• General Information
• Student Guidelines
• Faculty Guidelines
• Mission Statement
• Information Literacy
• Collection Development
• Library Staff
• More Info

Student Guidelines

Library Space

Students are expected to conduct themselves professionally and responsibly, adhering to the Student Code of Conduct while using the library. The following provides additional guidelines for using the library.

Food and Drink

Do not bring food or drink into the library. Although we cannot regulate this constantly, we encourage cooperative awareness and due diligence in the preservation of library resources and technologies.

Noise

The library encourages individual and group work, as well as other forms of both educational and creative pursuits. We do not regulate noise levels; but cell phone use and other unnecessary noises are discouraged. Please keep your efforts to a reasonable volume in the best interest of others. If you receive or make a phone call, please step out into the hall. If someone is disturbing you, kindly let them know or move to a quieter area.

Library Card

Students use their current Student ID card as their library borrowing card and are expected to keep it current with a quarterly sticker. Collect your new quarter sticker at the Registrar's counter (South Campus). The library will assign a library barcode to the back of your ID to serve as your library card.
Driver's licenses, credit cards, or any other ID cards are NOT valid substitutes. If you are a first quarter student, obtain your card before classes start.

Lost your card? Replacements are available at the Technology Office, 1st  floor of the North Campus ($5 fee).

Users

Because the collection is needed on-demand to support the needs of The Art Institute of Seattle, guest borrowing services are not offered.

Visitors, such as alumni, outside faculty and students, are always welcome to use the library's resources on-site only, and in a self-service manner. Online resources, such as databases, ebooks, and subscription-based electronic resources, are available for use to currently enrolled students only.

Children Supervised children are allowed in the library only for brief periods of time to conduct business such as checking out or returning books. Children are not permitted in the library computer lab and should not be left in the library unsupervised.

Fines

A library is a cooperative venture that relies on the goodwill of all its patrons. Responsible behavior is returning materials on time, in good physical condition. It is YOUR responsibility to know the deadline and it is YOUR responsibility to return items on time or pay a penalty.

Once the due date for your library materials is reached, a daily fine is added to each overdue item in your account, which accrues until the item is returned. These amounts quickly add up, especially if you have several items out.

Once an item is checked in, fines will no longer accrue, but an outstanding balance will remain on your library account, and this balance must be paid.

None of the following excuses are valid: You don't know the library rules; You were too busy; You were uncertain about the due date; You never got an overdue notice; You claim that your need is greater than someone else's.

Fine monies are used to buy additional materials for the library.

Holds List

If you have an outstanding balance, you will be added to a "Holds" list generated by the Registrar. This list is distributed daily to your teachers and you may be reminded to visit the library to take care of business. DO NOT IGNORE these reminders. Come in to deal with your fines ASAP.

You may NOT check out new materials if you have overdue books and/or outstanding fines, including textbooks. And, you will not be allowed to graduate if you have any outstanding materials from the library.

Disputed Returns

If you've returned an item, but your library account still shows the item as on loan to you, ask the circulation staff to check the shelves. If the item is there, we'll immediately update your account and reverse all fines. If the item is missing from the shelf, you may complete a:

Dispute Form

This postpones for one quarter the standard replacement fees being billed to you. At quarter's end, the library performs a complete inventory of the collection.

If the item is found during inventory, we will release holds on your account.

If the item is not found, you will be billed for the standard replacement fee for lost items (see below).

If you find the missing item during the dispute period, please return it to the library immediately and pay the accrued overdue fines, thus avoiding the replacement fee.

Lost and Damaged Items

Students will be charged $50 for lost/damaged items with value equal to or below $50. For items valued over $50, students will be charged that market value, plus a $10 processing charge. Lost magazines will have a $6 charge and lost magazine bags $15. These fees cover replacement of the item plus the staff time needed to research, acquire and reprocess the item. Students do have the option of replacing lost/damaged items with a new copy they purchase independently - items can sometimes be found cheaper online than library charges applied.

If an item is not returned and a replacement fee has not been paid, students will be billed through the Student Accounting department. If a student returns items after having already been billed, said billing can be reversed but student will still assume a $10/item charge for overdue and processing charges.

Examples of lost items that students paid $50 to replace: Library books stolen from student's car during a break; Library books left on the bus; Library books returned by mistake to Seattle Public Library; Library books that you checked out on behalf of a classmate, and that the classmate lost; Library books vandalized by a roommate; Compact disk left in the disk drive of a computer in the AW computer lab then stolen.

Renewals

You may renew materials by visiting the library in person or by calling (206) 239-2359 during open hours. Please have your student ID number ready.

Is the phone busy? Please wait 10 minutes then call back. The circulation desk is busy at particular times of the day, especially during class breaks. At this time, patrons at the desk have priority over phone requests.

Holds

If you would like to place a HOLD on an item currently checked out to another patron, please ask the library staff to do so. When the item is returned, it will be kept aside for you to pick up when you next visit the library. Items are kept on the hold shelf for one week only, then returned to the circulating collection.

Storage

Books and other materials that haven't circulated for a long period of time may be removed from the library shelves and placed in storage. You may request any item in storage by submitting the call number to the front desk. Please allow 24 hours for any storage item requests.

Recommendations

We encourage student participation in the development of the collection. If an item can be related to a program, there is a good chance we will buy it. To make a suggestion, please print, fill out and return this form to the library.

Graduation and Transfer

Students will not be allowed to graduate without first returning all library materials and paying any outstanding fees for overdue and/or missing items. Likewise, students who transfer to another school within the EDMC system, Art Institute or otherwise, will be required to return all library materials from other schools and pay fees for overdue and/or missing items prior to transfer.

Photocopies

The library houses a black and white photocopier. Copies cost 10 cents a page. Please bring plenty of coins and small denomination dollar bills, as the library's circulation desk does not make change. The photocopier in the library is equipped with a change machine, and handles $1 and $5 bills only.

For color photocopying in the North Campus, please contact the Student Copy Center, (1st floor of the North Campus), (206) 239-2277.

Computer Lab & Scanning

The Library houses 26 workstations (10 MACs, 16 PCs), each of which is equipped with Microsoft Office applications, internet, student network access, and each networked to one shared printer. No design applications are available as these machines are dedicated for research purposes. Printing is free, but please exercise discretion in the interest of printer longevity and conservation. Computers are available on a first come, first serve basis.

One scanner is available in the lab. For additional scanners, please use the computer classrooms on the 1st floor of the North Campus.

Research

The Library provides curriculum-related research and teaching resources for students preparing for careers in the fields of art, design, technology, business and hospitality industry. The librarians are familiar with art and design-oriented inquiries. The "stock-in-trade" for a librarian is any type of information resource, irrespective of format, and we welcome your questions.

Return to Top