Mission and Policies

• Your RIC ID acts as a library card for current students and employees (alumni and community borrowers please see here.) You must have the physical card on you to borrow materials or check out a study room. 
• Library accounts expire yearly, but it's easy to renew! Just call 401-456-9617, email adamscirc@ric.edu, or visit the Borrowing Services desk on the main level. We will verify you are still enrolled and then update your account. 

The James P. Adams Library is part of the HELIN Consortium which is composed of academic libraries. RIC students, faculty and staff with a valid college ID can use any of the libraries in HELIN. HELIN libraries may have different access policies from RIC.

• Patrons who do not return or renew items by the due date will be subject to fines and/or lost item fee
• Due dates are stamped on all materials
  • Verify due dates or renew by contacting the Borrowing Services Department at 401-456-8126 or 401-456-9617
  • RIC students, faculty, and staff can check their accounts in logging into your Library Account
  • Courtesy reminders and overdue notices are emailed to patrons
• Borrowing privileges for any patron may be suspended if items are long overdue
• Current RIC students/alumni will have grades and transcripts blocked until all library materials are returned and fines/fees are paid

PLEASE NOTE: LIBRARY MATERIALS ARE PROTECTED UNDER TITLE 11, CH. 11-41-14, CH. 11-41-14.1 and CH. 11-41-15 OF THE GENERAL LAWS OF RHODE ISLAND.

Lost or damaged HELIN items are billed at $75 per item.

Lost or damaged interlibrary loan items are billed per lending library’s policy. Cost will vary.

All items are subject to recall.

For more information, please call the Access Services Department at 401-456-8126 or 401-456-9617.

There are three ways to pay your library bill:

• In cash, by visiting the Borrowing Services desk
• Using Campus Points in person or over the phone
• With a credit card, using this portal. NOTES regarding the portal:
  • It does not connect directly to your library account, so before paying please contact the library to verify your balance. 
  • Allow for processing time: Any holds on your account will be cleared within one business day of your full balance being paid off. 
  • When using a credit card, there is a convenience fee of 2.85% per transaction. The minimum service fee for card transactions over $20 and less than $106 will be $3.

Any Rhode Island resident over the age of 18, whether a RIC alumnus or not, can receive a Special Borrowers Card with limited borrowing privileges of physical materials at Rhode Island College and the Community College of RI libraries. Please apply at the library Borrowing Services desk. Alumni and RI residents do not have access to library databases off campus, but may use them in the library.

Database Alternatives:

A lost book or other library item may qualify for replacement by the library patron. Library patrons interested in replacing lost or damaged library material should consult with Brian Baker, Library Supervisor in Access Services, for approval before taking any replacement action. Library patrons should follow the following guidelines when purchasing a replacement copy:

• The ISBN and the copyright date of the purchased copy must be identical to the ISBN and copyright date of the lost library item. The ISBN and copyright date will be listed in the item record in the HELIN catalog. The Access Services staff can also help identify the correct ISBN and date.
• Only new items can be considered. Used copies are not acceptable.
• The replacement copy should be brought to the Borrowing Services Desk and be requested for review by Brian Baker. Replacement copies can also be mailed to the address below. The patron’s full contact information (name, phone number, college ID number) should be included:

Borrowing Services Department, Adams Library
Attn: Brian Baker
Rhode Island College
600 Mt. Pleasant Ave.
Providence, RI 02908

• If a replacement copy cannot be located with an identical ISBN and copyright date to purchase, patrons should consult with a subject librarian/selector to determine if an alternative may be found.
• There is a $10.00 fee to cover processing costs in addition to any existing overdue fines and/or billing fees.
• Questions should be directed to Brian Baker by calling 401-456-8182.

Replacement items will not be accepted or payment reimbursed if:

• The item has been declared lost for more than 12 months from its original due date.
• Item has been withdrawn from the collection.
• Item has been replaced.

Faculty may request to establish another person as a proxy borrower who will then have permission to pick up library items on behalf of the faculty member. The faculty member:

• may assign one proxy borrower at a time using this form.
• accepts full responsibility for all material checked out by the proxy borrower, including any fines or lost item charges incurred.
• must have a library account in good standing in order to request or renew a proxy borrower; any recalls, fines, or fees must be resolved before a proxy relationship can be created or renewed.

Process:

1. The proxy borrower should alert library staff to the name of the faculty member for whom they are acting as proxy.
2. Proxies with a current RIC ID should present it as usual. Proxies not affiliated with RIC should present a government-issued photo ID.
3. Library staff will confirm the proxy by matching the presented ID with the note in the faculty member's account.
4. Library items will be checked out on the faculty member's account, and all library notices will be sent to the faculty member. 

For the full list of policies and borrowing information, visit Borrowing Privileges and Loan Policies.

Borrowing privileges
Refers to RIC’s policies for checking out, renewing, and returning books. 

• Students, faculty, and staff must have a RIC ID and an active library account to check out materials. RIC Alumni and RI Residents may apply for a Special Borrowers Card.

Check out
To take out a material for temporary use outside the library. 

Circulation
Materials that can be checked out from the library.

Due date
Refers to the date at which library materials must be returned or renewed. Items not returned by their due date may result in fines, a lost item fee, or the loss of borrowing privileges.

Fine
A monetary charge incurred as a penalty for not returning borrowed library materials.

Grace period
A limited time period from an item’s due date where charges are not incurred. This period varies by borrower and item type. 

Hold
A request to reserve an item that has already been checked out. Once returned, the item is set aside for the requester.

Loan period
The allotted time period for borrowing library materials.

Non-circulating
Material intended exclusively for use inside the library (e.g. Reference books, Course Reserves, supplies from Library of Things, etc.)

Overdue
An item that has not been returned by its due date. Overdue items may result in fines, fees, or a loss of borrowing privileges.

Renew/Renewal
A request to keep library material for another loan period after the initial due date.