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Policies

Copyright and Intellectual Property

Smith College provides information regarding the use of copyrighted works for education and research, copyright protections, and fair use principles. See:

Computer Use

Computers in the Libraries are available for academic work by Smith and Five College students, faculty, and staff and alumnae and visiting researchers. The Libraries follow the college’s policy for Acceptable Use of Computer Resources.

Records Management

This College policy on records management applies to all records of the College and its related entities and is managed and implemented by the College Archives. The policy outlines responsibilities related to records management, preservation, retention and disposal.

PDF icon Records Management Policy (Smith College, Revised January 2023) (PDF)

Open Access Policy

The Faculty of Smith College is committed to disseminating the fruits of its research and scholarship as widely as possible. The Open Access Policy establishes the terms under which Faculty members permit distribution of their scholarly articles via open access channels. The Policy was approved by the Faculty on April 22, 2015. Open Access works are available in Smith ScholarWorks.

Inclement Weather & Power Outages

Smith College Libraries follow the College’s policy for foul weather for non-essential services. The Libraries close when the College closes, and follow the college policy for delayed openings and early closings. It is possible that the Libraries will close at times when the College is not officially closed, such as when there is inclement weather on a weekend.

In the event of a power outage, the Library Director or college administration will close the Libraries. The Libraries will not be open if there is a power outage during the day or evening.

Service Animals & Pets

No pets are allowed inside any library buildings in accordance with the Campus Pet Policy.

Note: This prohibition does not apply to individuals accompanied by seeing eye dogs or other trained, assisting animals. See the Service Animal Policy for more information.

Hillyer Art Library Carrel Policy

The library is one of the most popular places to study on any college campus, but students aren’t always able to count on their favorite spot being available. Semester-long carrel reservations provide students with a reliable space to do their work outside of the dorms. Carrels also have ample storage room, so students do not have to carry their books and other supplies with them every time they come to the library.

At the start of each semester, a lottery will take place to determine carrel assignments. Students must sign up for the lottery online. The following prioritization will take place during the drawing:

  1. Thesis students
  2. First and second semester seniors
  3. All other students

Each carrel will be assigned to two students. Students will have the opportunity to choose who to share a carrel with. Students who do not provide a second name when they sign up for the lottery will be randomly assigned a carrel mate.

The person you choose to share a carrel with should ideally have the same priority level as you. For example, two thesis students rank higher in the lottery than one thesis student and one non-thesis student. If you choose to be randomly assigned a carrel mate your priority level will not be affected.

Several carrels will be set aside as “open carrels”. They are first come, first served. Personal items or library materials may not be stored in open carrels.

Personal items and library materials may be stored in your assigned carrel. All library materials must be checked out to your library account. You may add personal touches to your carrel (e.g. posters, trinkets) but they must be easily removable. Keep in mind that when not in use, people may use your carrel but you are entitled to ask them to relocate if you need it.

Food of any kind is not allowed to be consumed or stored in your carrel. Covered drinks can be consumed but not stored. Any food or drink left at the end of the day will be thrown away.

More Smith College Policies

See the College Policies page for a complete listing of college policies.