Library Policies

The Clark Library expects all students, faculty, staff, and guests to abide by the Student Code of Conduct found in the student handbook, Life on the Bluff. Those who violate these policies may be referred to Campus Safety and asked to leave.

All Clark Library users are expected to behave respectfully and courteously towards others, including Library faculty and staff. Disruptive behavior in the Library or misuse of library property is not permitted. This includes, but is not limited to:

• Noncompliance with the directions of library employees acting in performance of their duties.
• Vandalizing Library property, including writing in or otherwise damaging Library materials or spaces.
• Entering restricted areas without permission. This includes employee workspaces, storage closets, library classroom, and library conference rooms.
• Removing materials from the Library without checking them out from the Service Desk.

Do not leave personal belongings unattended. Library staff are not responsible for any missing items.

The library has a combination of quiet study spaces, group study rooms, collaborative work areas, and public services areas. The Lower Level is designated for quiet study only. Levels One and Two can be used for collaborative work and may become noisier. The library's Service Desk on Level One is also an active and busy area. Library users are expected to adhere to the following:

Quiet Study: Lower Level (map) and Quiet Study Lounge on Level Two (map) 

• Silence phones. Phone conversations should move to the library entryway or outside the building.
• No loud or prolonged talking
• Quiet keyboarding
• Use headphones at a low volume for audio, including music, videos, and online classes/meetings. Headphones can be borrowed from the Service Desk.
• No group study (except in group study rooms)
• Group study rooms are not soundproof; groups entering and leaving should keep disruptions to a minimum.

Collaborative Study: Levels One (map) and Two (map) 

• Conversations are permitted but be considerate of others in the area. Sound carries due to the open layout of the building.
• Silence phones. Extended phone conversations should move to the library entryway or outside the building.
• Use headphones for audio, including music, videos, and online classes/meetings. Headphones can be borrowed from the Service Desk.

Be considerate of those around you when eating and drinking. If your food consumption is disturbing others, you may be asked to put your food away or leave until you are finished. Drinks must have a lid or be in a spill-proof container. Always clean up after yourself and recycle or discard garbage. Report spills immediately to service desk staff.

Service animals are always welcome. However, in keeping with the University’s Policy on Service and Support Animals, emotional support animals are not permitted.

Study Room 203 is a dog allergen-free space and may be reserved for those with allergies.

While study spaces may be reserved, day-to-day use of the study spaces relies on the honor system. In the spirit of UP’s mission and values, please be a good steward of the space and strive to share equitably with your community. 

Study spaces may be reserved:

• By current UP students, faculty, or staff 
• Up to 2 weeks in advance 
• A maximum of 4 hours per day per group 
• Patrons who leave their space unoccupied for an extended period or arrive more than 15 minutes past their reservation start time might lose their entire reservation  

Booths and study rooms*:

• Are intended for use by 2 or more people 
• May be used by individuals when unoccupied, but should be vacated for groups with a reservation confirmation email

Library Conduct policies apply to study spaces. Patrons who do not follow these policies may be blocked from reserving study spaces.

*Although study rooms have thermostats, the temperature is centrally controlled and cannot be adjusted by room. 

Databases and other electronic resources provided by University of Portland's Clark Library are licensed resources. Current students, faculty, and staff have on-campus and remote access to these resources. To comply with licenses, users must:

• limit uses to non-commercial, educational, or personal research purposes
• not compile data/information found in a licensed resource into a separate database for public use
• not facilitate unauthorized access by others (i.e., do not share your University of Portland credentials with others)
• not engage in systematic downloading of licensed content (e.g., downloading entire issues of electronic journals or large-scale downloading from databases) to create other collections of data
• comply with license terms associated with specific resources, as stated on the resource website or in the library catalog (note: in many cases, license agreements impose greater restrictions on use than does copyright law)
• not distribute copies of material to individuals or groups outside the UP community, unless the license for the resource specifically allows it
• not share client software used to search licensed resources with individuals or groups outside the University of Portland community

Violation of these terms might result in loss of access for the entire campus. 

