Services for Amherst College Summer Visitors
Hours | Borrowing | Library Workstations | Reference Assistance | Questions
The Amherst College Library welcomes summer programs and visitors. The library staff has enjoyed a good working relationship with staff and participants in the programs based on the Amherst College campus. Please be aware, however, that Amherst College has no summer session. The Library reduces its hours and some of its services during this time.
Hours
Amherst College Libraries open to the public consist of Frost Library (AC Main), Keefe Science Library (AC Science) and Morgan Music Library (AC Music). Regular summer hours are as follows:
| Frost | Mon - Fri | 8am - 6pm | (413) 542-2373 |
| Science | Mon - Fri | 10am - 4pm | (413) 542-2076 |
| Music | Mon - Fri | 10am - 1pm | (413) 542-2387 |
Within Frost Library are two other service areas and collections, each with its own hours of service:
| Archives & Special Collections | 9-noon-4pm | (413) 542-2299 |
| Level A Computer Area | By apppointment | (413) 542-8209 |
| Reference | 10 am-3pm | (413) 542-2319 |
Regular hours and changes to the hours are posted on library web site: hours.
Borrowing
All visitors to Amherst College campus are welcome to consult library materials in the Robert Frost Library and its branch libraries. If they have questions about the libraries, they should feel free to ask for help in any of the libraries. Reference librarians are happy to offer assitance in identifying and locating material in the general collections. Archivists offer support to scholars who have come to use rare and achival materials in Archives & Special Collections.
Loan eligibility: Certain summer programs are de facto research seminars. Their directors have made arrangements for in depth use of the library facilities, including borrowing privileges, and for participants to work closely with Reference and Circulation staff. The library will put a bar code onto the back of the meal ticket used at the dining hall. Borrowers must have their card to charge out books and are responsible for all items charged out with their card. Visitors cannot borrow materials through the Five Colleges system or make use of Interlibrary Loan.
Summer visitors without borrowing privileges are welcome to make "in house" use of the collection during their stay here but they cannot routinely charge out books or other materials unless they have Area Resident status.
Materials available for check out: For local residents and visitors with borrowing privileges, up to ten items from the circulating collection at Frost Library or Keefe Science Library may be borrowed at any given time. Materials from the Amherst College Depository may be requested using the Depository Request Form. Depository items will be delivered to the Circulation Desk for checkout within 2 working days. Sorry, but materials from the other college libraries cannot be ordered through the Amherst College Library.
Materials restricted to In Library Use only: Periodicals, items from Archives & Special Collections, Art books.
Loan periods: The regular loan period is 28 days. Books can be renewed. If the program is less than four weeks long, items will be due the Wednesday of the last week the group is on campus. Items that have been recalled for other patrons have shortened due dates and cannot be renewed. Books that have not been returned by that time will incur replacement charges.
Fines: $2.00 per day for overdue recalled books.
Lost books : Before their summer program ends, borrowers will be sent a notice if items are still charged out to them. The overdue notice will state the title, call number and date due of the overdue material. If the library is mistaken, patrons must contact Judy Lively at the Frost Circulation, x5024. Items that are not returned promptly will be billed. The replacement charge for a regular circulating item is $70.00 and includes a $10 non-refundable billing fee.
Notification: Notifications of recalls and overdues will be sent directly by e-mail if an email address is available, otherwise, notification will be sent via the summer program's "responsible party". Notification of fines and other bills will also be made through the responsible party.
Library Workstations
The Amherst College Libraries have a limited number of public computers. The computer workstations are primarily intended for library research, and those on the first floor of Frost Library do not have word processing or spreadsheet capabilities. All do have full Internet access.
Adult summer program participants may use the library's computers as they are available, including those on Level A during its regularly scheduled hours.
Summer youth program participants may use the library's computers only while directly supervised by staff from their programs. We assume that students will always treat the Library’s equipment with the same respect they accord the library’s books and journals. Youth program participants who appear to be without supervision or who abuse materials or equipment will be asked to leave the library.
For extended classroom instruction on computers, groups must have their own computer labs and should not count on regularly using library computers for classes. The computers on Level A can be used for summer program classes occasionally, with a 24-hour advance reservation online or by calling either Jan Jourdain (campus x8209) or Barbara Joy (campus x2378). Because of variable summer schedules, please do not leave voicemail to reseve a time on Level A.
Reference Assistance
In the summer librarians staff the Reference Desk in the main Frost Library from 10am-3pm Monday-Friday. In addition to this one-on-one research assistance, reference librarians can give orientation to the library to teachers and counselors from the youth programs if they make appointments with the librarians in advance. They can also provide introductions to library resources to other groups that have made special arrangements directly with them (x2098). Occasionally reference librarians meet with classes from some of the secondary school programs (always supervised by their teachers). Teachers should contact Reference and talk over their projects and what they expect their students to learn about the library. Do not forget that the Amherst College collection focuses on college level research; younger students, no matter how bright, will look for special guidance from their teachers in this library. Archivists are also available for research assistance when working with materials in the Amherst College Archives and Special Collections. Please contact them directly at (413) 542-2299 for further information.
Questions?
If you or one of the programs that you schedule has questions about library services, please contact Margaret Adams Groesbeck (voice: (413)542-2098 or email: magroesbeck)