Frequently Asked Questions

1. What are your hours?
2. What collections and services do you have available?
3. Who may use the Library and LRC?
4. How do I obtain a library card, and what services does my card make available?
5. What materials may I borrow and for how long?
6. What if I want to keep something past its due date?
7. What if I keep something past its due date without renewing it?
8. May I request library materials from the other campus?
9. How do I make copies of articles or other information?
10. How can I obtain materials from other libraries?
11. What electronic databases do you offer?
12. Can I research these databases from home?
13. May I print articles or other information from the computers?
14. What are your policies on computer use?
15. How do I obtain materials that my teacher has placed on reserve?
16. How can I view videos or listen to audiocassettes in the library or LRC?
17. May I work with a small group of classmates in the Library or LRC?
18. May I donate books to the Library or LRC?
19. What other Library and LRC policies should I be aware of?

1. What are your hours?
Click Hours to find regular hours for the Library and LRC.
Hours are subject to change for holidays, breaks, and summer sessions; call 267-341-3315 for current NEP Library hours and 267-341-4010 for current Newtown LRC hours.

2. What collections and services do you have available?
The Northeast campus Library has a collection of over 100,000 volumes serving every academic area of the University, over 850 journal and newspaper subscriptions (not counting those available electronically), thousands of videos and microfilms, and a Curriculum Library containing thousands of volumes of K-12 curriculum materials and juvenile literature.

The Newtown LRC has a collection of reference volumes serving all academic programs in the University as well as journals, books, and videos in the areas of Education, Nursing, Counseling Psychology, Human Resources, and Computer Science. A growing Curriculum Library offers K-12 curriculum materials as well as children's literature.

Our online "Family Cat" library catalog, available via the World Wide Web, lists all titles at both the Library and LRC for books, reference books, videos, audiocassettes, curriculum materials and kits, and children's literature. Titles and holdings for all journal subscriptions are also listed in the Family Cat.

The Library and LRC share access to several electronic research databases in which journal articles and other information can be found on nearly every academic subject. Several of these databases are also searchable from any off-campus Internet access. For more information, see here

These research databases as well as Internet access are provided at a number of PCs located in the Library and LRC. See "What are your policies on computer use?" below.

The Library and LRC offer reference services to library users in need of assistance, whether searching for a particular title or planning research strategies for a complicated project. The Library and LRC also offer intercampus and interlibrary loan, giving our students access to printed material from around the world. See "How can I obtain materials from other libraries?" below.

3. Who may use the Library and LRC?
Anyone may come in and use the print resources of the Northeast campus Library and Newtown Learning Resource Center (LRC) in-house. However, to check out materials or use our computers you must be a member of the Holy Family University community (student, faculty, staff, or alumnus with a current Alumni Association card).

In addition, we have special membership categories for "Friends of the Library," students or staff of TCLC and SEPCHE schools, and students of Nazareth Academy; see "How do I obtain a library card, and what services are available?" below.

4. How do I obtain a library card, and what services does my card make available?
For all current members of the Holy Family University community, the photo ID issued by the University serves as your library card. You will need your ID to borrow or renew materials; you may also be asked to show your ID when using our computers, obtaining interlibrary loan services, or getting current passwords for our databases.

Alumni of Holy Family University will need a current Alumni Association card to use library services. Ask the Alumni Office (215-637-7700 x3339) for information about the Alumni Card. Bring your card to the Library or LRC to get a library card. Alumni may use their library card to borrow materials and obtain the password to our databases, but interlibrary loan services will not be given. Computers will be available for use when not needed by current students.

Current students, faculty, and staff of the other seven institutions belonging to the Southeastern Pennsylvania Consortium for Higher Education, or SEPCHE (Arcadia, Cabrini, Chestnut Hill, Gwynedd-Mercy, Holy Family, Immaculata, Neumann, and Rosemont), may use Holy Family University's Library and LRC as if they were Holy Family students and staff. A SEPCHE member may obtain a Holy Family library card by showing their ID at the Circulation Desk of the Library or LRC. SEPCHE members may use their Holy Family library card to borrow materials, use our computers, and obtain passwords for home use of our databases, though interlibrary loan services will not be given

Students, faculty, and staff of other institutions whose libraries are part of the Tri-State College Library Cooperative (TCLC) will need a letter from their library to borrow materials from Holy Family's Library and LRC. Bring the letter along with your home institution's ID to the Library or LRC to obtain a library card. See http://www.tclclibs.org/members.htm for a list of TCLC member institutions. TCLC members may use their Holy Family library cards to borrow materials, but use of our computers may be restricted. Passwords to databases and interlibrary loan services will not be given.

