Library Policies

General Library Policies

Patrons are expected to be mindful of noise and conversations so as not to disturb the study environment of the library.  Cell phone usage is not permitted in the library.  Make sure cell phones are on silent and accept phone calls outside of the library.

Food is not permitted in the library.  Covered beverages are acceptable.

The library encompasses three levels.  The library does not have elevator access to the upper or lower levels.  Please contact the Circulation Desk for accommodations.

All services will end fifteen minutes prior to closing, including copying/printing, and check out services.

Borrowing Privileges and Policies

A Sage library card must be presented at the Circulation desk to borrow library materials. Library cards may be obtained by NBTS faculty, staff, and students.  In addition, privileges are extended to the following patrons upon presenting a valid identification:

• NBTS Alumni/ae
• Full-time faculty and graduate students of Rutgers University
• Faculty, students, and staff of schools in the Southeastern Pennsylvania Theological Library SEPTLA
• Faculty, students, and staff of schools in the New York Area Theological Library Association NYATLA
• RCA clergy
• Local clergy
• Students and employees at other RCA institutions

Please note: Sage Library’s circulating collections are generally available to Rutgers undergraduates through inter-library loan only.  Sage Library reserves the right to limit access to some materials to NBTS faculty and students.

Cards are issued for the balance of the current academic year for students and faculty.  All other patrons’ cards will be issued for six months from the date of application.

For more information contact the Circulation Desk at (732) 247-5243.

Access to the NBTS Archives 

The Archives of New Brunswick Theological Seminary serve as the institutional memory of the Seminary. They are collected to document the life and mission of the seminary and to aid in its current and future work.

In person access to the Archives requires advance approval of the Seminary Archivist. NBTS archival material may be searched by contacting the Seminary Archivist Christina Geuther (cgeuther@nbts.edu). Appointments or requests may be made by email and must be confirmed at least one business day before visiting the collection.

Archival material may not leave the premises and must be used under the direction of the Seminary Archivist during Sage Library hours. Some items or materials may be protected by copyright laws. Library-provided scanners may be used only at the discretion of the Archivist out of concern for lawful use and material preservation.  Please keep materials and their tables free of personal belongings, ink pens, and drinks; pencils, electronic devices, and cameras are permitted for personal research use.

Loan Periods and Borrowing Limits

Borrowing limits and loan periods will occur on the following schedule:

Patron Type	Book Limit	Loan Period
NBTS Faculty	unlimited	Academic Year
NBTS Doctoral Students	50	8 weeks
NBTS Master’s and Certificate Students	30	3 weeks
NBTS Staff	30	3 weeks
NBTS Alumni/ae	30	3 weeks
SEPTLA & NYATLA Members	30	3 weeks
All other visiting members	15	3 weeks

Periodicals, course reserves, rare books, reference books, and other some other materials may not be checked out.

It is the responsibility of the borrower to ensure that materials are returned on time. Failure to return and/or renew materials late will result in late fees (see below).  A night drop box is located in the front of Sage Library facing Seminary Place.

Renewals

Materials may be renewed up to two times.  Late items may not be renewed over the phone.  These items must be returned to the library first and checked out to the patron again.  Renewed items will be checked out for an additional three week period unless the item has been recalled (see below).

Recalls

After fourteen days, a patron can recall an item checked out to another patron.  Books recalled for course reserves may be recalled at any time.  Once the item is recalled, the patron will be notified of the new due date and the current borrower must return the item by the date indicated in the message. Failure to do so will result in late fees (see below).

Fine Free Library

To promote equal access of our materials, Sage Library is fine free. What does that mean? Patrons are still responsible for returning materials by the date indicated or securing a renewal. Kindly return your materials so that others waiting may borrow them. This allows equal access to the collection.
Items that are overdue for 90 days will be considered lost and must be returned before additional materials can be checked out. Borrowing privileges will be suspended until the items are returned. If the item is lost, patrons will be charged a cost up to $80.00 to replace the item. Patrons will receive updated notices of outstanding items by email. To rectify a past due account, email Sage.Library@nbts.edu.

Course Reserves

Reserve materials are available at the Circulation Desk for a three hour loan period.  All items must be checked out with a current library card and returned to the Circulation Desk.  Materials may only be used inside the library.  Items checked out within three hours of the library’s closing must be returned before closing.  A maximum of three reserve items may be checked out to a borrower at one time.

Students should be aware of which reserve materials are needed by accessing their Brightspace courses or syllabi.  Library staff do not have course syllabi available.

