Mickel Library

Library Information

Library Services & Resources

Circulation Desk

Circulating materials may be checked out at the circulation desk. The loan period is 21 days for books, musical scores, CDs, and LPs, and three to five days (depending on the user category) for DVDs and videos. Items may be renewed once if no other patrons have requested them.

Professors often place reserve materials at the circulation desk for the use of their students. There are currently four types of reserves:

  • Library-Use Only (4 hours)
  • Overnight Reserves (due the following day)
  • Three-Day Reserves (due the third day after checkout)
  • Five-Day Reserves (due the fifth day after checkout)

Converse students, faculty, and staff are offered full borrowing privileges and related library services (e.g., reference and interlibrary loan). The following types of users may check out a limited number of items from the library, but do not receive other services:

  • Students and faculty with a valid college ID and a reciprocal borrower’s card from another South Carolina college (see eligible schools)
  • Converse alumnae (i.e., those with a bachelor’s or master’s degree from the College)
  • Community borrowers (i.e., local residents who have paid a $25.00 fee for a two-year period)

Borrowers should return all materials by the due date. Fines for late items are as follows:

  • 25¢ per day for each circulating item (maximum fine - $10.00 per item)
  • $1.00 per day for each reserve item (maximum fine - $25.00 per item)
  • $1.00 per day for each video (increases to $2.00 per day if not returned within two days)

Long overdue fines are collected by the Business Office, which also charges borrowers a standard replacement cost and a handling fee for any unreturned materials.

Interlibrary Loan

Interlibrary loan service is available ONLY to the students, faculty, and staff of Converse College. Borrowers should use the online forms at http://marie.converse.edu/illb/ to submit their requests.

Requested books and scores generally arrive in two to eight days, recordings in two to three weeks, and journal articles in one to seven days. However, depending on such factors as distance and method of delivery, arrival times can vary significantly. In some cases, owning libraries may decline to loan certain items, resulting in delays or unfilled requests.

Curriculum Resource Center (CRC)

The CRC (second floor) houses a collection of textbooks, methods, curriculum guides, children's literature, and academic materials which support the undergraduate and graduate education programs at Converse College. All but reference materials in the CRC may be checked out.

Copies

Self-service photocopiers are available on the first and second floors. Copies are 10¢ each, and change is available at the circulation desk.

Microform copies are 10¢ each. Patrons pay for these copies at the circulation desk after they make them.

Archives & Special Collections

Archives is a secure, climate-controlled facility that contains valuable documents, photographs, and other materials pertaining to the history and students of the College. Special Collections consists primarily of Converse publications, books by faculty and alumnae, student theses, and Caroliniana. Controlled access to these materials is available by appointment with the Director of Archives & Special Collections.

Harriet Quimby Collection
In March of 1999, Converse College and the Mickel Library Archives acquired materials to set up the National Harriet Quimby Collection. Harriet Quimby, the first licensed American woman pilot, was also the first woman to pilot an aircraft across the English Channel. These materials are available to researchers by appointment or view the web site below.

Harriet Quimby-America's First Lady of Air

Reference Service

Reference service is provided to Converse students, faculty and staff who need assistance in locating academic information. The librarians serve as consultants, advising students on the use of appropriate information sources and helping them begin their library assignments.

Whenever the reference desk (on the first floor) is staffed, students should direct their questions to the librarian on duty there. Otherwise, they should inquire at the circulation desk.

Reference librarians also teach basic library skills to students in bibliographic instruction (BI) sessions. These sessions are arranged by individual faculty members and librarians. The goal of the BI program is to make students as self-sufficient as possible in their use of libraries.

Carrels & Meeting Rooms

A number of enclosed study carrels are available to Converse students and faculty on a first-come, first-serve basis. Carrels are not assigned to individuals and are kept unlocked. The A.B. Taylor Room on the third floor is available for group meetings. Reservations can be made by contacting the Administrative Assistant in the library.

The Mickel Library has a second-floor classroom, which is used for library instruction sessions. The classroom may also be reserved for group meetings.

Music Library

The music library on the first floor maintains an extensive collection of CDs, LPs, and scores, as well as music books and periodicals. The Mary Hart Law listening room contains turntables, CD players, and cassette decks for individual listening. Headphones are available at the circulation desk.

Library Collections

The Mickel Library houses almost 150,000 books and other cataloged materials (including 20,000 audiovisual items) and more than 82,000 units of microform. The periodicals collection consists of 590 titles in a combination of print and microform, as well as 29 electronic indexes containing more than 18,000 unique journal titles in full text. The library also provides access to a number of online reference databases (e.g., encyclopedias, biographical material, and art images).

Mission Statement

The Mickel Library exists to support the mission of Converse College. The library’s mission, therefore, is to serve the academic needs of the Converse community by providing access to quality informational resources in a setting conducive to research and study. (For further information, see the library’s collection development policy.)