Library Policies

Purpose

The Carroll College Archives is dedicated to preserving the history of the college, its alumni, faculty, and staff. The collection comprises materials related to Carroll College, including college records, manuscript collections of individuals with ties to the college, photographs, slides, negatives, audio and video recordings, blueprints, and college publications.

See an overview of archival collections.

Access

Archival materials do not circulate and may be viewed in our Archives Reading room. 

• Individuals: Contact the library staff at libstaff@carroll.edu to make an appointment to use archival materials. You will be asked to complete a registration form and review this policy.
• Classes: We welcome Carroll College classes to visit the Archives. Librarians are available to collaborate on integrating our resources into your class. Contact the library staff for more information.

Usage Guidelines

• No food or drinks are allowed in the Archives Reading Room.
• Please use a computer, tablet, or pencil for note-taking. Pens are not allowed.
• Please handle all archival materials with care.
• Remove only one folder from a box at a time.
  • Keep materials in their folders and retain the original order of the documents.    
• If you need to copy, photograph, or scan Archival materials, please consult with a librarian.
• When referring to our Archival materials in your work, please include a citation of the Carroll College Archives. A credit line must be given when using photographs.

Collection Development Policy

The Carroll College Archives collects records related to the history and culture of Carroll College, including those generated by faculty, students, and alumni, as well as materials documenting the college’s relationship with Helena and Lewis & Clark County.

Collecting

The Archives serve as the institutional memory of Carroll College. As such, its primary mission is to collect, preserve, organize, describe, and make available institutional records of enduring historical, legal, fiscal, and administrative value. The Archives collect records of the Helena community that help promote knowledge and understanding of the College's origins, programs, and goals.

Donations

We welcome donations or bequests of collections related to Carroll College or individuals connected to the college. (We do not purchase items or collections.) Before accepting collections, we will assess the relevance of the materials to Carroll College, the size and condition of the collection/item, and the Archives' ability to process, store, and preserve it. If we are unable to accept a collection, we will help try to find an appropriate home for the offered materials.

Updated 08/2025

Faculty/Staff: All Library rooms should be reserved via the Booked Okta tile and approved by a Library Team member. We recommend making reservations at least 24 hours in advance. If your Booked request has not been approved in a timely manner, or you have any questions, please call the library at (406) 447-4340 or email libstaff@carroll.edu. 

Students: Students do not have access to Booked. To request a room reservation, please call (406) 447-4340, email libstaff@carroll.edu, or ask to speak with a librarian in person. 

Members of the public: (including retired employees and spouses of faculty/staff) may not reserve rooms. 

Summary of Room Uses:

• Classrooms (203, 208, 209) are primarily for classes.
  • If the rooms are available, meetings and study sessions can reserve these spaces.
  • Faculty & staff get first priority.
  • Students may reserve these spaces for single events (not recurring events, such as weekly meetings).
• The Sage Room (209) can be booked for events during open hours (e.g., Foreign Film Festival, Student Literary Festival, etc.).
• The Library Conference Room (221) is for meetings. No classes are to be held in this room. 
• Open spaces are not reservable.
• Individual study rooms are not reservable for students or faculty.

Exceptions: 

If anyone wants to hold an event in the Library after hours, use our open spaces, or request an exemption from the above rules, please email the library Director. 

The library wants to support current students in their academic ventures. An individual study room may be reserved for students taking standardized tests and graduate program entrance exams. All other exams should go through the ARC/Testing Center. 

• Study room number 118 is available for online proctored examinations upon request. 
• We require a faculty member to sponsor your request. Please have a faculty member email libstaff@carroll.edu at least a week in advance of the exam to request a room. Please include the date, time, and type of exam being taken. 
• Test takers are responsible for the set up and tear down of the room. Please bring any materials required to cover windows (including painter's tape and trash bags/paper). Please arrive early to ensure you have time to set up the study room to the exam's specifications. 
• Library staff will do their best to ensure that the room is empty ahead of your scheduled exam time. If needed, library staff will ask other students to relocate. 
• The library is a communal space. We cannot guarantee that other library users will be quiet, but the library will provide a sign for the exam room door notifying others that there is a proctored exam taking place and not to disturb. 
• We are not able to accommodate proctored exams over the weekend or outside of our normal business hours. 

Created January 2026

Who Can Borrow?

Students, staff, and faculty may borrow books from the library for free. 

Please present your Carroll ID when checking out library materials. An email address is now required, as it is the only way we send overdue notices.

Carroll students may also borrow directly from Lewis & Clark Public Library. To get a card, take your Carroll College ID and proof of a Lewis and Clark County address to the library (for more, go here). 