Visiting Other Libraries

Faculty, staff, and students of NBTS have borrowing privileges at Rutgers Libraries. In order to use these privileges contact Sage for a letter of reference and bring with you along with identification to the Rutgers Circulation Desk during circulation hours.  Please contact the Sage Circulation Desk for more information at (732) 247-5243 or request a letter by email at Sage.Library@nbts.edu

Faculty, staff, and students of NBTS may borrow materials from other SEPTLA member libraries for a period of six months.  Please see the Sage Circulation Desk for a Direct Borrowing Certification Document before visiting member libraries.  For a list of SEPTLA member institutions see https://septla.org/member-libraries

Faculty, librarians, and students of NBTS may borrow materials from other NYATLA member colleges. Contact the visiting library prior to your visit for approval.  For a list of NYATLA member institutions see http://fordham.libguides.com/NYATLA.

Computers and More

There are public access computers in the library. Work cannot be saved to the computer’s hard drive and will be deleted. Use an online document storage system like OneDrive to save your work.  Access is limited to NBTS students.  Please see the Circulation Desk for a logon passcode.

Wireless access is available for NBTS students.  Guest logons may be available for those conducting theological research.  Please see the Circulation Desk for a logon passcode.

Printing and Copying

All prints and copies are $.10 a page.  Keep track of the number of copies you are making and pay for your prints at the Circulation Desk.  Refunds cannot be accommodated for items printed in error.  Double check your work before sending to the printer.  Cash or check are accepted for prints.

Copyright

DISCLAIMER: The copyright policy as follows is merely a statement of the Library policy surrounding the guidelines for copyright law and fair usage. It is not a substitute for legal advice, nor is it a complete representation of all Federal governances surrounding copyright law. For detailed legal advice regarding these areas, contact a lawyer.

Policy

Sage Library complies with The Copyright Act 17 U.S.C.A. § 101 et seq., which covers the usage of copyrighted materials for educational purposes.

What is copyright?

Copyright is a form of protection provided by the laws of the United States to the authors of “original works of authorship” that are fixed in a tangible form of expression. An original work of authorship is a work that is independently created by a human author and possesses at least some minimal degree of creativity. See www.copyright.gov for more information.

• All works published in the United States before January 1, 1923, are in the “public domain.” The term “public domain” refers to creative materials that are not protected by intellectual property laws such as copyright, trademark, or patent laws. The public owns these works, not an individual author or artist. Anyone can use a public domain work without obtaining permission, but no one can ever own it.
• All later works should be presumed to be under copyright. The absence of a copyright notice, typically reflected by the symbol ©, does not indicate that the item is not under copyright.

What is copyright infringement?

As a general matter, copyright infringement occurs when a copyrighted work is reproduced, distributed, performed, publicly displayed, or made into a derivative work without the permission of the copyright owner.

What is fair use?

Fair use is a legal doctrine that promotes freedom of expression by permitting the unlicensed use of copyright-protected works in certain circumstances. 17 U.S.C. §107 provides the statutory framework for determining whether something is a fair use and identifies certain types of uses—such as criticism, comment, news reporting, teaching, scholarship, and research—as examples of activities that may qualify as fair use. There are four factors that are taken in totality in deciding whether or not something is fair use.

1. Purpose and character of the use, including whether the use is of a commercial nature or is for nonprofit educational purposes:Courts look at how the party claiming fair use is using the copyrighted work, and are more likely to find that nonprofit educational and noncommercial uses are fair.  This does not mean, however, that all nonprofit education and noncommercial uses are fair and all commercial uses are not fair; instead, courts will balance the purpose and character of the use against the other factors below.  Additionally, “transformative” uses are more likely to be considered fair.  Transformative uses are those that add something new, with a further purpose or different character, and do not substitute for the original use of the work.
2. Nature of the copyrighted work: This factor analyzes the degree to which the work that was used relates to copyright’s purpose of encouraging creative expression. Thus, using a more creative or imaginative work (such as a novel, movie, or song) is less likely to support a claim of a fair use than using a factual work (such as a technical article or news item). In addition, use of an unpublished work is less likely to be considered fair.
3. Amount and substantiality of the portion used in relation to the copyrighted work as a whole: Under this factor, courts look at both the quantity and quality of the copyrighted material that was used. If the use includes a large portion of the copyrighted work, fair use is less likely to be found; if the use employs only a small amount of copyrighted material, fair use is more likely. That said, some courts have found use of an entire work to be fair under certain circumstances. And in other contexts, using even a small amount of a copyrighted work was determined not to be fair because the selection was an important part—or the “heart”—of the work.
4. Effect of the use upon the potential market for or value of the copyrighted work: Here, courts review whether, and to what extent, the unlicensed use harms the existing or future market for the copyright owner’s original work. In assessing this factor, courts consider whether the use is hurting the current market for the original work (for example, by displacing sales of the original) and/or whether the use could cause substantial harm if it were to become widespread.

