Library Services and Policies | Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy

Library Services and Policies

Digital Recording in the IRC

Digital recording in the IRC requires permission from an IRC Team member.

IRC as Quiet Zone

The main area of the IRC is a Quiet Zone. There is collaboration space in the Mac and digital media lab.

Check-out Policy & Loan Periods

Students, staff and faculty with a valid IMSA ID may check out IRC materials as follows:

  • STUDENTS: 4 weeks for most books from the main IRC collection; overdue notices are e-mailed
  • FACULTY/STAFF: 16 weeks for most books from the main IRC collection; overdue notices are e-mailed
  • STUDENTS, FACULTY/STAFF:
    • Some high-use books have a 2-week loan period
    • Magazines and journals: 2 weeks DVDs,
    • Videos and CDs: 1 week
    • Reference materials: direct requests for short-term loans to IRC Staff
    • Reserve materials are usually for library use only

Most items may be renewed if there are no outstanding requests. Items that are not yet overdue can be renewed online in the library catalog. See “Create an IRC Catalog Account” below. Students, faculty/staff are responsible for all materials checked out on their IDs. After 3 overdue reminders, borrowers will be notified that their privileges have been suspended until the item is returned or payment received.

Create an IRC Catalog Account / Renew and Request Online

  1. Start by Creating an Account
  2. Fill in both “Basic Information” and “Library Catalog Profile”
  3. Make sure to type your complete IMSA ID number in “Barcode”
  4. Choose “Illinois Mathematics and Science Academy”
  5. “Submit” Once your account is set up, go to “Catalog” on the IRC home page.

Once you’ve logged in, you can request books from other I-Share libraries if the IRC does not own. You can also go to “Checked Out Items” to renew (if prior to due date), and check the status of requested items, fines, etc.

Interlibrary Loan

The IRC provides Interlibrary Loan (ILL) services for materials we don’t have access to through our collections. No fee is charged; however, lost materials are subject to costs set by the lending library. All books borrowed through Interlibrary Loan must be returned to the IRC in order to ensure they are returned to the correct lending library.

  • Books and journal articles are available through Interlibrary Loan.
  • Books from other I-Share libraries have a 28-day loan period for students, staff and faculty with options to renew.
  • The IRC complies with the State of Illinois Interlibrary Loan Code as well as the I-Share Interlibrary Loan Code.
  • There is no charge for photocopied journal articles, but the library is prohibited from requesting more than five articles per journal per year by copyright law.
  • If you have any questions regarding Interlibrary Loan, a copy of the policy is available at the Circulation Desk upon request.

Home Library Return

Materials checked out from any library in the state of Illinois may be returned to the lending library by the IRC. See Angela Richardson. The IRC is not responsible for overdue charges accrued during transit.

Reserve Materials

Open Reserves are located on the large wooden table in the center of the library. They consist mainly of books from the IRC main and Reference collections and are placed on Reserve for specific classes and assignments. Typically they are for in-library use only; photocopies of selected pages may be made.

Closed Reserves should be requested at the Check-Out desk. They consist of books, videos, CDs, DVDs, photocopied articles, etc. reserved by faculty. They are listed under the teacher’s name and may be checked out for in-library use.