Members of the public may request Carroll College books via Interlibrary Loan from the Lewis & Clark Public Library. The library's catalog is available to anyone with an internet connnection via our homepage.

Borrowing Periods

Fines and Overdue and Damaged Items

Overdue Items

You will receive a courtesy email shortly before the due date reminding you when your item is due. Please return or renew your item(s). Significantly overdue items are considered lost, and you will be charged the replacement cost of the material plus a $25 processing fee. You will receive an automatic notification if your item is in danger of being declared lost. 

Late Fees

Students, staff, and faculty do not accrue fines, though late fees may be charged for overdue reserve items.

Damaged and Lost Items

All patrons. If you lose an item or return an item significantly damaged, you will be billed for the cost to replace the item plus a $25 processing fee (including any accrued fines for members of the public). 

Guests

Members of the public may request access to the library via the Library Director. Please note that members of the public, with the director's permission, can access the library's catalog from the designated catalog computers located on each floor and browse our print collection, but do not have access to our electronic journals and databases. 

Updated 09/18/2024

The Corette Library and Simperman Learning Commons are the intellectual hub of the College: an interdisciplinary organization that actively engages students, faculty, staff, and partners to collaborate, explore, experiment, and grow as researchers, creators, scholars, and informed citizens. We provide a safe space for everyone and promote intellectual freedom: the right of library users to read, seek information, and speak freely, as guaranteed by the First Amendment.

We expect our users and employees to

• Follow all Library & Learning Commons policies and procedures.
• Exit the building when asked by staff or prompted by announcements, including at closing or during fire alarms.
• Engage with faculty, staff, students, and fellow Library & Learning Commons users in a respectful and courteous manner.  
• Respect the rights of other users to access Library & Learning Commons materials.
• Properly care for Library & Learning Commons books, materials, technology, equipment, and spaces.

The Corette Library Collection Development & Maintenance policy helps library staff meet collection goals related to the mission of the library, informs the College community about the principles by which materials are selected, and guides how we spend our collection funds. The policy also helps define and affirm our commitment to support research and teaching at Carroll College, as well as new models of research and scholarship.

The Library is funded by College general revenues and limited additional funding through endowments, grants, and gifts. 

Our Collection goals include:

• Providing an excellent user experience.
• Providing inclusive access and discoverability to collections that respond nimbly at point-of-need.
• Facilitating big-picture design of the collections with input from all stakeholders.
• Collaborating with students and faculty to determine user needs.

Users

The students, faculty, and staff of Carroll College are our primary users and have full access to the Corette Library and its services. Members of the public with the library director's permission have access to our print collection, in-house use of periodical and reference collections, and basic reference service. 

Collection Growth

The materials selected for the collection support the curriculum of the college. Carroll College emphasizes teaching; the library purchases items for faculty research as the budget allows. Faculty research is primarily supported through database searches and interlibrary loan services.

Library materials will be acquired under the following priorities:

• Materials to support the current teaching program of the College.
• General reference works and works in fields not directly related to College programs but which are of such importance that they belong in any respectable scholarly library.
• Materials to support the faculty's research needs and assist administrative personnel in effectively performing their duties.
• Materials to support cooperative programs with other libraries or academic institutions.
• Materials to form a foundation collection in support of anticipated programs of the College and appropriate varieties of recreational materials, as funds permit.

Library materials will be acquired according to the following criteria:

• Lasting value of the content
• Appropriateness of level of treatment
• Strength of current holdings in same or similar subject areas
• Demand, as determined by factors such as circulation data and interlibrary loan
• Requests for material on the same or similar subjects
• Cost
• Suitability of format to content
• Authority of author
• Reputation of publisher or source
• Reviews in subject-specific and standard library reviewing sources

Acquisition Practices

Recommendations

Faculty, staff, administration, and students are encouraged to suggest items for purchase. The library director has the final decision on purchases, which will be made through approved library vendors. When selecting materials for acquisition, the library considers audience, reviews, cost, subject balance, and representation of diverse viewpoints.

Gifts in Kind

Items given to the library are added to the collection at the discretion of the library staff. Gifts will be acknowledged upon request but not evaluated or enumerated. Items not selected for inclusion in the collection may be offered to other libraries or sold in our book sales. The library only accepts unconditional gifts. See our Donations Policy for more. Donors are asked to complete a Deed of Gift form when donating materials.

Cooperative Agreements/Interlibrary Loan

The Corette Library participates in interlibrary loan systems and the Montana Academic and Tribal Library consortium to increase the number of resources available. The library also has access to OCLC, NNLM Docline, and other holding lists. The Library also coordinates with other libraries in Helena through formal and informal collection management agreements. 