Reproduction of copyrighted material

Libraries and archives qualify for special provisions to copyright usage rights as governed by 17 U.S. Code § 108.  Under section (d):

The rights of reproduction and distribution under this section apply to a copy, made from the collection of a library or archives where the user makes his or her request or from that of another library or archives, of no more than one article or other contribution to a copyrighted collection or periodical issue, or to a copy or phonorecord of a small part of any other copyrighted work.

For more detailed information about scope of copyright and subject matter, see 17 U.S. Code § 108.

Copyright and Photocopying

The number of photocopied items reserved for any one course will be limited by fair-use standards. Photocopies may not be used as a substitute for the purchase of periodicals, publishers’ reprints, or books.  Nor may they be used in lieu of published anthologies and similar collections, whether the items are reserved collectively or separately.

In general, users may copy or scan two articles in one journal or one chapters in a book, constituting not more than 10% of the total work.

Unsupervised Copying in the Library

Section 108(f)(1)does not hold the library responsible for infringement committed by patrons using copiers located in the library, as long as the library displays a notice on reproduction equipment that making such copies is subject to copyright law. The notice includes the following:

The copyright law of the United States (Title 17, United States Code) governs the making of photocopies or other reproductions of copyrighted material. Copying, displaying and distributing copyrighted works, may infringe the owner’s copyright. If a user makes reproductions of copyrighted works and later uses the reproductions for purposes in excess of “fair use”, that user may be subject to the civil and criminal penalties of federal law.

Copyright and Course Reserves

• Electronic course reserves service, such as provided in Brightspace, is an extension of traditional print-based library services and will be provided in a manner that respects Fair Use rights, the rights of copyright holders, and current copyright law.
• All materials will be placed on reserve at the request of faculty only for the noncommercial, educational use of students.
• All materials placed on reserve will be reproduced from copies lawfully obtained by either the requesting faculty member or the Library.
• Only limited amounts of a copyright-protected work may be reproduced as e-reserves.  All e-reserve files produced by staff will include a notice of copyright on the first page, indicating that they may be subject to copyright restrictions.
• Reserve requests for books will be limited to the personal copies supplied by faculty members and to titles in the Library collection.  If a requested book is not available, the Library will attempt to purchase it in a timely manner. Faculty should note, however, that the purchasing process frequently takes ten weeks or more, and that the delivery of all titles is not guaranteed.  Periodicals and books obtained through interlibrary loan (ILL) may not be placed on reserve.

General Guidelines to Course Reserves

• Materials placed on reserve will be made available for students enrolled in that specific course and faculty only while the requesting instructor is actually teaching the course, and will be removed after the course is no longer in session.
• Book selections placed on electronic reserve from works under copyright will not exceed more than 1 chapter from a single work with 10 or more chapters or 10% from a work with 10 chapters or fewer. If short excerpts are taken from several chapters, the amount should be equivalent to the average chapter length of a book with 10 or more chapters or 10% from a work with 10 chapters or less.
• No more than two articles per issue of a periodical will be placed on electronic reserve. If an instructor needs more than this limit, the Library will investigate options including but not limited to obtaining the required permissions and/or licenses or assisting faculty in identifying alternative resources.
• The above limitations are cumulative over the course of the semester.
• E-reserves that are reactivated in subsequent semesters for the same course/instructor may require copyright permission. Copyright permission will be sought by staff though the Copyright Clearance Center. Materials for which copyright permission is unavailable may be removed from reserve.
• Examples of reprinted reserve materials for which copyright permission is not generally required: government publications, exams and notes furnished by the course instructor, material for which the instructor holds the copyright, a single journal or magazine article used for one semester, a single book chapter used for one semester
• Examples of reprinted reserve materials for which copyright permission is generally required:  a single journal or magazine article used for more than one semester, a single book chapter used for more than one semester, multiple articles from a single journal, multiple chapters from a single book excerpts from workbooks or other “consumable” publications.
• Please remind students enrolled in a course about the limitations of copyright, and they must not further distribute copies to others.

Copyright law as it relates to course reserves is continually being reevaluated by the courts. The Library will review subsequent legislation as it becomes available. These guidelines may be changed as case law continues to grow. Contact a lawyer or the Copyright Clearance Center for more information.

