Policies

UST students, staff, faculty, alumni and ELS must have either current UST ID or current ELS ID to be allowed access to the Doherty Library.  

Visitors (not UST or ELS students) must present 2 forms of ID:

A government issued photo ID (State ID, Passport, or military ID) and one of the following:

• Current university alumni ID
• Current Friends of the Doherty Library card
• Current TexShare card
• Current photo ID’s from another university or school
• Current teacher ID
• Current work ID (example: Oil Company ID such as Shell, Exxon, etc... or medical center ID)

All ID's must meet the following criteria:

 1.     Current – this means they must have dates on them to prove that they are not expired

2.    Valid – only the kinds of ID’s listed above are considered valid forms of ID for entry to the library

3.    Photo – they must have a photo of the person presenting the ID.

Guest scholars (visiting professors, etc.) and school groups are welcome and should see the Dean of libraries, or librarian for more information.

Guest scholars will need a letter from a UST faculty member/administrator that asks us to grant access to a guest.  The letter needs to state what the specific research will be and how long the guest needs to use the library.  An e-mail is sufficient, but a letter is preferred.

Family members related to UST students can be admitted to the Doherty Library whenever they are accompanied by the UST student, faculty or staff member.  Family members not accompanied by the related UST student will be required to present two photo identification.

Resources at the Doherty Library are primarily intended for scholarly use.

Creating a disturbance of any kind, (including, but not limited to, loud noise, loud talking, harassment or abusive behavior toward other patrons or library staff, vandalism, carrying a weapon, smoking, inappropriate behavior, viewing pornography or sexually explicit material, inadequate personal hygiene, soliciting, unauthorized petitions or surveys, unauthorized entry to private or closed areas, unauthorized recordings, etc.) are not allowed and will result, at minimum, in your removal from the library.

For serious or repeated violation of the general use policy, you will be banned from future use of the library.

The library computers are primarily intended for scholarly use only. 

Viewing pornography and sexually explicit materials is prohibited for all users.  Failure to abide by this policy will result in your removal from the library and may result in being banned from the library.

The library computers are not intended for non-scholarly uses such as computer games, music videos, and excessive e-mail and chat and you may be asked to cease these activities.  Refusal to abide by this policy may result in your removal from the library, and will result in the intervention of UST Police as appropriate.

The computers in the library basement computer lab are restricted to University of St. Thomas students, faculty and staff use only.

Anyone under the age of 14 must be accompanied by a parent or legal guardian at all times while using the Doherty Library.  Children cannot be monitored and supervised by the staff; therefore the safety of unattended children cannot be guaranteed.  UST Police will be called to resolve incidents involving unsupervised children under age 14.

Cell phone use is permitted in the Library; however, please be respectful of your fellow library users by following these guidelines:

• Set your phone to silent or vibrate.
• If you must answer or make a call, please speak in a low voice and, if the call will last for more than a few minutes, exit the building.

Designated “Silent Areas” are found in the Silent Reading Room, located on the first floor, east-wing; and also the first floor west-wing book stack area.  Cell phones should not be used in these areas.

Here at Doherty library we respect each individual patron as our guest and if you have a need for a special accommodation or have a special circumstance that you would like us to be aware of please contact a librarian at the reference desk or a circulation desk manager.  If your request does not infringe on anyone else’s library use we will try to accommodate your request. 

We are always interested in hearing your comments and concerns. You can email the library Dean Jim Piccininni at jpicci@stthom.edu. 

Copyright infringement may lead to serious legal and financial consequences.  Library materials may be subject to the copyright law for purpose of preservation, scholarship, or research only.  No reproduction, distribution, display, or performance is authorized.

Copies of copyrighted works should include proper attribution and copyright notices.

No self-propelled or electronic vehicles are allowed to be stored in the library foyer, or anywhere inside the library.  Patrons are encouraged to use the bicycle rack located outside the front of the library to store these vehicles.  

No animals or pets are allowed in the library.  The one exception to this policy is for patrons with vision impairments that require assistance from guide dogs.

Furniture, such as arm chairs, study desks, tables, easels, whiteboards,  etc. may not be moved from their positions so that they block walkways, doorways, emergency exits, fire alarms, or anywhere that will disrupt library patrons and processes. 

Collection Development Policy

Circulation Policies

Social Media Policy