Connect Wirelessly to the Catawba Network
Please see the Help Desk to receive a Wi-Fi username and password.  You will not be registered as a Community Borrower, so you will not receive a library card or need to provide an I.D., but you will need to sign in to the Community User notebook, agreeing to our computer usage policy (see below).  Once you have signed in the notebook, and received a username and password from the desk, you can connect to the Catawba network.  Once prompted, enter the username and password you received at the desk.  On following visits, again, just sign in the Community User notebook and ask for a NEW username and password at the Help Desk.

Internet Usage Policy

All users must agree to and abide by the Catawba College Information Technology Acceptable Usage Policy

Users under the age of 16 must be accompanied by an adult who will assume full responsibility for determining appropriate Internet usage.

Internet access may not be used for any commercial purposes or for transmitting or receiving gambling information.

Sending or displaying fraudulent, harassing, obscene, profane, intimidating, unlawful, or disruptive messages/files/images is prohibited.

Copyright laws apply to materials obtained via the Internet.

The library reserves the right to modify this policy at any time.

Computer Use
Computer use is limited to community users who need access to government documents online. Please see a staff member for assistance.

Cell Phone Policy
If you need to take a phone call while in the library, please be mindful of other patrons and keep your call brief.  If you need to carry on an extended conversation, we ask that you step outside of the library to finish your call.

Copying/Scanning/Printing
Community users are not permitted to scan, copy, or print documents. Please visit the Rowan County Public Library for these services.

Checkout Items
If there’s something in particular you’d like to find, you can search our catalog for the availability and location of the item before arriving. However, our Help Desk staff members are available to help with catalog searches, and locating an item. Once you’ve found the item(s) you want, bring it to the Help Desk with your Pleiades card (you must register as a Community Borrower to receive this card), and a staff member will check the item(s) out to you. All circulating books have 30-day checkout periods, and Popular Reading books have 21-day checkout periods. Alternatively, if you’d like to check out headphones while you are in the library, bring your library card to the desk, and a staff member will checkout headphones for a two-hour period. Please note that the following items are not available for Community Borrower checkouts: DVDs, laptops, Omni Chargers, reserve items, Graphic novels/comics, XBox controllers, Reference books, periodicals, Government Documents, microfiche/microfilm, or archival materials.

Return Items
If the library is open to the public, bring your items to a staff member at the Help Desk. If the library is closed, an outdoor book drop is located at the library entrance to your left, right before you enter the library. A staff member will retrieve the items when the library reopens.

Renew an Item
You can ask for a renewal in-person or over the phone. We do allow one renewal per Circulating item checkout (Popular Reading items cannot be renewed), but the item must be returned by the renewal due date. If you’d like to check the item out again, please allow 48 hours before checking out the item again. Please note that if a Catawba-affiliated patron requests this item, it may be recalled (requested for immediate return) for their use.

Fines and Fees
Each day an item is overdue is a charge of $0.10.  If an item is not returned within 90 days of the due date, the patron is charged a minimum of $25.00 for the replacement cost, a non-refundable $25.00 processing fee, and any accrued overdue fines.  If the item is returned within six months of the due date, the replacement fee will be refunded, but all other charges remain.  If an item is returned six months after the due date, the patron is responsible for all charges.  Please note that we can only accept cash.
If your record holds a fine/fee of $5.00 or more, your borrowing privileges are suspended until the fine is cleared at the Help Desk. Additionally, borrowing privileges may also be suspended for lost and/or overdue items.

Campus visitors may use any space (excluding the I.C.E. Box Classroom/Archives and Digital Learning Lab) in the library that has not been reserved or restricted, but priority is given to Catawba-affiliated patrons, so please leave study rooms open for students during the academic year.

Professional tutoring is not allowed in any area of the library.

Final Exams

During the academic year (Monday through Friday, 7 a.m. – 4 p.m.), all visitors are required to obtain a parking pass from the Help Desk. Without a parking pass, you may be ticketed by campus Public Safety.  However, anyone parking in a handicap parking space does not need a parking pass.

The library is committed to providing public access to government information in all available formats during our daytime operating hours. Electronic versions of Federal Documents are accessible via specific government websites. The library provides public access to those documents via workstations located near the Help Desk on the main floor (please ask a staff member for assistantce). Physical documents are located in the basement of the library and are cataloged using the SUDOC (Superintendent of Documents) classification system. These documents are not available for checkout, but ask a staff member for assistance finding them online, or printing out a copy for you.

The Library welcomes any amount of monetary donations. If you would like to make a monetary donation, you can now donate online. (Be sure to select "Friends of the Library" from the drop-down list below Gift Designation).

The establishment of endowments for the purchase of library materials is encouraged. Donors may specify subject areas in which materials are to be collected. The minimum gift to establish an endowment is $1,000. The Development Office and Finance Office will handle all endowment monies for the Library.

With these considerations in mind, the following guidelines shall govern the acceptance of gifts:

• 1.  The Library retains unconditional ownership of the gift.
• 2.  The Library reserves the right to determine the housing and circulation policies of all gifts accepted for addition to the collection as well as the right to discard, sell, or exchange gifts which do not meet selection criteria outlined in the Selection Policy.
• 3.  In accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations, it is the responsibility of the donor to set a value for his/her gift and to make a list of items included in his/her gift. As a special courtesy, the Library will assist the donor in establishing the value of his/her gift by providing access to bibliographic sources of auction price information and/or recommending professional appraisers.
• 4.  The acceptance of a gift appraised by a third party does not in any way imply an endorsement of the appraisal by the Library.
• 5.  The Library will provide bookplates or other indications for special gifts or memorials if desired by the donor.
• 6.  The Library will write a letter to the donor expressing thanks for the gift. This letter will serve as a receipt.