william pitcher college Library Service

william pitcher college Library Service

OPENING HOURS

Monday – Thursday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m

2:00 p.m. – 4:00 p.m

7:00 p.m. – 10:00 p.m

Friday 9:00 a.m. – 1:00 p.m.

MEMBERSHIP

Books in the service are for both Lecturers and students. They are all welcome to be members in the Library. There is no membership fee. Only registered members may borrow out for a period of 14 days but every one is free to read books in the library. The Library is yours and all the books are for you to use according to your capability.

HOW TO BE A MEMBER

There are application cards in the library which are issued to intending members. After filling the card it is returned to the library for registration. Then the reader is issued with three tickets, two normal loan cards and one short loan card. The reader may keep his/her tickets when he has no library books in his or her possession. If these are lost the library must be notified as soon as possible.

BORROWING TICKETS

On registration, students are issued with 3 (three) tickets, two normal loan cards and one short loan card and a library identification card which bears his or her passport size photograph. Lecturers and staff are issued with 2 (two) tickets. Borrower’s tickets are the property of the library and are returnable on termination of membership. The reader may keep her tickets when he or she has no library book on his possession. When a member loses his or her tickets she should report such lost to the library staff without delay. Borrowers shall be required to pay the replacement cost of the tickets.

HOW TO CHECK OUT BOOKS

The reader goes to the shelves and picks books for his or her choice (must not be more than the number of given tickets, but may be less). He takes the books to the issue desk and produces his tickets.

The books are stamped with the date of return. The book cards are transferred from the books to the reader’s tickets and the reader goes away leaving his or her ticket in the Library.

When he brings the book(s) back, his tickets are returned to him meaning that the books have been received.

NB. All items borrowed by reader remain his or her responsibility until they have been returned or recorded as no longer a loan. It is for this reason that readers should not lend their library tickets or transfer tickets or items borrowed from the library.

LOAN PERIOD

Loan period is divided into two categories:

  • Normal Loan: Books are lent for two weeks (14 days) and they should be returned before or on the date stamped on the date label. Readers are normally fined for keeping books longer than two weeks. The loan period can however be extended or renewed for another two weeks if the book(s) has or have not been reserved by another reader.
  • Short Loan: Books in demand which are kept in the reserve section are lent to readers for one (1) hour. Overnight loans can be arranged with the Librarian.

PENALTIES

Library material has to be returned on time to avoid fines. It is 10 cents a day. If the reader misplaces or loses an item he will be requested to pay for it. For a lost book the reader will be charged E50.00 (for non fiction) and E30.00 (for fiction).

BOOK STOCK

The library keeps a wide range of books which are relevant to the needs of both lecturers and students. If there are books the library does not have for you, please do inform the staff of your needs. The library keeps a suggestion box at the issue desk; feel free to make any suggestions pertaining to either books or any other service offered in the library. The library offers a collection of both fiction and non fiction books. Most of the books in the library can be checked out. The books have a section of their own and thy normally occupy the largest area of the shelving space. Books for lending have the date label pasted inside. The date label stamp is stamped with the date of return every time the book is borrowed.

REFERENCE

A variety of reference books are available to meet reader’s information needs. This is a collection of books, which must be used inside the library only. It consists of books written mainly for consultation for precise information. The collection includes dictionaries, encyclopedias, periodicals, students’ textbooks, atlases and Research projects.

RESERVATION

If a reader wants to borrow a book, which is already on loan, or just not available at the time it is needed, the library may be requested to put it aside for him or her when it is available.

INTERLIBRARLY LOANS

Sources that are not available in our collection are requested through interlarding and items are made available to users in this way. For this reason the William Pitcher College Library is now affiliated to the University of Swaziland and the Nazarene Nursing College Libraries. Students can loan out some books from the above institutions thorough the local library.

PHOTOCOPY SERVICE

The Library also provides on request photocopy upon payments of prescribed fee photocopies are made at a cost of 20 cents A4 and 30 cents A3 papers.

SECURITY

At the entrance, space is provided for bags and any other smaller items. Readers are advised not to leave valuable items (such as wallets, money, watches etc). The library will not be responsible for any lost items. When leaving the library, readers are requested to render whatever they are carrying to be checked by library staff, to ensure that books are not taken out illegally. Library members should ensure that they borrow only those books, which are in good condition for they will be held responsible for books found damaged on return.

ARRANGEMENT OF BOOKS ON THE SHELVES

The library Books Stock is divided into two main categories. One category is for storybooks referred to as ‘fiction’ or novels. The other category is for subject books referred to as ‘non-fiction’. Fiction or novels are arranged alphabetically by the last surnames of authors and then by titles. Subject books are arranged in classes according to subjects. The books are arranged by Dewey Decimal Classification Scheme. The classification number is marked on the spine of each book. For example;

200 Religion

210 Natural Theology

220 Bible

230 Christian Social Theory

240 Christian Moral and Devotional Theology

250 Christian Orders and Local Choral

The number represents the subject of the book and it is used for locating the book on the shelf. Books on the same subject share same class number and are shelved together. Within each class books are arranged alphabetically by authors and titles.

THE CATALOGUE

i) A catalogue is simply a list of, and index to collection or collections of books and or materials. It enables the user to discover what material is present in the collection and where this material may be found. It will help the user to find the books he or she wants if he or she knows its author or subject of the book or its title. The catalogue is in the form of cards, which are filed in cabinets. The catalogue is searchable by the title, author, subject and class number.

ii) CLASSIFIED CATALOGUE

Consists of cards arranged numerically according to the book’s classification numbers. The arrangement of these cards is the same as the arrangement of the non-fiction books on the shelves. Therefore, the combination of the class number and the first three letters of the author’s surname is the exact location of the book on the shelf.

In this catalogue the cards for the books dealing with the same subject are filed together. The catalogue will show readers all the books the library has on a particular subject.

EXAMPLE OF THE CATALOGUE

Author card

372.83 Savin, Phillip A

Exploring at home, Amershan: Hilton

Education publication Ltd

1972

127P,ill,Index

Social-Study and teaching (Elementary)

Title Card

371.83 Exploring at home

SAU Sauvains, Phillip A

2C

Classified

327.83 Sauvain, Phillip A

Exploring at home, Amershan: Hilton

Education Publication Ltd.

1972

127: ill; index
Social – Study and teaching (Elementary)