Library policies and procedures were developed in response to serving Gangwish Library customers (students, staff, faculty and administrators). The Gangwish Library Policy Manual is a set of written policies that has been accumulated over the years by library staff and updated by the library direct with staff input.
Gangwish Library Materials Challenge Policy
Censorship of the Gangwish Library's collections will not be tolerated. As a university library, we cultivate a collection of resources that are appropriate for the curriculum at Ottawa University and for an adult audience. Our university library collections represent various viewpoints that stimulate intellectual inquiry and foster spirited debate. Legitimate complaints about library materials will be reviewed based on the guidelines endorsed by the American Library Association's Intellectual Freedom Manual.
Materials challenge complaints will be handled on a case-by-case basis and can only be made by current students, faculty, and staff of Ottawa University. Complaints will not be accepted from alumni or from members of the public who have been provided with access to our Ottawa University collections, but who are not currently enrolled at the university. The Gangwish Library maintains the right not to accept public challenges because Ottawa University is a private academic institution and all Gangwish Library collections belong to the university.
The Gangwish Library has delegated the responsibility for the selection and evaluation of materials to the Library Director who is a subject specialist in the areas of Education, Business and Human Resources and is a member of the Liberal Arts Department faculty, where different subject areas are taught. As a member of College Academic Council, the library director is thus able to select materials for the library based on knowledge of the Liberal Arts curriculum and the Gangwish Library Collection Development Policy. Should a member of the Ottawa University community think that certain materials are unsuitable for the library’s collection: the first step is to discuss their concerns with the library director. If the issue is not resolved following an informal discussion about the mission of the library and how the material supports higher education learning, the library has established formal reconsideration procedures to address concerns about those resources. They are listed as follows:
Please find attached the Ottawa University, Gangwish Library Challenged Materials Form.
Due Dates
Circulating books have two checkout dates for students at the Campus: Midterm and at the end of the semester. Books may be renewed unless recall is requested. APOS students may checkout books which will be due at the end of the term. Books are subject to recall after four weeks.
Media is checked out for one week and may be renewed if there is not a hold on the item.
Overdue Notices
Overdue notices are sent as a courtesy after material is past due. Users are responsible for returning or renewing materials on time whether or not a notice has been received.
Fines
There are no fines for late books.
Fees
Replacement charges and reprocessing fees are charged for materials that have not been returned four weeks after they are overdue. If materials are subsequently returned, the cost of the replacement will be refunded; however, the borrower will still be required to pay the reprocessing fee. Charges are added to the student’s account in the Business Office.
ILL Policies to be aware of:
Policies for requesting journal articles:
Policies for requesting books & media: