Library Handbook

Mission Statement

The Library is designed to support the Purposes and curriculum of Metropolitan College of New York through traditional and online resources. It also supports the research and related needs of all college faculty, staff, and alumni.

We follow the Standards of the Association of College and Research Libraries Objectives for Information Literacy Instruction: A Model Statement for Academic Librarians (2001), as our model for objectives, facilities and library professional staffing. As need arises, appropriate staffing, materials and equipment will be added, according to these guidelines.

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Library Collections

The collection of book and periodicals in the Library of Metropolitan College of New York is most notable not for its size, but for its depth and richness in those areas covered by the curriculum and thus of most interest to students. The Library strives to build strength in the areas of books, journals, and electronic resources, particularly web-based information resources that can be accessed remotely at from wherever a patron has Internet access. The Library is continually adding new electronic resources.

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Code of Conduct for MCNY Library Patrons

The purpose of the academic library is to support the curriculum, research and personal development of the members of the academic community, and to provide a quiet place to work or study.

Metropolitan College of New York Library is open to all its students, faculty and staff, as well as all students, faculty and staff of the Art Institute of New York City. It offers essential resources for students to access the information sources they need to excel in their academic efforts, in their day-to-day lives and in their decision-making activities.

All users of the Library at Metropolitan College of New York are subject to the following Code of Conduct to use the facilities or materials.

1. No loud conversations or group discussions are allowed in the Library.

2. No radios, tape players, Walkman, cellular phones, etc., are to be used in the Library.

3. Laptop computers, if used in the library, must have their own power supply.

4. No food or drink is allowed in the Library. Trash is deposited in proper receptacles.

5. No smoking is permitted.

6. No children are allowed to be in the Library.

7. Borrowing materials without a valid student ID card is prohibited; no one is permitted to use another person's ID card to borrow materials.

8. Disruptive behavior will not be tolerated in the Library.

9. The Library is not responsible for any personal items left in the Library, so library users are required to take their personal belongings with them when exiting the Library.

10. Do not re-shelve books, periodicals, etc. Leave them on the tables or place on a book truck.

11. Each patron is responsible for all charges and fines on his/her record.

12. Use of Workstations Policy:
Use of library public workstations will be limited to 30 minute sessions. Whenever patrons are waiting to use workstations, the 30 minute per session limit will have to be strictly enforced with a sign-up list. Patrons who have already had access to workstations for 30 minutes or more may be required to relinquish them to those who are next on the sign-up list. Patrons who have had to relinquish a workstation may sign the sign-up list again. Workstations are assigned on a first come, first served basis.

13. Complaint Procedure:
All complaints must be written, signed and addressed to the Director of Library Services. Whenever the Director deems it necessary, he will refer the matter to appropriate College Administrators.

14. Patron IDs:
In order to use the Library, patrons are required to have current MCNY or AINYC student or staff ID. Although it is not necessary to show an ID to enter the Library, students and other patrons are required to present their ID card to library personnel upon request. Likewise, library staff have the right to ask Security Personnel for assistance with students and other patrons who refuse to comply with the library's Code of Conduct or any of the other rules and regulations of the Library.

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Library Borrowing Privileges and Responsibilities

1. I.D. Cards:
In order to borrow library materials, library patrons must present a current validated I.D. card. Patron records must be renewed at the beginning of each semester by presenting a validated I.D. card or proof of registration.

2. Periodicals:
Newspapers, periodicals (journals and magazines) and reference materials do not circulate. They may not be borrowed and must be used within the Library.

3. Reserve Materials:
Reserve materials circulate for a period of two (2) hours only, but they may be renewed depending on demand at the time a renewal is requested. They must be used within the Library. There are two (2) copy machines available in the Main Library which accept bills up to $5.00.

4. Renewals:
Renewals may be done in person or with the book (s) presented for renewal or may be renewed online in WebCat (See instructions in OTHER USER SERVICES). Items may be renewed one time only for 1 additional month.

5. Book Drop:
There is a book drop outside of the Library. Library patrons can use this Book Drop at any time. In order to use, lift up the silver chrome handle and push the books through. Books are picked up daily. If you are delinquent you will be responsible for paying your bill at a later date.

6. Loan Periods:
Regular circulating items may be borrowed for 1 month and may be renewed one time only for 1 additional month.

Reserve items may be borrowed for 2 hours within the library only.

