Library Policies

Library Information

The John Bulow Campbell Library is open to the public and is an integral part of the educational program of Columbia Theological Seminary, a private, educational institution of the Presbyterian Church (USA). Visitors are welcome to use the study spaces, computers, and collection. However, during times of very high use by Columbia students, visitor services and access may be limited. Due to current Covid restrictions, the library is only open to CTS Covid-19 compliant faculty, staff, students, and alumni.

Study rooms are available on a first come, first served basis. Again, during times of high use by Columbia students, visitor access to study rooms may be limited.

The computers in the library are for use by Columbia Theological Seminary students, faculty, staff, and special guests of the Seminary. Library visitors may use computers for library applications, but for limited periods of time. Visitors are expected to meet most of their computer needs at their home academic library or at a public library.

Printing, scanning and photocopying are available in the library. Scanning is free. Printing and photocopying is $.05 per page/side.

Visitors may inquire about obtaining a library card to borrow library resources. There are two categories of library patrons who may borrow library resources. Circulation policies apply to both categories of users.

Children under the age of 18 must be accompanied by an adult while in the building, including in the Griffith Children’s Library.

Building Use Policies

• Access is limited to Columbia users (CTS Covid-19 Policy Compliant faculty, staff, students and alumni).
• Access is limited to Columbia users who must provide a picture ID.
• For the 2022-2023 academic year, all users must show picture ID and be CTS Covid-19 Policy Compliant to enter the building. Names will be checked against the current CTS Covid-19 Policy Compliant List.  Picture IDs can include a current CTS Student ID Card or other identification documents such as driver’s license or passport.  Please call the Circulation Desk from the library front porch to gain entry to the building.
• All users must make an appointment to receive their Columbia Library/Building Access card. To make an appointment, please click here to make an appointment.  Appointments can be made between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• Any patron deemed to be creating a health risk to others will be asked to leave the building.

Access for Persons Without Columbia Library/Building Access Cards

• All users must show a picture ID and be CTS Covid-19 Policy Compliant to enter the building. Names will be checked against the current CTS Covid-19 Policy Compliant List.  Picture IDs can include current CTS Student ID Card or other identification documents such as driver’s license or passport.  Please call the Circulation Desk from the library front porch to gain entry to the building.

Access for Persons With Columbia Library/Building Access Cards

• All users must make an appointment to receive their Columbia Library/Building Access card.  To make an appointment, please click here. Appointments can be made between the hours of 9:00 a.m. and 4:30 p.m. Monday through Friday.
• If you have a Columbia Library/Building Access card, you may enter the building during the library’s open hours.

Lost Columbia Library/Building Access Cards

• Lost Columbia Library/Building Access cards need to be reported immediately to ctslibrary@ctsnet.edu. A lost Columbia Library/Building Access card places all building users at a possible higher risk for Covid-19 and exposes users to possible security issues.
• The replacement cost for a lost Columbia Library/Building Access card is $10. The replacement card fine will be placed on your library account and can be paid for through your library account.  To replace a lost Columbia Library/Building Access card, please make an appointment as outlined above.
• During the time that a lost Columbia Library/Building Access card is being replaced, users will follow the policy for Access for those without a Columbia Library/Building Access card.
• The replacement cost for a second lost Columbia Library/Building Access card is $100. To replace a lost Columbia Library/Building Access card, please make an appointment as outlined above.
• Columbia Library/Building Access cards can ONLY be replaced twice. If a Columbia Library/Building Access card is lost a second time, the user will have to access the building only through appointments.

Access to C. Benton Kline Jr., Special Collections and Archives

• Reference services and on-demand digitization for the C. Benton Kline, Jr. Special Collections and Archives are currently available. If digitization is not sufficient for research needs, current CTS Covid-19 Policy Compliant faculty, students, staff, and alumni can make reservations to view materials in the Special Collections Reading Room, on Tuesday and Thursday-Friday, 9am-4pm. For appointments and inquiries, please contact the archivist by phone at 404-687-4628 or by email at archives@ctsnet.edu.

Patrons

The John Bulow Campbell Library is open to the public and is an integral part of the educational program of Columbia Theological Seminary, a private, educational institution of the Presbyterian Church (U.S.A.) There are two categories of library users who may use the John Bulow Campbell Library.

Current students, faculty, and staff

Columbia Theological Seminary students, faculty, staff, are automatically enrolled as library patrons. Cross-registered students are considered students for the semester that they are enrolled at Columbia Seminary. These library users are offered full use of the library materials and services, but are asked to use discretion in the number of items checked out in any given subject.

Community Patrons

Community Patron Applications for Library Privileges will be reviewed by the library director. The applicant will be notified by email if the application is approved. There is no annual user fee, there is a six item check out limit, and Community patrons may not use interlibrary loan. A borrower’s library privileges may be terminated at the discretion of the Library Director for violation of policies, disruptive behavior, or any activity deemed detrimental to the library or our primary users.

Community patrons are:

• CTS alumni.
• Immediate family members of current students, facaulty, and staff.
• Ministerial members of the PCUSA.
• Members of PCUSA congregations in the Tri-Presbyteries (Greater Atlanta, Cherokee and Northeast Georgia Presbyteries).
• Ministers and chaplains serving congregations or institutions in the greater Atlanta area* except those enrolled in a non-ATA or non-ARCHE academic degree program.
• Residents of the city of Decatur (30030 zip code only).
• Atlanta Theological Association (ATA) and Atlanta Regional Consortium Higher Education (ARCHE) students, faculty, and staff with a valid interlibrary use card and institutional identification.

*Greater Atlanta is defined as the 10 counties in the Atlanta Regional Commission: Cherokee, Clayton, Cobb, DeKalb, Douglas, Fayette, Fulton, Gwinnett, Henry and Rockdale.

Circulation Policies

Circulating books for all basic degree students and Community patrons are due four weeks after the date of check-out. If the due date falls on a day the Library is closed the next open date is used. At check-out the date due slip in the back of the book is stamped with the appropriate due date. Circulating books may be renewed up to two times, unless single-copy items have been requested by another user. Phone renewals are acceptable during the Library’s open hours. Overdue fines for books are $.25 per day per book. For lost books, patrons are charged $75.00, plus a $25.00 processing fee.*

DVDs may be checked-out for 7 days and may not be renewed.  Overdue fines are $1.00 per day for DVDs. The fee for a lost item is $75.00, plus a $25.00 processing fee.*

Periodicals, Reference items, and Special Collections materials may not be checked-out of the Library building.

Borrowing privileges may be suspended when one of the following occurs: 1) more than $10.00 is owed to the Library in fines or fees; 2) items checked out to the patron are overdue; 3) the number of items checked-out has exceeded the person’s limit; and 4) abuse of ILU privileges have been reported to the JBCL.

*Charges over $10.00 may be paid via credit card between 8:30 a.m. and 4:30 p.m., Monday through Friday.

Interlibrary Use

We enjoy visits from students of neighboring schools! If you are a student at an ARCHE school, please obtain an Interlibrary Use (ILU) card at your home school’s library. ILU cards are required to check out books from the CTS Library. If you would like to visit and do research but not check out books, you may either show your ILU card or have your home library staff send us an email letting us know the day and approximate time of your planned visit.