Connect NY - FAQs

 

WHAT IS Connect NY?

historical overview

Connect NY is a unified catalog of participating academic libraries in New York State designed to allow authorized users of participating libraries to borrow materials from other Connect NY libraries if the books are not owned by their home library or if their library's copy is already checked-out.

Colgate University • Library Home Page • Catalog
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute • Library Home Page • Catalog
Rochester Institute of Technology • Library Home Page • Catalog
St. Lawrence University • Library Home Page • Catalog
Siena College • Library Home Page • Catalog
Union College • Library Home Page • Catalog
Vassar College • Library Home Page • Catalog

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WHAT MATERIAL IS AVAILABLE IN THE Connect NY CATALOG?

Connect NY gives you access to the combined material held in these libraries. The Connect NY catalog contains bibliographic, location, and availability information for materials in participating libraries. Resources included are: books, magazines, journals, newspapers, government documents, archives and manuscript, audiovisual materials, maps, sound recordings, music scores, films, videotape and electronic resources. The Connect NY catalog is continuously updated over the Internet with your local library's holdings and shows their current circulation status, local call numbers, and summary journal holdings information. Books with a status of 'AVAILABLE' may be 'Requested' for delivery to your local library.

Although listed in the Connect NY catalog, the following material CANNOT be borrowed: journals, library-use-only, reserve and non-book materials. Some electronic resources may not be accessible unless your institution holds a subscription or has copyright permission to use the resource.

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WHO CAN USE Connect NY?

If you qualify to borrow material from a Connect NY member library, you may qualify to request material with an 'AVAILABLE' status through the Connect NY catalog. Check with your library if you are unsure. If you are not a qualified Connect NY borrower, you can request material through Interlibrary Loan at your local school, public, or academic library.

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HOW DO I GET STARTED?

Connect directly at http://www.connectny.info/. Connect NY is also accessible through any member library catalog where you can easily move between your local catalog and Connect NY at any time with a single keystroke.

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HOW DO I FIND AND BORROW Connect NY MATERIAL?

  • Click the Connect NY button on your search screen
  • Search items by their author, title, keyword, subject heading and other access points. Millions of cataloging records have been loaded into the combined Connect NY database.
  • When you find and select what you want, a message appears underneath the publisher (Imprint) information for that item that says how many COnnect NY member libraries own the item, ex. "1 Connect NY library has this item".
  • Select that button and under the publisher information for that item each owning library's location for each copy or volume of the item (or hyperlink to the electronic resource) is displayed.
  • Fulfill the authentication procedure of your home library's circulation system.
  • Click the "Submit Above Information" button.
  • Your request is forwarded immediately to the owning library and sent to your specified pickup location within 2 - 4 working days. You will be notified when the material arrives at your pickup location.
  • Borrowers can monitor the status of Connect NY requests in the 'View Your Record' option available through each member library. Items that are ready for pick-up are marked RECV'D. Prior requests (not yet received) can also be cancelled from this option.

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WHAT ARE THE Connect NY BORROWING RULES?

  • Circulating items are loaned for 21 days.
  • An additional 21 day "loan renewal" may be requested if other users have not reserved the item or it has not been "recalled" by the lending library.
  • The maximum number of items which can be borrowed by a patron is set by each participating institution. Please contact the Circulation department of your member library for specifics.
  • All loans are subject to "recall" by the lending institution at any time.
  • Borrowers may return items to any participating Connect NY library.
  • Borrowers will be billed for overdue items 30 days after loan expiration.
  • $100 will be imposed for billed or lost books ($75 replacement cost plus $25 processing and fees).
  • $75 replacement cost and $15 processing fee will be rescinded for prompt return of overdue items. $10 billing fee will still be applied.
  • Holds may not be placed on checked out items.

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HOW LONG DOES A Connect NY REQUEST TAKE?

Your request is forwarded immediately to the owning library and sent to your specified pickup location within 2 - 4 working days.