Further Information

Association of Research Libraries’ Code of Best Practices
https://www.arl.org/wp-content/uploads/2014/01/code-of-best-practices-fair-use.pdf

Columbia University’s Fair Use Checklist
https://copyright.columbia.edu/content/dam/copyright/Precedent%20Docs/fairusechecklist.pdf

 

Interlibrary Loan (ILL)

ILL can support your research for materials outside of the library collection.  This service is only available for NBTS faculty, staff, and students.  ILL borrowing is limited to four items at a time per patron.  ILL requests are not guaranteed to be fulfilled by the lending institution and turnaround time varies.  In order to place a request, call or stop by the Circulation Desk for an ILL request form, or online – click here.

Materials that generally may not be requested:

• Basic reference material
• Course reserve material
• Rare or valuable material
• Bulky or fragile items
• Newly released material
• High demand material
• Hard to replace material

Other restrictions may apply.  Contact the Circulation Desk for more information.

Access to special collections and Archives

Due to the fragile nature of items in these collections, access is restricted to appointment only. Please contact Sage circulation at 732-247-5243 or send your request via email to Sage.Library@nbts.edu

Use of items in these collections is restricted to designated reading areas only. Pens and beverages are prohibited from use. Some items may be too fragile for photocopying. Copying items may pose a danger to the item, permission from Library staff must be obtained first. Non-flash digital cameras may be acceptable with Library consent.

Privacy policy

Sage Library will not reveal personal identifiable information nor records of circulation unless prescribed by law.  All records are considered confidential in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:73-43.2.

18A:73-43.2. Confidentiality of library users’ records

Library records which contain the names or other personally identifying details regarding the users of libraries are confidential and shall not be disclosed except in the following circumstances:

1. The records are necessary for the proper operation of the library;
2. Disclosure is requested by the user; or
3. Disclosure is required pursuant to a subpena issued by a court or court order.

Credits

L.1985, c. 172, § 2, eff. May 31, 1985.

N. J. S. A. 18A:73-43.2, NJ ST 18A:73-43.2
Current with laws through L.2019, c. 86 and J.R. No. 4

Computer use records

Sage Library in accordance with the above state law will only release library records, including those related to computer and/or internet usage as required by law.  It is the Library’s policy to delete all patron use records at the end of a patron’s session.  The Library does not retrieve information from patron sessions including websites visited, passwords or any other information inputted.

Personally identifiable information

Video recordings inside and outside of Sage Library are intended for viewing only as a part of the prescribed safety and security protocols of New Brunswick Theological Seminary.  This footage does not capture patrons reading selections nor does it record circulation records. Any footage is kept confidential and secured as any other record in accordance with N.J.S.A. 18A:73-43.2.

Social media policy

Sage Library participates in social media primarily as a tool for communication about library related news, events, ideas, and celebrations.  The primary audience target is the NBTS community of faculty, staff, students, and alumni/ae, though it is not limited to such. User comments on social media may be viewed by the general public and no expectation of privacy should be gleamed across these platforms. Comments that are offensive, derogatory, obscene, or otherwise not classified as free speech as protected by the First Amendment of the U.S. Constitution will be removed by the administrator.  Subsequent comments may prompt user’s blockage to such sites.  In addition, each platform has its own privacy policies that may be found here for further information.

Reference Assistance

Please visit our webpage or email us at Sage.Library@nbts.edu to submit questions, suggestions, or comments. Allow for 1-2 business days for a response.

Need more help? Reference interviews are available for the NBTS community. To schedule a one-on-one consultation contact Sage.Library@nbts.edu or contact the Sage circulation desk.

Noise Policy

Be considerate to the noise volume being used while studying throughout the Library. Keep voices down to a low conversational level. Certain access points may experience increased noise levels, such as the Circulation Desk, Reference Room, and the Computer area.  Other areas of the Library where a more quiet study environment can be found are typically located in the Upper and Lower Levels. Increased noise is to be expected during special events such as book celebrations and group tours. Please plan accordingly. Use headphones to block out noise or consider moving to another location.

Study Rooms

The library has two study rooms available – The Dutch Colonial Studies Room and The Howard G. Hageman Room.  NBTS faculty, staff, and students have priority for usage of the study rooms. Please see the Circulation Desk for reservations.

Visitor Parking

Visitor parking is available in the lot off Bishop Place. Visitor parking passes are available at the Circulation Desk for patrons conducting theological research.

Book Donations

Donations of books and other materials are not possible at this time. For information about other gifts, please see our Donations page.