A valid Maine College of Art & Design ID or library membership card is required at all times to borrow any materials. Students from GPACU libraries may borrow books using their college or university IDs.
Library Memberships and Borrowing Privileges
- All Maine College of Art & Design faculty, students, staff, and alumni in good standing are entitled to borrowing privileges at the Joanne Waxman Library.
- Continuing Studies faculty and students may be considered for borrowing privileges during the course in which they are enrolled.
- Membership in the Joanne Waxman Library is available to members of the general public upon payment of an annual fee. Some borrowing privileges are not available to members.
- Members of GPACU (Greater Portland Alliance of Colleges and Universities) may borrow materials by presenting a valid ID card from their home institution.
Borrowing Materials
Loan lengths for library circulating materials:
- BFA, MAT, and Salt Program students, staff, and alumni: 4 weeks for books; 1 week for media items
- MFA students, faculty, and staff: 1 semester for books; 1 week for media items
- Library Members: 4 weeks for books only
- GPACU students, faculty, and staff: 4 weeks for books; 1 week for media items
Library visitors may access Library materials for in-library use only.
Borrowing from Other Libraries
Materials from other libraries may be borrowed for 4 weeks by our students, faculty, and staff only through MaineCat. MaineCat services are temporarily paused due to a statewide interruption, but delivery services will resume on September 3, 2024.
Interlibrary Loans
Students, faculty, and staff may request items not available from Maine institutions. Consult library staff or fill out an interlibrary loan request form.
Interlibrary Loan services are only available to our students, faculty, and staff.
Loans of rare items or items worth over $100 are only available to MECA&D students, faculty, and staff.
Renewals
- In person
- By phone at 207.775.5153
- Online at library.meca.edu and choosing View Your Patron Record
- Online at minerva.maine.edu/patroninfo and choosing My Library Account
Once an item is overdue, it cannot be renewed online.
Books may be renewed for a maximum of three times. Media items are not renewable.
Renewals of items owned by other libraries are allowed at the discretion of the lending institution and are usually one-time renewals for two weeks only.
Recalls
All items are subject to recall. The borrower has up to 7 days to return the item.
Reserves
- Reserve materials may be checked out for 3 hours and are for in-library use only.
- A maximum of 3 Reserve items can be checked out at one time.
- All patrons must present their valid College ID to reserve materials.
- Audiovisual materials may be borrowed overnight by students, faculty, and staff only.
Billing
Overdue items are assessed fines as follows:
- Items not returned after 30 days are considered missing, and the borrower will be billed a minimum of $60 per item as well as a $5 non-refundable administration fee per lost item.
- Items returned in damaged condition will also incur charges, depending on the replacement or repair cost of the item.
- Minerva/MaineCat loans that are not returned will incur billing charges that may amount to as much as a $95 replacement charge and a non-refundable $35 billing and processing fee as determined by the lending institution.
Course Reserves for Faculty
- The library requires 24-hours lead-time to setup Reserve items.
- Faculty must complete a Faculty Reserve form for each item to be placed on reserve. Forms are available at the Circulation Desk or may be requested using the Library's online form.
- If faculty uses library material for course reserves, they are responsible for locating the item and bringing it to the Circulation Desk, together with completed paperwork.
- Items catalogued as "Reference" or borrowed from other libraries cannot be placed on reserve. Career resources, non-circulating, special collections, and periodical items also cannot be placed on reserve or borrowed.
Contact library staff at library@meca.edu or 207.775.5153 if you have any questions.
Donations
Gift materials are accepted at the Joanne Waxman Library on the basis of curriculum support, space consideration, condition, and format of the material.
- The Joanne Waxman Library accepts book, magazines and media (e.g., DVD) donations. Other materials may be considered by the Library Director.
- The Library Director reviews all donated materials and makes selection decisions based on the above criteria and the Library’s collection development policy.
- It is understood that, once donated, items become the Library’s property. They will be processed into the collection, included in a Library book sale, or given to students or members of the College.
- Proceeds from the book sale are added to the Library’s book acquisitions fund and are used to purchase needed materials for the collection.
- The Joanne Waxman Library does not provide appraisals for donations. If one is required for tax purpose, donors are asked to have their gifts appraised beforehand.
- All donations are acknowledged with a thank-you letter and an inventory of donated items, unless otherwise requested.