Items requested during the weekends can be picked up after 3pm on Tuesday. Holidays and university calendars may affect this schedule.

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WHAT IS "LOCATION"?

All materials in the Connect NY catalog are associated with a specific library and location within the library. When you search the catalog, a library code displays on the index browse screen opposite the author, title, or term retrieved. The code indicates which library owns the item.

Member Library Codes
Colgate University - CU
Rensselaer Polytechnic Institute - RPI
Rochester Institute of Technology - RIT
Saint Lawrence University - SLU
Siena College - SC
Union College - UC
Vassar College - VAS

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WHAT DOES "STATUS" REFER TO?

Available - Item is available in stacks for check-out.
Due [date] - Item is checked out and due back on date indicated.
1 Hold - Item has been requested and will be held for the patron when it is either returned or found.
On Hold Shelf - Item is on hold for another patron at circulation desk.
Missing - Item is not in the stacks or checked out. Library staff search before declaring lost.
Billed - Item is overdue. A patron has been billed for replacement.
Lost - Item has been declared lost. It is under consideration for replacement.
On Order - Item is on order and is not yet available.
Claimed Ret'd - Item is not in the stacks. Last borrower claimed returned. Library staff search before declaring lost.

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WHAT IF THE ITEM I WANT IS CHECKED OUT?

If the book you want is not from your own campus library, you must place an Interlibrary Loan request for the book at your local library or remote center. If the book you want is from your own library, check with the circulation desk at your library to place a recall on the book. The recall process cannot be done online at this time. You will be notified by mail when the item is available. It will be held for you for 10 days.

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CAN I BORROW MATERIAL FROM A MEMBER LIBRARY IN PERSON?

Yes.

Loan periods, fines, and other circulation policies for "visiting patrons" vary among these institutions; you are bound by the rules of the library from which you borrow.

Before you go to the other library, ask a library staff member at your home library about the Connect NY Reciprocal Borrowing and other agreements between the libraries. Contact information, hours, etc. are usually available from the library's Web page.

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MAY I RENEW MATERIAL BORROWED THROUGH Connect NY?

An additional 21 day "loan renewal" may be requested if other users have not reserved the item or it has not been "recalled" by the lending library.

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HOW MANY Connect NY REQUESTS CAN BE MADE?

Borrowing limits are set at 25.

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HOW DO I CHECK ON MY Connect NY REQUEST?

Borrowers may monitor the status of Connect NY requests in the 'View Your Record' option of their local catalog. Items whose status appears as 'RECV'D' are ready for pickup.

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HOW DO I CANCEL A Connect NY REQUEST?

A Connect NY request can be cancelled in the 'View Your Record' option of your local catalog under "Held Items." If an item still has a 'REQUESTED' status, it may be cancelled. (NOTE: Your local system may not be configured to offer this option. For information on canceling requests, inquire at the Circulation Dept. of your library.)

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HOW CAN I ACCESS Connect NY THROUGH TELNET PROTOCOL?

In the "Address" or "Location" box of your browser, enter the following.

telnet://connectny.info
Login: "Library"


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WHERE CAN I GET MORE INFORMATION ABOUT Connect NY?

For additional information about searching, borrowing, renewing and other Connect NY policies:

Please contact the Circulation department of your member library.

For additional information about the Connect NY system, contact:

Chris Lerch
Connect NY Project Coordinator,
Rochester Institute of Technology
90 Lomb Memorial Drive
Rochester, New York 14623
crlwml@rit.edu
(585) 475-2050
Admin. web site address (for internal use only): http://wally.rit.edu /connectnyadmin/connectny.html


For new libraries interested in investigating Connect NY membership:

Bart Harloe
University Librarian
St. Lawrence University
bharloe@stlawu.edu
(315) 229-5454

Application forms can be found at:

http://wally.rit.edu /connectnyadmin/application.htm

 

 

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