The Norman Girvan Library

The Circulations Desk

Library staff at the Circulations Desk handles the majority of student activity - including loans, fines, photocopy charges, locker rentals and reserve material. Here, most of your questions are answered.

Registering to become a reader of the Library

Students of the Institute automatically become patrons of the Library and can borrow library materials. External users are only allowed reading, photocopying (copyright restrictions apply) and reference privileges.

Open Collection

The Library has available for loan burgeoning information resources on and related to the teaching and study of International Relations. Readers are allowed to borrow up to six (6) items at a time from the open shelves. Loan period of one (1) week.

Reference books

An excellent selection of materials is available to students and staff for reference use only. Inclusive are local, regional and international statistics, Constitutions of the World, International Law Reports, Record of World Events, Yearbooks of the United Nations and UNDP Human Development Reports. The material in this section is not available for loan, however, users are allowed to photocopy from these documents (unless otherwise stated).

Periodicals

Hundreds of social sciences periodicals are made available to students for research purposes. A periodical listing is conveniently located at the entry to selected journal book stacks. This listing must be consulted to locate the call number (shelf address) of the required journal/serial.

Thesis and student papers

Students who successfully complete a course of study at the Institute, must submit, at the postgraduate level, seminar papers; at the Masters level research papers and at the MPhil/PhD level, a thesis containing the results of independent study and research.

Theses/dissertations and seminar papers are written by past students (from 1974-present) are available for consultation in the Library only and must be requested at the Circulations Desk. Kindly note that digital reproductions of student research papers can be found in UWI Space, the University of the West Indies Institutional Repository for Research and Scholarship at http://uwispace.sta.uwi.edu/dspace/handle/2139/13233

Reserve Collection - loan periods

1.     Students are allowed to borrow two (2) reserve items per course.

2.     All students (Diploma, Masters, Doctoral) must return reserve items by 12 noon the following day.

3.     Hold requests can be placed on reserve items which are already out on loan

Borrowing

UWI ID Cards must be used by the IIR student in order to borrow items from the Collection. The due date for the return of material is stamped on date slip of the book/document.

Loans must be made at the Circulations Desk. In the event of loss of electrical power or power outage, all loans will cease, pending the return of electrical service.

Returns

Library users are responsible for material loaned from the Library. The responsibility for the item ends when the material is returned to the Library and the loan record is cancelled. Readers are encouraged to handbooks over to Circulation Staff members and ensure that the loan record is cancelled; only when this is done is the responsibility for the material relinquished to the Library.

Students are encouraged to return all borrowed items to the Circulations Desk. When the library is closed, a book return unit adjacent to the Library’s Entrance is available for the deposit of Library Resources. Please note that the Unit would be cleared when the library reopens on the next business day; any overdue items will still accrue fines. Any dispute can be lodged on the Loans Complaint Forms available at the Circulations Desk.

Renewals

Using the Online catalogue, users can check to see when items are due. In the event that a renewal is required this can be made in person; however, patrons can also call in their request for renewal to the Library [ext 83245].

Loaned items can be renewed only once provided that another reader has not requested that item. If there is a fine on the item, the book cannot be renewed and the fine must be settled promptly.

Once a request for an item on loan is made, it will be subject to recall and must be returned immediately. It will not be eligible for renewal.

Electronic book theft detection system

An electronic book theft detection system is in operation. If you leave the library without checking out material and having it desensitized, a gate alarm will sound. Patrons must return to the Circulations Desk to verify that all books were properly processed. Please respect our library resources. They are here for everyone.