Courtesy in the Library 

Rationale

One of the Helmke Library's goals is "to provide effective, user-centered information services delivered when and where they are needed." Because courtesy promotes an atmosphere that encourages study and research, library users are asked to observe the following behavioral guidelines.

Cell Phones in the Library

Cell phones, pagers, and similar electronic devices must be set to silent ring or vibrate upon entering the library. Suggested places for cell-phone conversations in the library are the stairwells and the 24-hour computer lab/snack lounge on the first floor.

Food and Drink

Library users are urged to follow a "leave-no-trace" outdoor-use philosophy in regarding food and drink in the library.

Trash containers are located throughout the library.

Drinks should be in containers with securely fastened lids. Liquids should be poured down restroom sinks before the containers are thrown away.

Snacks such as cookies, chips, and candy are permitted. Messy, greasy, or smelly foods should not be brought into the library.

Report spills to staff at the Service Desk on the first floor.

No food deliveries are permitted inside the library. Deliveries may be made to the 24-hour study room/computer lab.

No food or drink is allowed in the library classroom/computer lab (LB440A).

Leave the building, books and equipment in the same, or better, condition as you found them.

Users are liable for any damage to library materials or equipment.

Noise in the Library

Use of cell phones, laptop computers, and similar electronic devices that create noise, or encourage loud conversations, should be governed by common sense and courtesy to others using the library to study.

Normal conversation should be expected around the group-study computer workstations. Likewise, quiet conversation at the tables on the second and fourth floors is acceptable. Rowdy groups or loud individuals who violate these guidelines may be reported to staff at the Service Desk.

Remodeling and construction will be occurring through 2011 on the second and third floors. Shifting of the books on these floors to prepare for the construction will also generate noise. During this time, the quietest area in the library should customarily be the north end of the fourth floor.

Children in the Library

Well-behaved children accompanied by parents or other caregivers are welcome in the library. A small collection of children's books is located on the third floor, directly across from the elevators.

The library is the only quiet-study space that many students have.  If children become loud or unruly, parents or caregivers may be asked to take the children outside until they are calmed down. If disruptive children are not supervised, the staff at the Service Desk are instructed to notify the University police.

Public-Access Computers

A limited number of public-access computers on the first floor that have Internet access and do not require an IPFW network login. People with disabilities have priority use of the library's wheelchair-accessible ADA workstations.

At busy times, Helmke Library staff reserve the right to impose time limits on use of public-access computers, to moderate the use of printing supplies and paper, and to give preference to IPFW students, faculty, and staff.

IPFW and Helmke Library computing and network resources are provided for the purpose of discovering and retrieving information in support of IPFW's academic mission. Appropriate use of these resources in a public setting follows the same standards that govern use of other shared university resources.

Responsible use of these shared resources requires that individuals refrain from altering hardware, software, or data configurations. Users should be considerate of the sensitivities and time constraints of others in accessing materials at public-access computers and in using shared printers. Students as well as guests on campus are required to abide by IPFW's Ethical Guidelines for Student Computer Users and by Purdue University's Antiharassment Policy. Guests with laptop computers may register for an IPFW wireless network account, subject to IPFW's Network Monitoring and Access Guidelines that govern all campus computer users.