Students of Nazareth Academy may borrow materials from the Library or LRC by bringing a permission slip from the Nazareth librarian. Interlibrary loan, use of the computers, and passwords to our databases are not available to Nazareth students.

If you fit none of the above categories but wish to borrow materials from the Library or LRC, you may purchase a "Friends of the Library" card for $100 per year. With this card you may borrow materials, obtain current database passwords, and use our computers when not needed by students. Interlibrary loan service will not be given.

5. What materials may I borrow and for how long?
Circulating materials include books, videocassettes, audiocassettes, curriculum kits, K-12 textbooks, and other K-12 curriculum materials. Reference materials and journals are not available for circulation. Videos and curriculum kits go out for 1 week; all other materials go out for 3 weeks.

You must have your University ID or library card to borrow materials. Materials may be returned to either campus.

6. What if I want to keep something past its due date?
All borrowed materials (except Leisure Collection movies) may be renewed as long as nobody else has requested them. To renew materials, call the library or LRC or stop by in person and ask to have your checkouts renewed, or log in to your account online and renew them yourself. You do not need to have your borrowed materials with you to renew them.

Videos, non-Leisure DVDs, and curriculum kits will be renewed for an additional week; all other materials, for an additional 3 weeks. Materials may be returned to either campus.

7. What if I keep something past its due date without renewing it?
Overdue fees are 10 cents per day for books and $1.00 per day for videos, DVDs, and curriculum kits. If an item is lost, the total fee will include the cost to replace the item plus a processing cost.

If materials are overdue, they can still be renewed; in that case overdue fines will be calculated only up to the date of the renewal.

Materials may be returned to either campus. If fines remain unpaid and/or materials are not returned, the matter may be referred to the University's Business Office.

8. May I request library materials from the other campus?
You may have circulating materials sent from one campus to the other. Materials borrowed from the Library or LRC may be returned at either location. Non-circulating materials must be used in-house, although for 10 cents per page we will copy journal articles at one campus and send them to the other.

For the specific procedures, see "Intercampus Loan" under "How can I obtain materials from other libraries?" below.

Submit an Intercampus Loan request using our online form.

9. How do I make copies of articles or other information?
Copiers are located on the main floor and the lower level of the Library, and by the Circulation Desk in the LRC. Copies are 10 cents per page. The copiers in the NEP Library do not accept bills, so be sure to bring change (we can make change for you if necessary).

10. How can I obtain materials from other libraries?
Intercampus Loan: You may borrow any circulating materials owned by either the Library or LRC. If you wish to have library materials sent from one campus to the other, please fill out the Intercampus Loan form available at the Library or LRC. We charge 10 cents per page for photocopies of journal articles. Materials take 1 to 2 days to travel between campuses.

Interlibrary Loan: Books and journal articles not available from either the Northeast campus Library or the Newtown LRC may be obtained via Interlibrary Loan. Forms are available at the Library or LRC. The fee, which helps to partially offset the costs of lending library fees as well as processing and delivery, is one dollar per request. About two weeks should be allowed from the time requests are placed until materials will be available. We will call you when your materials arrive.

Videotapes, DVDs, and entire issues of journals are generally not available from other libraries. If desired, our staff can help identify other area libraries that own a desired book or journal.

Materials may be returned to either campus. Please call extension 3584 (Northeast campus) or extension 4010 (Newtown campus) for further information on Interlibrary and Intercampus Loan.

Submit an Intercampus or Interlibrary Loan request using our online form.

11. What electronic databases do you offer?
The Library and LRC subscribe to a number of Internet-accessible research databases. Please see here for the current list of databases.

12. Can I research these databases from home?
Several of our databases are available through Internet connections off campus as well as in the Library and LRC. Please see here for the current list of databases; those available off campus are marked as such under the database description.