ALL BOOKS ARE DUE AND MUST BE RETURNED BY THE LAST DAY OF EACH SEMESTER. (At the end of the semester, the date due is set to the last day of the semester.)

7. Fines (as of March 2009):
$0.15 PER DAY OVERDUE BOOKS
$0.60 PER HOUR RESERVE MATERIALS
$1.00 PER DAY VIDEOS
$30.00 Maximum Overdue Fine per item (fines cease to accrue after reaching $30.00)

8. Lost Items:
MINIMUM REPLACEMENT CHARGE: $50.00 or more depending on the current cost of the lost book.
Plus, processing fee of $10.00.
Plus, overdue fines that may have accrued.

9. Overdue Items:
(a) Items overdue for thirty (30) days are deemed lost by the Library. They are subject to the replacement charge of $50.00 (or more depending on the actual cost of the book being replaced), a processing fee ($10.00), and the accrued fines up to the maximum overdue fine ($30.00). If the item is returned, the replacement costs and processing fees will be deducted from the bill.

(b) Reserve items overdue for seven (7) days are deemed lost by the Library. They are subject to the replacement charge of $50.00 (or more depending on the actual cost of the book being replaced), a processing fee ($10.00), and the accrued fines up to the maximum overdue fine ($30). If the item is returned, the replacement costs and processing fees will be deducted from the bill.

10. Clearances:
CLEARANCES WILL NOT BE GRANTED UNTIL ANY AND ALL OUTSTANDING FINES OR DELINQUENT ACCOUNTS HAVE BEEN SETTLED TO THE SATISFACTION OF THE LIBRARY.

FAILURE TO OBTAIN A LIBRARY CLEARANCE WILL DELAY THE RECEIPT OF REFUNDS, LETTERS, AND TRANSCRIPTS UNTIL SUCH CLEARANCE IS OBTAINED.

11. Onsite Access To Other Local Collections:
We belong to a local area library consortium called METRO. Members provide limited access to other local collections for onsite use of a specific title or research in a specific subject area provided the title or subject is not available at NYPL. These items may not be borrowed but must be used onsite. Consult a Reference librarian to determine if your request meets METRO's requirements.

12. Obtaining Books and Articles From Other Libraries
An Interlibrary Loan (ILL) request must be made in order to borrow books or obtain articles from other libraries. An ILL request form may be obtained from either a reference librarian or at the Circulation Desk. Interlibrary loan is currently available to staff and graduate students.

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Internet Access

The Internet can be accessed within the library from all of the public workstations by selecting any of the web-based databases from the menu. The library also has wireless connectivity so individual laptops can be used by inputting a Metropolitan College username and password.

Internet Use Policy

Internet use in the Library is provided for educational purposes only and is not to be used for email, chat, games or other non-educational purposes.

The Library and its staff reserve the right to refuse or restrict Internet access under these circumstances:

  • Pornographic web sites or materials displayed in the Library (this may constitute "sexual harassment" charges or allegations.)
  • Frivolous or overextended use by one workstation, if other students are waiting.

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Barcode Number and Pin

Each registered library user has a barcode attached to the front of their MCNY ID card, and is automatically assigned a PIN (Personal Identification Number). Call the library staff at the Circulation Desk in the Library if you have forgotten or do not know your PIN.

NOTE: If your access is rejected/does not work, it could be because:

  1. Privileges have expired (privileges must be renewed at the beginning of each semester).
  2. A mistake was made in inputting digits of barcode number, Social Security number, or PIN.
  3. The patron is BLOCKED and should contact the library as soon as possible.
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Finding Books

To find books in the MCNY library, use the online catalog available on the Library Menu in the Main Library and on the web.

Go to Metropolitan College of New York website at www.metropolitan.edu, click on Library, Find Books, Articles, and Databases, and then on Search the Library Catalog. Follow the instructions on the screen.

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Request Feature

The Library's online catalog Request feature makes it easy for the user to communicate with the library staff. In order to use the Request feature, you must identify yourself by the barcode number (or Social Security number) and PIN.

To use the Request feature, go to www.metropolitan.edu, click on Library, then on Find Books, Articles and Databases. Click on Search the Library Catalog. Click on the Request button.

