Begley Library's role is fundamental to the educational mission of Schenectady County Community College. Primary to this role is the development, maintenance, and preservation of collections in varied formats representing diverse perspectives. Of vital importance is the provision of on- and off-campus access to resources and services in support of the educational objectives and research needs of College and community members. Through their work in developing critical thinking skills and information literacy, Begley Library faculty are committed to creating a stimulating environment conducive to independent thinking and life-long learning. The Library creatively responds with thoughtful study and consideration to emerging information technologies in order to provide high quality services to the College and community.

In order to check out books, DVDs, CDs, and other materials, you must show your current SCCC ID card at the front desk. You must be an enrolled student, faculty or staff member of SCCC, or have a Direct Access Program (DAP) card from your local library, in order to check out materials.

Students can borrow:  

• Books: up to 15 for a period of 4 weeks. After the 4 weeks have passed books can be renewed ONCE for 2 additional weeks if needed.
• DVDs: up to 3 for a period of 5 days.
• Other Media Items (VHS, CDs, etc): up to 10 for a period of 1 week.

• The library will send an overdue notice as a courtesy, but patrons are responsible for returning materials by the due date whether or not they receive a written notice.
• When materials are overdue, further borrowing privileges will be suspended.
• When materials are lost or damaged, a replacement cost plus a processing fee will be charged. Grades and transcripts will be withheld and registration for future classes will be blocked until the replacement and processing fees are paid.

Headphones can be borrowed for 3 hours at a time and CANNOT leave the library. Reserve materials (textbooks and others) can be used for either 2 hours or 4 hours within the library, and some are designated as overnight or weekly reserves, which may be checked out for the assigned period of time.

Removal of books and other materials from the College library through other than use of the normal checkout procedure is a violation of the Student Code of Conduct and will be reported to campus security (SCCC Student Code, sec. B.12).

Interlibrary loan is available to currently-enrolled students, faculty and staff at SCCC. Begley Library does not interlibrary loan textbooks.

The circulating collection is the largest and most comprehensive in the Library. It is composed of monographs which are available for circulation to students, faculty, staff, qualified community members and interlibrary loan. The subject scope of the collection reflects the curriculum and other needs of the institution. It is as comprehensive as funding allows.

Media materials are acquired to support the curriculum of the institution. Additional factors taken into account are the technical quality of the production, currency of the materials, and cost-effectiveness. Materials not used expressly in the classroom are available for circulation and interlibrary loan.

Online collections are selected as a result of collaboration among librarians with input, when relevant, from teaching faculty.  Selections may also be influenced by available consortial arrangements.  Selection criteria include usefulness for students, faculty and staff for course work and research; cost; technological capabilities and support; and amount of access provided to the campus.  Other guidelines for selection of online collections include authority and scope, comprehensiveness, interface and availability of instructional guidelines. Current online collections include subscription databases, ebooks, ejournals and ereference collections.  As new technologies emerge, they will be evaluated for inclusion.

Since periodical publications represent a continuing expense, titles are added selectively. They are evaluated according to scope, depth, relevance to the curriculum, current or expected demand, price, and availability of titles in electronic databases and other online formats.  Print backfiles are kept for varying lengths of time depending on the demand for and usefulness of back issues of each title.

Reference resources, both print and electronic, are collected to serve the needs of students, faculty and staff. The subject scope of the collection reflects the curriculum and other needs of the institution.  Selection criteria for the reference collection include authority, academic level, scope, cost and format.

The Library maintains a small archival area where the special collections are housed. Materials related to the founding of the College and to the two historic buildings on the campus, Elston Hall (the former Hotel Van Curler) and the Center for Science and Technology (previously a General Electric facility and the site of early television broadcasts) are collected. These include correspondence and other documents as well as blueprints, photographs, negatives and newspaper clippings. Items such as the College's catalogs, student handbooks, yearbooks, and commencement and honors convocation programs are collected routinely along with other documents deemed to be relevant to the history of the institution.

In general, only one copy of any item is purchased. Duplicate materials received as gifts are added to the collection if warranted.

Gift items are accepted at the discretion of Begley staff. Materials are evaluated before being added to the collection. The Library reserves the right to dispose of gifts. Gifts are added to the collection based on the same criteria used for those that are purchased. A letter of acknowledgment will be sent to the donor, but no value appraisal will be made by the Library.

The collection is reviewed on an ongoing basis. Resources are evaluated according to their content, authority, scope, currency, condition, patron use, applicability to the curriculum and importance to the overall collection. As new editions are received, older ones are removed unless retention is warranted.

Begley Library supports the American Library Association's Library Bill of Rights.  In the development of the library's collection, librarians attempt to purchase materials and provide access to information which represent differing views. Censorship will not be exercised because of point of view or manner of expression.

• Library computers, scanners and printers are designated for academic use by currently enrolled SCCC students.
• Limited computer access is available to members of the public for academic use only between 2:00-4:00pm. However, priority is given to SCCC students and community members will be asked to sign off if there are not enough computers available for student use.

Library computers may only be used to complete academic work, or work related to your enrollment as a student (registering for classes, filling out financial aid forms, etc). Computers may NOT be used for personal business or recreational use.

Displaying sexually explicit images or objects on computers is prohibited by College policy. Library users who violate the College’s sexual harassment policy will be asked to leave and may lose computer privileges.

Printing is currently free in Begley Library. Print jobs must be related to academic work. All print jobs must be double-sided. The printers automatically cancel any jobs over 14 pages, or jobs with multiple copies. If you have a larger job or need multiple copies, please ask for assistance at the front desk. We do not offer color printing, please go to the college bookstore for color prints.

Begley Library has two scanners attached to the top of the printers. Students may scan documents by following the instructions on the top of the printers or asking at the front desk for assistance. You must send documents to an SCCC email address or save them on a flash drive.

Black and white copiers are available through the FSA and cost 25 cents a page.

Please turn your ringer to off or vibrate while in the library, and make or take your calls outside the library.

In order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to academic work, children are only permitted in the library for short visits, such as when an accompanying adult is returning a book. Children are not permitted for longer visits, such as when an accompanying adult is doing research, writing a paper or studying. For their own safety, children may not be left unattended in any area of the College, including the library. Campus security will be called and parents will be asked to accompany their children off campus under these circumstances. (Child Safety Procedures, Policies and Procedures section of the SCCC Student Handbook.)

Priority is given to groups, not individuals. Individuals may be asked by library staff to yield the space to a group. Reservations are not available. Neither groups nor individuals should plan on availability on demand, on a regular schedule, or for an unlimited time on any day.

Only re-closable beverages and small wrapped snacks (energy bars, for example) are allowed on the Library’s 1st and 2nd floors. Please dispose of any trash and recycling properly.

Library computers close 15 minutes before the library closes. Patrons must log off of computers at this time. Patrons who do not comply with this policy will be asked to show ID, and will be reported to campus security. Failure to comply with this policy may also result in loss of computer privileges.