Notes to faculty:

1. Many licenses restrict the downloading and posting of licensed content on another server, even for use in course-related web sites or course reserves systems. In general, it is preferable to use persistent or stable URLs to the electronic articles rather than to download and store articles on servers.
2. Most content providers consider data-mining or auto-crawling of their content as an inappropriate use. If you are planning a project that requires data-mining or auto-crawling any library database, please contact your library liaison to obtain permission before starting such activity.

The American Library Association Code of Ethics states that,"We protect each library user's right to privacy and confidentiality with respect to information sought or received and resources consulted, borrowed, acquired or transmitted."

This statement outlines the ways in which Clark Library staff protect library users’ privacy.  Personally identifiable information is collected in the process of providing access to spaces, services, and resources. The right to privacy in libraries includes the right to open inquiry without having the subject of one’s interest examined by others.

Oregon Revised Statue 192.355(23) exempts the records of a library from disclosure under open records law, including: circulation records, indicating use of specific library materials; name, address, and phone number of a library user; and the electronic mail address of a library user. Exemption assures users that identifiable information supplied to the library as well as the materials checked out are not subject the open records state law.  (State of Oregon Public Records Policy)

Data Collected by Clark Library

Library services often require the retention of some personally identifiable information for a specific timeframe.  As an institution, we avoid retaining records longer than is necessary to complete library work.  We protect data to the extent that it is possible.

Some examples of collected data may include:

• Active user registration records
• Active circulation records
• Interlibrary loan records
• Course reserve records
• Room reservation records
• Reference chat information

Additional examples of collected data from websites, databases, digital repositories, and third-party vendors may include:

• Domain, country, IP address
• Browser, platform (device and operating system), resolution
• Entrance/Exit pages, referrals
• Date and time
• Search terms
• Search engines

Data Retention

The Clark Library continues to protect personal information from unauthorized disclosure when that information is no longer needed to manage library functions.  Personal information stored by third-party systems is anonymized by the library or by the vendor through contractual agreement.  Examples of the ways in which the Library secures data when no longer needed include:

• Shredding materials with user information.
• Removal of users from library systems when no longer affiliated with the university.
• Disassociating users from their courses within the course reserve system at the end of a semester.
• Anonymization of reference chat information by the third-party vendor.

Clark Library’s mission directs the Library to serve “the University of Portland community as a dynamic teaching library” where “resource selection and collection maintenance are focused on building and sustaining collections and securing access to resources that support and complement the degree programs offered at the University.” 

The Library upholds the University’s commitment to academic freedom which:

"... embraces a culture of dialogue, free inquiry, and open exchange of ideas. The University recognizes that upholding academic freedom and providing opportunities for free expression and investigation are fundamental to its role as a Catholic and Holy Cross university." (University of Portland Faculty Handbook)

The Library also abides by the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights which states that:

"books and other resources should be provided for the interest, information, and enlightenment of all people of the community the library serves. Materials should not be excluded because of the origin, background, or views of those contributing to their creation." (Library Bill of Rights)

The resources selected for the Library collection are made available for research and coursework support but may contain incorrect information or harmful language. The Library is unable to verify the contents of all items it acquires.

Members of the University of Portland community have the right to challenge library materials on the grounds that the resource fails to support the degree programs of the University or the Library’s collection development policies.

Challenged items will remain available to the UP community until a decision is made.

A formal, written challenge form must be submitted to the Dean of the Library via the Materials Challenge form. Within 30 days, the complaint will be considered by a committee consisting of the Dean, Head of Collection Services, subject liaison librarian, and the Provost or their designee. Following the committee’s meeting, the Dean of the Library will notify the complainant and Provost in writing with the outcome and reasons for the decision. All decisions are final.