Types of Requests

  • PLACE HOLDS - A user may request that a book owned by an MCNY library be held for them. A pickup library can be chosen. The student will be notified by phone or e-mail when the book is available.
  • COMMENTS, SUGGESTIONS, QUESTIONS
  • REFERENCE QUESTIONS
  • CHANGE OF ADDRESS REQUEST
  • INTERLIBRARY LOAN - ARTICLE - If you need an article from a journal that the MCNY Library does not own, we can request a copy from another library through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Fill out the request form with as much information as possible, including how you wish to receive the article, via regular mail, e-mail or pickup. This process typically takes from one to two weeks.
  • INTERLIBRARY LOAN - BOOK - If you need a book that the MCNY Library does not own, we can request a copy from another library through Interlibrary Loan (ILL). Fill out the request form with as much information as possible. You will be notified by phone or e-mail when the book is available for pickup. This process typically takes from one week to ten days.

To receive an answer to any of these requests, include a phone number or e-mail address, or view the response in WebCat User Services.

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Other User Services

The Library's online catalog offers a variety of interactive user functions, including displaying current circulation status and library messages, and letting you change your PIN code.Go to www.metropolitan.edu, click on Library, Find Books, Search the Library Catalog. Click on the User Services button.

NOTE: To use any of the User Services, you must identify yourself by your library barcode number and your PIN (See Barcode Number and Pin).

The following options are available:

  • USER STATUS INQUIRY: Click on this icon to view bills, checkouts, holds and answers to requests (see Requests Module).
  • USER PIN CHANGE: Click on this icon to change your PIN.
    • RENEWALS: Click on this icon to extend the borrowing period (to 4 more weeks) of books that are already checked out and that are not overdue. Check the boxes that apply. Click on Renew Selected Items or Renew All.

NOTE: If for any reason your renewal is rejected or does not work, it could be because:

  1. You are attempting a second renewal - the system allows A ONE-TIME ONLY renewal online.
  2. The item is already overdue.
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Off-Campus Database Access, the Audrey Cohen Archive and the Purpose Handbooks

The Library's databases, the Audrey Cohen Archive (writings by and about Audrey Cohen), and the MCNY Purpose Handbooks are accessible from any computer that is connected to the Internet but you must know your barcode and PIN.

  • Go to www.metropolitan.edu
  • Click on Library
  • Click Find Books, Articles, and Databases, then on Use the Library's Databases, or on Audrey Cohen Archive
  • For the Purpose Handbooks, click on Purpose Handbooks, then on Purpose Handbooks again.
  • Enter your barcode number and PIN
  • Press Submit
  • For the Audrey Cohen Archive, click once more at the top of the Online Resources page.
  • For the Purpose Handbooks, click once more at the top of the Online Resources page.

NOTE: You must update your library record every semester. It takes from 24 to 48 hours after you have registered or updated your record with the Library for your account to be activated or re-activated.

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Electronic Database Resources

Business and Company Resource Center: Business and Company Resource Center: Business and Company Resource Center is a fully integrated resource bringing together company profiles, brand information, rankings, investment reports, company histories, chronologies and periodicals. Search this database to find detailed company and industry news and information.