Formats

The Corette Library seeks out new and innovative services to meet the community's changing needs. The library considers information in any appropriate format, except computer software and textbooks. When software is requested for purchase, the request is forwarded to either IT or Academic Technology for consideration. Textbooks may be acquired based on faculty recommendations and when the textbook is the best or only acceptable source of information. 

Our current collection includes: monographs (print and online), periodicals (print and online), video recordings (DVDs and streaming videos), and subscriptions to online resources.

Open Access Resources

Corette Library is committed to the principles of open access, as outlined in the IFLA Statement on Open Access to Scholarly Literature and Research Documentation. Library resources include open-access materials to support the educational and research goals of the college. In selecting what open-access resources to include in Saints Search, we follow the same criteria outlined in the “Collection Growth” section above. 

Languages

The Library collects materials in foreign languages as needed to support the foreign languages department and other campus curricula. 

Collection Management

Retention

The retention period for items in the collection varies from subject to subject. For example, theological material is held indefinitely, while items related to health are generally held 5 years. Classic works and items listed in anthologies, indices, etc., are retained indefinitely. 

The library uses various bibliographic tools in discarding materials. The library may involve faculty in the process. Some of the items considered for discard are out-of-date materials, unnecessary duplicates, materials in poor physical condition or materials no longer relevant to the curriculum. The staff will consider replacing out-of-date items and items in poor physical condition. 

Complaints

In case of a complaint, the complainant is referred to the library director. A written complaint must be submitted by a member of the Carroll community (e.g., student, staff, or faculty member) for the Library to consider the objection to a single library item. Electronic resources are not subject to reconsideration if the resource’s availability is not managed exclusively by the college. Before submitting a written complaint, a complainant must read/listen/view the entire work in question. In addition, the written complaint must include the name and address of the complainant, a description of the work in question, and the nature of the grievance.

A review committee will be convened to examine the item in question. Published reviews will be examined; the item will be read/listened/viewed individually by staff members. The complaint and staff recommendation will be given to the library committee. After reviewing the material, a decision will be made to retain or discard the item. Decisions will be based upon the collection development policy as a whole. 

Updated January 2026

Faculty may request items be placed on reserve for students in their class to use. Reserve materials are available for checkout at the Front Desk. To request materials, students will need to know the professor’s name, course, and the item they would like. 

We do not purchase textbooks for reserves.

Completing and Submitting Reserve Requests

Please complete the Reserve Request Form for EACH item (hard copies are available at the Circulation Desk). Be sure to:

• Include the call number of any library-owned books or DVDs you want (Use Saints Search to see if we have the materials and to find their call numbers)
• Fill out the online reserve form, or give a hard copy to a librarian.
• Drop off any personal or non-library-owned items you want on reserve at the circulation desk at any time during open hours. 

Processing

Library staff process reserve requests as soon as possible after receiving both the reserve form and the item if it is not a library-owned item (usually within 24 hours), but may not be able to do so quickly during peak times, such as the beginning of each semester, during midterms, and during finals. 

Removing Reserve Materials

Your reserve item(s) will be removed on the date you request. If you want something removed early, please email the library at libstaff@carroll.edu. You must pick up personal and departmental items at the front desk. 

Copyright Restrictions

The Corette Library adheres to copyright guidelines. We are not able to offer legal advice. For more information on copyright restrictions, please see the following resources (Inclusion of these links to external sites does not necessarily constitute an endorsement of the sites by the drafters of this policy, Carroll College, or the Corette Library and Simperman Learning Commons):  

• Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Media Literacy Education
• Copyright and Cultural Institutions: Guidelines for Digitization for U.S. Libraries, Archives, and Museums
• Orphan Works: Statement of Best Practices
• Reproduction of Copyrighted Works by Educators and Librarians
• Code of Best Practices in Fair Use for Academic and Research Libraries
• Copyright Basics
• U.S. Copyright Office
• Know Your Copyrights
• Copyright & Fair Use: Obtaining Permission
• Copyright & Fair Use: Copyright Law
• Copyright & Fair Use: Common Scenarios

As a general rule, we can place a single photocopy of a small section of a book on reserve for one semester. After that, we need to either purchase the book or seek copyright clearance to create photocopies of the item. In some cases, it is less expensive for us to purchase the book than seek clearance for photocopies. We usually prefer the more economic option. 

You will be contacted as soon as a violation is noticed. We will work with you to resolve this issue, which may include purchasing rights to an article, buying the book a chapter is from, etc. 

Other Policies and Information

Retrieval of Personal and Non-Library Items

Corette Library does not have the facilities to catalog, store, and keep track of personal or department-owned items. Personal and department-owned reserve items must be picked up at the end of every semester.

