Circulation Services

Contact the MSVU Library Circulation Department at (902) 457-6250 or by email at msvu.ca

Novanet

MSVU's Library is a member of the Novanet Consortium. Students, faculty and staff with a valid I.D. card may borrow from any metro university library as well as the libraries at CBU, StFX, the Nova Scotia Agricultural College and the Nova Scotia Community College campus libraries. Alumnae and members of the public may also have library privileges as Off Campus Borrowers. Some limits may apply.

This online catalogue contains over 2 million volumes from the academic libraries across the province.
Students are able to order and return items from any of the member libraries to be delivered to the most convenient member library using the document delivery service. This is a free service and it will take approximately 3 business days from time of ordering to be delivered to the Novanet institution of your choice. You will be contacted by email when the item arrives.
In order to take advantage of this service, you must have a valid Student or Faculty ID card in good standing. These ID Cards are issued by the Library.
Once you have your card, you can activate your account at the Circulation Desk.
CURBA (Canadian Universities Reciprocal Borrowing Agreement- Gives our students in-person borrowing privileges at all most universities in Canada.

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Library Loans & Renewals

The general loan period is 21 days for books and 3 days for videos. Fines are 25¢ per day per item to a maximum of $20.00 per item. Materials may be borrowed, renewed and returned at any Novanet Library. Any borrowed item may be recalled after 10 days. Overdue 'recall fines' are $1.00 per day per item to a maximum of $20.00 per item.

Off Campus Borrowers may have 10 (ten) MSVU items signed out at any one time. Loans are renewable in person, or through the Novanet Web Catalogue. An item can be renewed up to 3 times (except reserve items which cannot be renewed).

Library Holds & Recalls

Holds may be placed on signed out material, in person or online through Novanet. Recalls must be placed at the owning library. Items that are recalled must be returned by the date indicated or fines of $1.00 per day will apply.
Unpaid Fines and Replacement Costs

** Replacement for a lost or damaged item is the list price plus a $20.00 processing fee. Failure to return books, pay fines or pay replacement costs will result in a system-wide suspension of borrowing privileges and the withholding of grades and transcripts. Off-Campus Borrowers should be aware that overdue accounts are sent to a collection agency.

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Library Reserves

Look up Reserve call numbers by professor or by course on the Novanet catalogue. A valid student I.D. card in good standing is mandatory for borrowing Reserve Materials. Reserve materials are shelved behind the Circulation Desk. The loan periods vary as requested by the course instructor. Fines apply for late returns. For faculty looking to place materials Reserve, please go to our Reserve Policy page.
Please note: Reserve item loans are not renewable.

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BARA - Borrow Anywhere Return Anywhere

As of September 28, 2009 you can now borrow from over a hundred libraries across the province, including public, community college and university libraries. Materials can be returned to any of the participating libraries. Read more . . .

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Other Services

Photocopy debit cards are sold through a vending machine and change is available at the Circulation Desk. Disks, overhead transparencies and Library Research Guides can be purchased at the Circulation Desk. Access to the special collection on Lesbian Pulp Fiction is available from the Circulation Staff.

Library Zones - Group Study and Quiet Study

The Library has one bookable group study room which can be reserved by booking at the Circulation Desk.

The Library has responded to student requests for more group study space and for more places to meet and talk, and conversely to other student requests for a library that is quiet for reading and study. We have done this by creating three zones in the Library:

Blue Zones where there is absolute quiet, in areas that are conducive to individual study;
Orange Zones where there are computers, tables for group work, lounge areas for chatting and laptop use, and service desks where you can get staff assistance;
Red Zone on the lower level near the Archives where there is a combination of comfy seating, tables for group study, and where a noisier more vibrant atmosphere is the norm. You can even hold meetings there on a first-come, first-served basis.

Check for signs indicating which zone you are in. Orange and Red Zones have some walls painted orange or red as an indicator. Generally, wherever there are carrels on linoleum versus carpeting, you are in a Blue Zone, and where there are tables or service desks, or carrels on carpeting, it is an Orange or Red Zone. Lounge areas with comfy chairs vary for zoning (main level is Blue, lower level is Orange and Red) so please check the signs.

One of the reasons the Library has moved to zones is to keep the noise in the Orange and Red Zones, and make the quiet Blue Zone areas easier to maintain as silent study areas. Students will have a choice between quiet or noisy, instead of encountering an entire Library that is sometimes quiet and sometimes not. Students are encouraged to approach any Library staff member if they are being bothered by noise within a Blue Zone. Staff will be pro-active about reminding noisy students that they are in a Blue Zone. Also, Library staff will respect these zones and modulate their own conversations in a Blue Zone.

Library Carrels

Thirty-four carrels are available for rent ($50.00 per year) to graduate students. In an effort to create more group study space no other carrels will be rented. Please inquire at the Circulation Desk for more information.

Food and Beverage Policy

Students are welcome to consume both food and beverages in the Library in any area except at computer work stations and in the MacDonald Room. Please be considerate of all Library users and make use of the garbage and recycling receptacles when you are done.

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