Policies
Library cards
- Library cards issued by any branch of UAA, Anchorage Public Library, or Valdez Consortium Library can be used to check out material from the Alvin S. Okeson Library. A library card issued here will work at any of those locations as well.
- Library cards are available to all members of the public who are over 16 and have a valid form of picture identification. Valid forms of identification include a driver's license, passport, military ID, or state-issued identification card
- Please report lost or stolen cards immediately, since you are responsible for anything that is checked out on your card.
- If you lose your card, the first replacement card is $1.00. After that, replacement cards are $5.00.
Loan periods
- Books (print and audio) - 28 days
- CDs - 7 days
- Interlibrary loans - varies by lending library
- Magazines - 7 days
- Reference - Do not check out
- Reserves - Varies by instructor
- Telecourse - 3 days
- Videos - 7 days
- Video sets - 14 days
Overdue fees
- Late fees accrue at the rate set by the library from which you borrowed them. Those fees vary significantly across the libraries who share the Joint Library Catalog. You can pay library fines for material borrowed from another Joint Library Catalog Library here. Lost items must be paid for at the lending library.
- Items borrowed from the Alvin S. Okeson Library acrue fines according to the following schedule:
Item type Daily Charge Max. Fine Books, CDs, and Videos $0.25 $5.00 Reserves $0.50 $5.00 Math Videos $1.20 $24.00 Telecourse $5.00 $25.00 Interlibrary Loans $5.00/wk None
- Borrowing privileges are suspended when fines exceed $5.00
Damaged items
- Materials returned in damaged condition will be evaluated to determine whether the items are still in usable condition. A fine will then be assessed based on the replacement cost of the book and the level of damage that the book has sustained.
Lost items
- Any item more than 20 days overdue is considered lost. The patron will be billed for the replacement cost (including shipping) of that item plus a $3.00 processing fee. If an exact match cannot be located, the Library Director will determine a suitable replacement title.
- The minimum replacement cost is $5.00
- Items returned after being declared lost, but before the replacement fee is paid will be charged only the applicable overdue fine.
- Unfortunately, University regulations prevent us from issuing refunds, so we cannot give you your money back if you find the item after paying for it.
- Please note that having a lost item suspends library borrowing privileges as per the policy on overdue fees.
- If you lose an item owned by another JLC item, contact the owning library for billing instructions. We cannot take payment for lost material that is owned by another library.
The purpose of the collection of the Alvin S. Okeson Library is to provide the research material needed by students and faculty member in support of the courses offered by Mat-Su College. The collection consists of resources in both print and electronic format that are either purchased outright or leased.
Faculty and students are encouraged to submit requests for new material purchases.
New Material
Material is considered for purchase according to the following priorities:
- Faculty recommended material needed to support MSC courses
- Academic material related to MSC courses
- Popular material related to MSC courses
- Academic material not related to MSC courses
- Other material
The cost of the item under consideration and the amount already spent on collection development in a given course area will be considered in the decision to purchase requested material.
Removing material from the collection
Material is considered for removal from the collection according to the following factors:
Space issues preclude keeping everything.
- Usage statistics
- Amount of similar material in the collection
- Age of the item
- Condition of the item
- Academic prestige of the work
Donations
Items donated to the library must come with no strings attached. Donated items are added to the collection by the same criteria as other new material. Items that are not selected for the collection are offered for sale or given to other libraries.
Donations added to the collection may be removed from the collection at a later time according to the criteria for removing material from the collection.
The library cannot appraise donations for tax purposes. IRS regulations stipulate that the entity receiving the donation of material cannot also provide a valuation.
Computer Lab (top)
The computers in the library are primarily for student research, but surfing and e-mail are permitted when a station is not needed for research. There are no time limits on computer use for students, but anyone who is not working on a paper or performing research for a course-related project will be asked to make room for students who need them for that purpose when the lab is full.
A section of the computer lab is available for public use when it is not needed by students. Please remember that we are an academic library that is open to the public. Public patrons will be asked to give up their computers if they are needed by students.
Anyone wishing to use a computer with all of the privileges of a MSC student needs to show their current MSC student ID card to the Lab Aide. Those who do not have a current student ID will be considered public patrons.
Library staff members are not experts on the software installed on the machines. We will help if we can, but high level technical support is outside of our mission.
Printing charges for public patrons are $0.10/page.
Use of the computers is governed by UAA's Acceptable Use Policy.
Maintenance and staffing of the computer lab is the responsibility of the Computer Services Department.
With the exception of calculators, only staff and faculty members are allowed to check out equipment for use outside of the library. Students needing to use equipment for classes should make requests through their instructors.
University of Alaska regulations require that an off-campus use form be filled out if the equipment leaves campus.
Food and Drink (top)
Food is not allowed in the library. If you sneak food in, please have the decency to clean up after yourself.
Drinks are allowed in covered containers. Please report spills immediately.
No food or drink is allowed in the computer lab
Students, faculty, and staff of Mat-Su College may make up to 5 requests/week. Any cost over $10 will be billed to the person making the request. Most requests do not go over this amount, and patrons are notified of any charges they will incur before requests are processed. Rush and audio/visual requests are the most likely to generate extra fees.
We do not fill requests from the general public because CONTU guidelines for "fair use" under United States copyright law would make it more difficult to serve the needs of our students.
The library is a quiet (not silent) area. Please conduct yourself accordingly. Group study areas are available for those who need to hold prolonged discussions with their peers.
Cell phones should be set to an inaudible ring and calls taken outside the library.
Those who fail to display courtesy toward library staff members and other library patrons will be asked to leave. Repeat offenses may result in the loss of library priveleges.
Public Use (top)
Members of the general public are welcome to use the Okeson Library; however, it is important to remember that we are not a public library as defined by Alaska Statutes 14.56.400. As an academic library, we exist to serve the students, faculty, and staff of Mat-Su College. We recognize the value of learning in our community and extend services to the public as a courtesy.
The services we are able to offer the general public are determined by our mission to support the college. We reserve the right to change them as needed to ensure that adequate resources are available to support MSC's students, faculty, and staff.
Children who are accompanied by their parents are welcome in the library. Parents are responsible for their child's behavior and must monitor his or her actions at all times.
Parents should recognize that the library's mission is to serve the curriculum of the college, so portions of our collection may not be appropriate for children.
Our internet-connected computers are not filtered for content. Parents are advised to keep their children out of the computer lab and other areas of the library where computers are present if there is a concern about accidental viewing of inappropriate material.
Telephones (top)
Library phones are for staff use only. We cannot page individuals except in emergencies.
Please take cell phone calls outside the library.