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High School Class Visits Policies

Request Library Instruction for High School Class Visits To Milne Library

The Librarians of Milne Library at SUNY Geneseo are very happy to offer our resources and services in support of the library instruction programs of local high schools. We have developed policies for high school visits designed to integrate service to high school groups with our primary mission of meeting the research needs of our college students and faculty. In a spirit of mutual cooperation and support in providing high school students with a productive college library experience, we communicate the following policies.

Requests

Requests for high school class visits should be made by the high school library media specialist. Please direct all questions regarding visits to Rich Dreifuss, Interim Library Instruction Coordinator, 245-5175, dreifuss@geneseo.edu.

To make a request, please complete and submit the electronic request form. In order to integrate your students’ needs with those of our college students, it is necessary that we receive your application form 3 weeks in advance of the date requested for the visit.

Please try to schedule class visits during times when College is not in session. In this way, your students will receive more attention (our staff will be under less pressure) and will not be competing with our college students for space and resources. If you cannot schedule visits when the college students are on vacation, please request Friday mornings, as close to 8 am as possible. Depending on the time of year, other days are possible, but should be discussed ahead of time with the Library Instruction Coordinator. We will not be able to honor requests for visits during times of peak college use, especially during the final weeks of each semester. Please email us to check availability.

Student Preparation

The high school library media specialist must accompany classes on visits. For groups of 15 or more students, please bring at least one additional high school staff member. In order for students to be able to work productively and get the assistance they need, groups should be limited to a maximum of 30 students during the regular semester; 40 during times when regular college classes are not in session.

All students in grade 12, and grade 11 A.P. students who have received preparatory instruction (see below) from the high school library media specialist and are seeking information on topics that are likely to be successfully researched at Milne Library are able to participate.

Preparatory Instruction:

  • Please ensure that students are seeking information on topics that may be successfully researched in Milne Library and which they have refined to some degree.
  • Please forward a list of student topics to the Library Instruction Coordinator at least 5 days before your visit.
  • Please have students demonstrate to their high school library media specialist and classroom teacher that they have a basic understanding of their topic and have located several references on that topic prior to their class visit.
  • Please instruct students to search the catalog in their high school library media center for books prior to their visit. If books are not available in the school library, please instruct students to request them through the school interlibrary loan system.
  • There is a change machine in Milne Library which can make change for ones, fives, and quarters. However, for their convenience (and the odd chance that the machine could be out of order), students should be advised to bring change with them for making copies. Copies are 10 cents per page. Some of the paper copiers accept 1-dollar and 5-dollar bills; the microform printers take only dimes and nickels.
  • Students will be given a one-day username and password that will provide them use to the Library’s computers and free computer printing for the day of their visit.

Borrowing

High school class visits are intended to provide students with on-site use of Library resources. We are unable to lend materials to groups during their visit. Students who are 18 years old may return to the library on their own to obtain a Guest Borrower’s card if they need materials at Geneseo which are not available through the high school library media center. Students younger than 18 will need to bring someone older with them in order to borrow materials. All students should be advised of our return policies and overdue fees of 25 cents per day.

We look forward to working with you and your students!