Copy Services

The Corette Library and Simperman Learning Commons do not have an in-house copy service. Instructors may make their own photocopies using the library copier or use campus Copy & Print Services at the Bookstore in the Campus Center (CUBE).

Non-Library Materials

To keep track of reserve items, it is necessary for us to attach stickers to your items. We choose stickers that are designed to be removable with little residue left over.

The Corette Library is not responsible if students damage your personal or department-owned items. This includes writing in them.

Course Reserves Contacts

The library staff processes all course reserves. To submit course reserve forms, request rush processing, or ask questions regarding course reserves, please contact the library staff at libstaff@carroll.edu or 406-447-4340.

Updated January 2026

The Corette Library is grateful for all offers of support. To make a financial contribution to the Corette Library, please contact the Office for Institutional Advancement. 

We welcome donations of 

• Materials relevant to the current Carroll College curriculum
• Archival materials (e.g., Rare books, manuscripts, photographs, or papers) related to Carroll College

Please note that 

• All donations are considered outright and unconditional gifts to be used at the Library’s discretion. A gift to the Library may not be reclaimed by the donor or their heirs.
• The Library reserves the right to determine the retention, location, cataloging treatment, and other considerations related to the use or disposition of all gifts.
• All gifts to the Library may be used, sold, or disposed of in the best interest of the Library. Acceptance of a gift is not a commitment that the Library will permanently retain the donated item.
• The Library cannot assess the value of a donation. Appraisals of items for tax deduction purposes must be secured independently by the donor.

We are unable to accept 

• Photocopies
• Items in poor condition
• Outdated or superseded textbooks or science books
• Artifacts, art, or other non-book or archival materials not related to Carroll College

Updated 10/2021

General Practice

Semester Hours

Our hours are:
          Monday – Thursday: 7:45am – 10:00pm
          Friday: 7:45am – 4:30pm
          Saturday: 12:00pm – 4:00pm
          Sunday: 12:00pm – 8:00pm
Exceptions:

• We are closed on Saturday and Sunday for the first two weeks of the semester.
• We are closed for Monday and Campus holidays.

Finals Week Hours

When we are fully staffed, finals weekday hours are typically extended to 7:45am to midnight during finals week. 

Hours during Breaks

During breaks, our hours are: Monday - Friday: 8:00am – 4:30pm

Procedures for Setting and Approving Hours

• The Library Director, with input from the Library staff, drafts hours for the semester and breaks.
• The Associate Vice President of Academic Affairs approves the hours.

Procedures for Posting and Announcing Hours

Notify the following individuals or offices of hours and changes to hours:

• Facilities (Dan Byrd) – Facilities will set the card-swipe access
• Security (Jay Nelson)
• Securitas – It is helpful for them to know our hours
• Students - complete an Event and Advertisement Form Request for a TV slide, and that the hours be included in campus-wide email announcements and in the Campus Life app in Okta.
• Faculty - via email

Hours and Building Usage

Classes cannot be held in Library classrooms when the Library is closed. 

Updated 04/24/2025

All current students, faculty, and staff of Carroll College may use ILL services for free. Interlibrary loan services are not available to non-Carroll users. Please contact your local public library for interlibrary loan assistance.

What can I request through ILL?

Books, articles, dissertations, and book chapters are the most commonly requested items. Many libraries do not lend audiovisual materials, rare books, reference books, archival materials, or textbooks. We will, however, do our best to fulfill your request. Please note that we generally do not request the following items via ILL:

• Items available in full text in our databases
• Materials not related to research, such as textbook sor pleasure-reading materials.

Copyright Restrictions

The Copyright Law of the United States (Title17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material.

Fees and Fines

Most ILL materials are free. Occasionally, lending libraries charge additional fees. In these cases, Corette Library may ask you to absorb part of the cost. Corette Library will never accept charges on your behalf without your prior agreement.

Fees

• Overdue ILL materials: $1.00 per item per day.
• Handling fee (up to $10.00 per item): This applies to items that are requested, but not picked up.
• Lost or damaged items: We will charge you whatever the lending library deems appropriate, in addition to any fines you have accrued for the item. Fees are dependent upon the lending institution—some libraries charge flat rates, some charge replacement costs and processing fees.
• You may be charged any fees related to damages (including, but not limited to: writing, page folds/tears, highlighting, water damage, etc.). 

Fines for returned items totaling over $5.00 will be sent to the Business Office at the end of each semester. If your fines for returned items total under $10.00 at the end of the academic year, they will be forgiven. We cannot forgive fines for items that have not been returned.

Help

Email questions about interlibrary loan to ill@carroll.edu

Updated February 2026