Order Requests (Library Resources)
The Special Collections consist of the African American Collection, the Government Documents and the Microform Collections.
Information Literacy is the current term applied to what was previously known as Library Instruction, User Instruction, Library Use Instruction and Bibliographic Instruction. It is based on the contention that students should be prepared for lifelong learning, therefore they must be able to locate, evaluate, and use information-search strategies no matter where or how it is stored.
Finding, evaluating, and using information in various formats is the essence of Information Literacy. The Information Literacy Seminars bridge the gap between the curriculum and the libraries information resources. The purpose of the Information Literacy Seminar is to ensure that Freshman, Sophomore, and Senior students of Benedict College are thoroughly familiar with information resources, and tools in general, in their major field of study.
- Instruction ranges from conducting tours of the library, providing assistance in using the online catalog, and helping to locate materials and scavenger hunt to specialized instruction in locating resources for undergraduate students.
- Orientation tours, including basic information on the library are offered at the beginning of each semester ... Freshman Orientation
- Orientation lectures are given in cooperation with the Benedict College Seminar Series and instructors who are invited to bring students to the library for one class period during the semester.
InterLibrary Loan (ILL)
Like other college libraries, Benedict College Library is not self-sufficient. No library has ever been self-sufficient. Therefore, resource sharing such as Interlibrary Library Loan (ILL) is provided. Should a book or journal article be identified by a Benedict College faculty or student at another library and requested at Benedict College Library, a formal request will be prepared and sent to the owning library. The borrowing library (in this case, Benedict College Library) complies with American Library Association (ALA) 108(g) (2) Guidelines of requirements if the item is loaned. The borrowing library (Benedict College Library) monitors the item's use and returns it at the appropriate time to the owning library. Although libraries communicate quickly with each other regarding items to be borrowed and loaned, the physical sending of most materials back and forth still depends on the United States Postal Service.
Requests for items (both lending and borrowing) through interlibrary loan are transacted via OCLC or other computer networks (including e-mail), by mail, phone or fax. An effort is made to fulfill as many requests as possible within the guidelines of the library's borrowing/lending policies.
South Carolina Statewide Borrowing Agreement
This agreement provides "for direct circulation of library materials among the libraries of the South Carolina higher education institutions. Participation in this agreement is defined by an institutions membership in LDF or SCICU.
Recognizing that the interests of South Carolina higher education students, faculty and staff can be better served through a program of mutual and reciprocal use of the libraries of all institutions, it is the intention of these institutions to establish and maintain a system for such cooperative use.
Upon presentation of a valid LDF/SCICU Borrowing Card issued by the home institution and a valid picture ID to be determined by the lending library, a student, faculty or staff member from any of these institutions shall have the full rights and privileges of borrowing from any one of these libraries, in accordance with each library's policy regarding loans to individuals not connected with the institution. Existing agreements between member libraries and any internal borrowing policy may have precedent over any privileges granted by this document. Borrowers will be responsible for knowing and honoring circulation policy and procedures at any library from which materials are charged out. The individual borrower is responsible for the safe return of all materials borrowed.
Each lending library will pursue overdues directly with borrower up until the point at which the borrower's records become delinquent according to the lending library's policy. At that point, the home institution will become responsible for retrieving or replacing the unrecovered material according to its existing procedures. The home institution will reimburse the lending institution for the replacement costs, including processing fees. The home institution will not be billed for unpaid fines at the lending library. Individual or institutional borrowing privileges may be revoked at the discretion of the lending library. " The aforementioned quoted section is an excerpt from the document of the agreement.
Special Services for the Physically Challenged
LRC provides special equipment, access and services for the physically challenged such as a 20/20 Plus Optelec machine for reading, a PC with VoiceDirect software for dictation, an elevator in and ramp to the building.