circumstances, which are addressed below.

Requests from a Private Individual About Another User's Records

Under no circumstances will confidential information be released to a private individual who is not the "owner" of the information. Library staff may not release any information about a user to any other individual, including spouses or family members. Library staff will immediately notify their supervisor when they receive such inquiries about someone else's activities.

Requests from a Private Individual About His/Her Own Records

The Library staff may tell a user which materials he/she checked out to himself/herself once the staff member has verified the user's identity.

Requests from a Law Enforcement Officer Without Written Documentation (i.e., subpoena or search warrant)

Andersen Library is under no obligation to provide information in response to this type of request. In the interest of protecting the confidentiality of our users, no information will be provided. Library staff will refer the requesting officer to their immediate supervisor who will immediately contact UW-Whitewater Library Administration, who in turn will contact UW System General Counsel.

Request from a Law Enforcement Officer With a Subpoena

Andersen Library will observe the following procedures if the FBI or other law enforcement officer presents a subpoena to the Library:

• The Library staff will refer the requesting officer to their immediate supervisor who will contact the Library Administrative Office immediately. Do not provide the requested information.
• Administrative Office Staff will contact UW System General Counsel for a review of the document's legal sufficiency, which will determine whether the Library will release any information. Inform the law enforcement officer of this procedure.
• During evening or weekend hours, when the Library Administrative Office is closed, contact one of the following, in the order listed:
  • Paul Waelchli
  • Barbara Bren
  • Patricia Fragola
• If these people are not available, then the senior supervisor on duty will contact the UW-Whitewater Provost:
  • Dr. Susan Elrod

Request from a Law Enforcement Officer With a Written Warrant for Search and Seizure

The Library staff will need to comply with this request immediately upon presentation of the warrant. If paper documents or computer hard drives are part of the warrant, law enforcement officers are empowered to remove those items from the Library immediately, without the Library or UW System General Counsel's permission. The Library staff will not interfere with any officer executing such a warrant, but will inform the officer that s/he must leave an inventory of what s/he is removing. The Library staff will contact their supervisor without delay and inform him/her of the search warrant. UW-Whitewater Library Administration will contact UW System General Counsel, or on a weekend, the Provost. Be aware that when such a search warrant is executed, a "gag order" may also be invoked, which means that Library staff may be forbidden to discuss or publicize outside of the Library even the fact that a search warrant was executed. UW System General Counsel will provide further instructions to the UW-Whitewater Library staff on appropriate actions.

Wisconsin Statute 43.30 Governing the Privacy of Library Resources

For clarification, the state statute on library resources and privacy is quoted below. However, under certain circumstances, federal law may supersede state law. [ Wisconsin Statute 43.30states "...the library's documents or other materials, resources or services may not be disclosed except by court order or to persons acting within the scope of their duties in the administration of the library or library system, to persons authorized by the individual to inspect such records..."]For the full text of this statute, please see:

• Libraries (Chapter 43, Wisconsin Statutes)

Frequently Library personnel are asked to provide information, reports, interviews, or statistics about Library functioning and services to students, faculty, or outside groups. The Library is happy to offer such input, but does make the following requests:

1. The Library cannot jeopardize the privacy of its patrons' Library usage.
2. All requests must be approved by the Library Director in order to assure that the best person and resources are used to provide the information.
3. For most routine requests, at least one week's lead time is needed (some substantial reports, such as accreditation reports, will need considerably longer than this). While every effort will be made to comply with requests for interviews or compilation of statistics about the Library, there will be occasions when staff time cannot be spared from normal duties without jeopardizing Library service.