REFERENCE SERVICES POLICY
The primary clientele of the Douglas and Judith Krupp Library include the entire student body, faculty, and staff. Primary clientele are given priority service over any secondary or outside clientele, and reference librarians reserve the right to ask Bryant students, faculty and staff to display their Bryant identification. Bryant University, as a private institution, has the right to restrict library services to ensure its primary clientele receives the best possible service available when conducting research and completing assignments.
All services provided by the reference librarians and support staff, such as face-to-face, telephone, e-mail, instant messaging and text messaging, will address academic and research needs. The librarians and staff reserve the right to discontinue service to clientele who communicate inappropriately or ask non-academic questions. Use of computers in the library should relate primarily to research and assignment completion. Patrons should adhere to the Information Technology Acceptable Use Policy when using library computers.
Service to Alumni and Trustees
Alumni and trustees are entitled to reference services, on-campus use of the reference collection, the library catalog and the reference subject guides via the library webpage. Alumni and Trustees may be asked to display their Bryant alumni card or another form of identification to the reference librarian on duty. If the librarian on duty is working with Bryant faculty or students who need assistance, she/he will serve them first, as they are primary clientele of the library. Alumni and Trustees do not have off-campus access to the library's subscription databases, due to vendor licensing agreements; the reference librarians will direct these individuals to assistance at their local institutions.
Secondary Clientele
Secondary clientele include students and faculty from surrounding colleges who are members of the HELIN consortium. Reference librarians will provide service to those patrons only after Bryant students, faculty, or staff have been served. Library staff reserve the right to ask HELIN consortium patrons to show identification from their home institution.
Outside Clientele
Outside clientele, or users of the library from the local community and colleges not participating in the HELIN consortium, will be served only after all primary and secondary clientele have been helped and if there are no other pressing duties. If Bryant reference librarians are unavailable to assist outside clientele they will be directed to reference services available through the Providence Public Library or through the state system of colleges (CCRI, RIC, and URI). These institutions, because they are funded with taxpayer monies, serve all Rhode Island taxpayers. Reference librarians on duty who receive questions from outside clientele will provide these patrons with library phone numbers and other contact information to assist them.
Special Requests
Occasionally, a Bryant graduate student or an alumna/us will make a request by phone or e-mail that requires lengthy research and/or the faxing, scanning or emailing of materials. For example, a graduate student may request a fax or PDF of a Value Line report or some information from a reference book. Faxing or scanning and emailing, materials is not a routine library service and should be done only in special situations and at the discretion of the reference librarian receiving the request.
Special situations may mean that the student is unable to make a visit to the library because of unforeseen work/family emergencies. If the student requests research that appears to require lengthy work on the part of the librarian, the librarian will service the request only after all in-person requests from primary clientele have been satisfied. When handling special requests librarians will demonstrate online reference services now available to patrons to ensure patron awareness of options other than faxing and scanning library materials.
