Our Mission
Belmont Libraries are an essential partner in the University’s mission to engage and transform the world. We will be a catalyst for the discovery, creation, and dissemination of knowledge by supporting Belmont community members:
- As individuals
- By creating welcoming, inclusive, and secure environments for study, research, and collaboration that foster intellectual freedom and the open exchange of ideas.
- As scholars
- By providing stewardship of digital, print, archival, human, and other resources paired with expertise that empowers research, teaching, and interaction with a complex information ecosystem.
- As inquirers
- By cultivating connections, fostering a spirit of curiosity and exploration, and encouraging the campus community to continuously seek knowledge.
- As agents of hope
- By empowering the campus community to leverage information skills as tools for advocacy, activism, and community engagement, driving meaningful change in local and global contexts.
Our Vision
Our vision is to redefine the landscape of learning, to break down barriers between disciplines, and to empower generations of lifelong learners to engage with the world thoughtfully, critically, and compassionately. We envision a dynamic hub that seamlessly integrates traditional scholarship with emerging digital frontiers and interactive learning environments.
Our Policies
The following are some key Bunch library policies regarding library use and collection access. For policies regarding selection and management of materials, see the Collection Development Policy below.
These policies are licensed under a Creative Commons Attribution-NonCommercial-ShareAlike 4.0 International License.
In order to borrow materials from the library, Alumni must go to the Office of Campus Security and get an Alumni ID card.
Alumni may use the library's computers to access Belmont's online resources or for general internet use. Check in at the Research Services Desk for access to the computers. By using a computer on Belmont's campus, users agree to the University's Internet Use Policy. Users who violate this policy will be asked to leave.
For information about other Alumni benefits, see Alumni Benefits on the Belmont Alumni homepage.
Circulation services end at 11pm Sunday - Thursday during extended hours.
| Faculty/Staff | Graduate | Undergraduate | Alumni | |
|---|---|---|---|---|
| Books | 1 semester | 1 semester | 28 days | 28 days |
| CDs & DVDs | 4 weeks | 2 weeks; $1/day overdue fine |
1 week; $1/day overdue fine |
in-house use only; 50¢/hour overdue fine |
| Pop Reading Collection | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 2 weeks | 2 weeks |
Reference materials, VHS tapes and records are for in-house use only.
Lost Item Replacement Fee: When an item is declared lost by the library, the responsible borrower pays the replacement cost for the item. In generating replacement fees, the library's system assesses a default value for each type of material, which does not necessarily reflect its replacement price. For example, if a single unit (CD, DVD, etc) from a larger set is lost, the patron is responsible for the replacement cost of the entire set, unless he/she is successful in obtaining an exact match for the lost item. This must be agreed upon by the borrower and the librarian.
If accompanying booklets for media are lost, they are billed the full cost of replacement for the main item, even if the item is returned. Publishers generally will not supply this material separately.
Fines and fees may be paid by cash or check at the main circulation desk.
If a student fails to resolve library fines or fees that exceed $5.00, a library hold will be placed and circulating privileges will be suspended. Library holds limit students' ability to register for classes or graduate.
Faculty and Staff are exempt from paying overdue fines, but are responsible for lost item replacement and processing fees.
Requesting Items
Faculty can place holds online for for up to 5 physical items in the library (books, scores, media). If an item is available on the shelf, please allow 24-hours for us to process your request. You will receive an email when your items are available. Holds will be kept at the main circulation desk (1st floor) for 3 days, and after 3 days the item will be reshelved. If you have any questions, please email circulation@belmont.edu.
Bring a snack to the library! You can enjoy your food and drink in the atrium areas on the first through third floors. You can also purchase a snack at the cafe (located in the first floor lobby) or the vending machines (in the second floor atrium).
If you go to another area of the library, please keep your drink in a tightly covered container.
Guest with no Belmont affiliation may not check out items from the library. Guests may use the library's computers to access Belmont's online resources or for general internet use. Guest access to the computers is limited to 90 minutes of use for every 24 hour period. Please see the Research Services desk for computer access. By using a computer on Belmont's campus, users agree to the University's Internet Use Policy. Users who violate this policy will be asked to leave. Guests may print from the computers and use the photocopiers.
The Library's circulating and reference collections are open for use by all Belmont-affiliated persons and by the general public during all service hours. Loan of materials from the general collections is restricted to people with proper identification as defined in the section on Circulation. Extension of all access and use privileges depends on patrons' compliance with all library policies and procedures.
- Individuals should be prepared to show, or leave on deposit at the Circulation Desk, proper identification when requested.
- All persons, when requested, must be prepared to allow the inspection of any briefcases, knapsacks, or other items large enough to contain library materials.
- Belmont students, faculty and staff have priority in the use of library resources. Bunch Library computers may be used for scholarly and research purposes only.
- Children under 16 must be under the supervision of an adult.
- Smoking and tobacco products are not allowed.
- Eating and drinking are not allowed at any computer workstations.
- Drinks are allowed only in sealable containers.
- Only service animals will be allowed into the building.
- Users must comply with library borrowing policies.
- All users are expected to maintain a quiet atmosphere at all times in the library.
- All users are expected to leave promptly at closing times.
- The Library provides access to the Internet and all electronic databases for educational use or scholarly research (according to guidelines in the Belmont Internet Use Policy). For-profit use of these resources is prohibited. For assistance with research, inquire at the Research Services Desk.
- Bunch Library reserves the right to refuse service to users who abuse Library policies, services, or staff.
A copy of each thesis will be made available electronically via Belmont’s digital repository (https://repository.belmont.edu). Students are responsible for submitting their thesis (and any related files) to the digital repository. Details about the submission process are available on the Belmont Digital Repository website.
All theses are to be submitted via the appropriate digital repository submission form. All theses require a signed copyright distribution agreement. If a student does not want their thesis to be publicly available in the digital repository, a note to that effect will be made in the repository and the full text of the thesis will not be publicly viewable online. A digital copy of the thesis will remain stored in the repository archive.
The library will no longer provide bindery services for personal copies. A list of available businesses that provide this service is found below.
The library does not recommend or endorse any of these services in particular and simply offers this list as a source of information.
Belmont Copy Center – http://www.belmont.edu/copy-center/index.html
Thesis On Demand - https://www.thesisondemand.com/
Create My Books – https://www.createmybooks.com/US/en
Blurb – https://www.blurb.com
Lulu xPress – https://xpress.lulu.com/
Barnes & Noble – https://press.barnesandnoble.com/print-on-demand
The Book Patch – https://thebookpatch.com/printondemand
If there are questions about the thesis policies for the library, please contact Chuck Hodgin at chuck.hodgin@belmont.edu or 615-460-5444.
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