Usernames and passwords are required for off-campus access. The username for all databases will remain holyfamily; the password (which is the same for all databases) will change at the beginning of the fall and spring semesters and is available from Library or LRC staff. You will need to show an ID or current alumni card to obtain the password.

13. May I print articles or other information from the computers?
You may print single copies of articles or other information retrieved from our computers at no charge. Due to the high cost of laser printouts, multiple copies should not be printed out but rather made on a copier. We also encourage you to download articles to a 3.5" diskette or e-mail articles to your e-mail address when possible. Diskettes are available from the Circulation Desk of the Library or LRC for $1.00 each.

14. What are your policies on computer use?
Computers in the Library and LRC are intended primarily for research, so when others are waiting to use a computer, please refrain from accessing e-mail, surfing the Web for entertainment, or writing papers on the PC. The computer labs are available for these purposes.

Current students, staff, and faculty of Holy Family University will receive the highest priority during times of heavy computer demand. Alumni with current Alumni Association cards, SEPCHE or TCLC users, and Friends of the Library may also use our computers, but may have to wait if demand is heavy.

During times of high demand, computer users may be asked to limit their time on the computer to 45 minutes.

Computer users may not add programs (including any form of Instant Messenger), change the desktop display, or save their personal work on permanent drives. Users may save information to personal diskettes, which should first be scanned for viruses. Diskettes are available at the Circulation Desk of the Library and LRC for $1.00 each.

Users may print a single copy of an article, paper, or online information at no charge. Multiple copies should be made using a copier. We also encourage users to save information or articles to a diskette or e-mail them to an e-mail address.

According to University policy, please refrain from displaying text or pictures that may be offensive to others.

15. How do I obtain materials that my teacher has placed on reserve?
Reserve materials for specific classes are kept behind the Circulation Desk in the Library and LRC. Bring your University ID to the desk and ask for the items you need. We need to know the name of your class and/or your teacher's name to find it quickly for you. Reserve materials are usually only for in-house use, though some can be checked out overnight.

16. How can I view videos or listen to audiocassettes in the library or LRC?
The upper floor of the NEP Library has a Preview Room equipped with VCR/TV sets and headphones as well as tape players with headphones. In the LRC, VCR/TVs and tape players with headphones are housed in the corner carrels by the Circulation Desk.

Please note: the Audio-Visual Services department is no longer under the administration of the Library on the Northeast campus. Call extension 3344 (Northeast campus) or extension 4051 (Newtown campus) for further information on other audiovisual services.

17. May I work with a small group of classmates in the Library or LRC?
Groups are welcome to work together quietly in the Library or LRC. The lower level of the NEP Library is a designated Quiet Study Area (except for the Curriculum Library space), so we ask groups in the library to work on the main floor or upper floor. The NEP Library also has a small meeting room on the second floor that seats up to 12 people; call extension 3315 a week ahead of time to reserve the room.

18. May I donate books to the Library or LRC?
Occasionally people wish to contribute used books, journals, or other materials to the Library or LRC. We are glad to accept such materials on the understanding that their disposition is determined by the Library and LRC staff. Current materials that are in good condition, meet our collection parameters, and are not already duplicated in our collections, will be added to the Library or LRC. Other materials may be sold in the Library's used book sale, or may be discarded if in poor condition.

Donors will receive a thank-you letter that will specify the number of hardback books and paperback books donated, as well as the total number of any other items given (e.g., videos or journal issues). We do not list items by title or give any kind of assessment for tax purposes, since we are not qualified to conduct appraisals.

New books are also welcome as donations, particularly when dedicated as memorials or in honor of some individual or group. We do prefer to consult with the donor before a book is purchased, to make sure the proposed donation will fit the parameters of our collection. Anyone wishing to make a dedicated donation is encouraged to contact the Director of Library Services at 267-341-3315.

19. What other Library and LRC policies should I be aware of?
Please enjoy food and beverages outside the Library and LRC. Tobacco use is not permitted indoors anywhere on campus.


Thank you for your interest in Holy Family University Library Services. If you have further questions, please call 267-341-3315 (NEP Library) or 267-341-4010 (Newtown LRC).