EBSCOhost: EBSCOhost is a major web based database containing:
  • Academic Search Premiere: This multi-disciplinary database provides full text for more than 4,500 journals, including full text for more than 3,700 peer-reviewed titles. PDF backfiles to 1975 or further are available for well over one hundred journals, and searchable cited references are provided for more than 1,000 titles.
  • Business Source Premiere: Business Source Premier is the industry’s most used business research database, providing full text for more than 2,300 journals, including full text for more than 1,100 peer-reviewed titles. This database provides full text back to 1886, and searchable cited references back to 1998. Business Source Premier is superior to the competition in full text coverage in all disciplines of business, including marketing, management, MIS, POM, accounting, finance and economics. This database is updated daily on EBSCOhost.
  • Sociological Collection: This database provides coverage of 615 full text journals, including nearly 600 peer-reviewed titles. Sociological Collection offers information in all areas of sociology, including social behavior, human tendencies, interaction, relationships, community development, culture and social structure. It is updated daily via EBSCOhost.
  • Professional Development Collection: Designed for professional educators, this database provides a highly specialized collection of nearly 520 high quality education journals, including more than 350 peer-reviewed titles. This database also contains more than 200 educational reports. Professional Development Collection is the most comprehensive collection of full text education journals in the world.
  • Funk & Wagnalls New World Encyclopedia: This database provides over 25,000 encyclopedic entries covering a variety of subject areas.
  • ERIC: ERIC, the Education Resource Information Center, contains more than 1,282,000 records and links to more than 314,000 full-text documents from ERIC.
  • PsycINFO: The PsycINFO , database, American Psychological Association’s (APA) renowned resource for abstracts of scholarly journal articles, book chapters, books, and dissertations, is the largest resource devoted to peer-reviewed literature in behavioral science and mental health. It contains over 2.5 million citations and summaries dating as far back as the early 1800s. Journal coverage, which spans from 1887 to present, includes international material selected from more than 2,200 periodicals in more than 27 languages.
  • Regional Business News: This database provides comprehensive full text coverage for regional business publications. Regional Business News incorporates coverage of 75 business journals, newspapers and newswires from all metropolitan and rural areas within the United States. This database is updated on a daily basis.
  • Newspaper Source: Newspaper Source provides selected full text coverage for more than 240 newspapers and other sources. This collection includes cover-to-cover full text for USA Today, The Christian Science Monitor and The Times (London) as well as selected full text from more than 180 regional newspapers including: Boston Globe, Detroit Free Press, Houston Chronicle, Miami Herald, San Jose Mercury News, etc. Full text transcripts are also included from Face the Nation, CBS Evening News with Dan Rather, 60 Minutes, O'Reilly Factor, Hannity & Colmes, National Public Radio, etc.
  • MEDLINE: MEDLINE provides authoritative medical information on medicine, nursing, dentistry, veterinary medicine, the health care system, pre-clinical sciences, and much more. Created by the National Library of Medicine, MEDLINE uses MeSH (Medical Subject Headings) indexing with tree, tree hierarchy, subheadings and explosion capabilities to search citations from over 4,800 current biomedical journals.
  • Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition: This database provides nearly 550 scholarly full text journals focusing on many medical disciplines. Health Source: Nursing/Academic Edition also features the Lexi-PAL Drug Guide, which covers 1,300 generic drug patient education sheets with more than 4,700 brand names.The Serials Directory: The Serials Directory provides access to the most up-to-date and accurate bibliographic information as well as current pricing structures for popular serials. This database contains over 182,000 U.S. and international titles, including newspapers, historical data for an additional 20,000 titles and data from over 85,000 publishers worldwide.
  • TOPICsearch: TOPICsearch contains full text for over 60,000 articles from 399 diverse sources including international and regional newspapers, EBSCO's unparalleled collection of periodicals, biographies, public opinion polls, book reviews, pamphlets, and government information.

Encyclopaedia Britannica Online: The complete Encyclopaedia Britannica with multimedia enhancements, links to over 130,000 Web sites, and the online Merriam-Webster's Collegiate Dictionary with pronunciation guides.

FirstSearch: FirstSearch is a gateway to over 60 major bibliographic databases including ERIC, MEDLINE, GPO Monthly Catalog, PAIS International, WorldCat (the OCLC online library catalog with 40 million records), Dissertation Abstracts, Book Review Digest, Biography Index and several other indexes and abstracts.

Full-Text Journals: This is a comprehensive holdings list of all the Library's full-text electronic journals maintained and updated by Serials Solutions. Health Reference Center Academic: Health Reference Center Academic is used to find articles on: Fitness, Pregnancy, Medicine, Nutrition, Diseases, Public Health, Occupational Health and Safety, Alcohol and Drug abuse, HMOs, Prescription Drugs, etc. The material contained in this database is intended for informational purposes only.

Infoshare: Infoshare Online is the premiere database for statistical information about New York City. It includes “population statistics, immigration trends, socio-economic indicators, birth and death data, hospitalizations, local economic data, and much more.” A unique feature is that information can be provided for individual New York neighborhoods.

LEXIS-NEXIS: LEXIS-NEXIS Academic Universe Provides full-text access to over 13,000 news, business and legal sources. The sources include international, national and regional newspapers; magazines; trade journals; newsletters; wire service reports; transcripts of television and radio news programs; law reviews and company reports.

Oxford Reference Online: Oxford Reference Online represents the comprehensive and growing collection of Oxford's reference titles. The Core Collection brings together 100 language and subject dictionaries and reference works - containing well over 60,000 pages - into a single cross-searchable resource.

ReferenceUSA: The ReferenceUSA database contains, in module format, detailed information on more than 12 million U.S. businesses and 102 million U.S. residents.

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