Library Briefings

Now in circulation

Nearly 20,000 video titles can be checked out by faculty and students

The Mitchell Multimedia Center’s video collection of nearly 20,000 titles began circulating on a one-year trial basis this past summer quarter, after numerous requests over the years from faculty. All videos (except laserdiscs) circulate to Northwestern faculty for the entire length of each academic quarter. For example, all titles checked out during the fall quarter have a due date of December 17. A maximum of 10 items (VHS reels or DVD discs) may be checked out to a faculty member during any given loan period. These provisions allow faculty to plan ahead for the quarter and give some assurance that they will have titles when they need them, particularly if they are scheduling class viewing or preparing a syllabus. However, since the video collection circulates to all NU users (the loan period is three days for students and staff), faculty should prepare well in advance and be aware that titles could already be checked out by another user. Faculty on the Chicago campus may request videos through the circulation desk at their appropriate branch library.

As in the past, faculty may also schedule video titles to be shown to their classes in the Library’s three viewing rooms (Forum Room, Video Theater, or Seminar Room #3746) when they will not be present, such as evenings or on weekends. To do this, the faculty member must first check out the title, which is the only way to be sure that it is here and available, and then bring it to the Multimedia Center during regular business hours up to five days before the class meets. We will then discharge the title and insure that the video cannot be checked out again to any other user until after the class has met and screened it. Personal copies from faculty can be handled on the same basis.

For the first time faculty may also place video titles on Reserve, just as they do books and articles. Videos can only be placed on Reserve for the entire quarter and not for shorter time periods. Titles on Reserve circulate for four hours. The Reserve desk is located in the Core Collection on Level 2 in the North Tower.

The video circulation policy will be re-evaluated at the conclusion of the 2005-2006 academic year. For further information on the Mitchell Multimedia Center’s circulation policies, go to http://www.library.northwestern.edu/media/circulationpolicies.htm

Steve Marek