Mission, Policies, & Forms

ADA Compliance Statement: The University of Maine at Farmington provides reasonable accommodations to qualified individuals upon request.

Mission: As partner in the educational mission of Maine’s public liberal arts college, Mantor Library provides instruction and information access to faculty and students, allowing them to meet their scholarly and research goals. The library serves the larger community as a regional information center, within the limits of the library’s resources and its primary commitment to the university community.

Vision: To inquire, inspire, and inform.

Values statement: To fulfill the library’s mission, the library staff practice the following values:

  • People: The highly qualified staff of Mantor Library values and respects all patrons and is committed to providing outstanding service to students, faculty, staff and community members.
  • Access: Mantor provides the greatest access possible to information in a variety of formats to advance the instructional and research-related goals of the university curriculum. We empower our patrons in their information-seeking activities through the use of appropriate technologies.
  • Diversity: Mantor promotes an understanding of and appreciation for diversity through collections and information access, services, programming, and staff.
  • Intellectual pursuit: Mantor is a teaching library. We encourage critical thinking and exploration by participating in the instructional, research, and creative endeavors of the UMF community through programming, outreach, and instruction.
  • Intellectual freedom: Mantor Library ensures free and open access to information by embracing and promoting the values set forth in the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights.
  • Privacy: Mantor Library actively protects the privacy of all patrons by complying, in both letter and spirit, with all applicable privacy laws.
  • Stewardship: Mantor provides a welcoming environment in a secure facility. We utilize funding responsibly and participate in cooperative resource-sharing arrangements with other libraries to maximize the benefits for library users.

Wondering how and why certain items are in our collections and why others aren’t? Our Collection Development Policies below explain in detail our goals and procedures for adding and removing items:

Mantor Library encourages and welcomes gifts from University of Maine at Farmington affiliates and the general public that contribute to the learning, teaching, and research goals of the University.

Gifts may be made to the library through financial contributions to assist in the acquisition of materials or equipment and/or to further expand service to the Library’s users. Monetary donations are subject to the approval of library management and the University of Maine System Board of Trustees. Persons wishing to discuss a monetary contribution to Mantor Library should contact the Library.

The Library appreciates donations of materials that complement the current collection and/or support the University of Maine at Farmington’s curriculum. To donate books or other materials to the Library’s collection, please submit this form with your donation Donation Form (PDF).

If you would like to add any of your students’ work to the University’s archive collection please submit the following forms (along with the item being added) to Laurie MacWhinnie, Head of Reference Services:

Mantor Library is committed to providing a collaborative atmosphere which is conducive to study, reading, and the appropriate use of library resources. Library patrons are expected to act in a manner which is in keeping with the library’s purpose and to comply with all library regulations and policies. Behavior which disrupts the orderly use of the library or damages library property is unacceptable and may result in disciplinary action including the loss of library privileges and other consequences deemed appropriate by library staff, university administration, and law enforcement authorities.

  • Food and non-alcoholic beverages are permitted in parts of the library. To protect library materials, food and beverages are not allowed in the shelving areas. Food and beverage containers should not be placed on couches, chairs, copiers, computers, or other equipment. Spills should be reported promptly to library staff.
  • Please be considerate with cell phone use.
  • Children 15 years old and younger must be under the direct supervision of an adult at all times. The adult is responsible for the child’s behavior in an environment designed for research and study. Unaccompanied children will be required to leave the library.
  • Members of the community who are 12 years old and older may request a free library card, which will allow them to borrow materials from the regular collection.
  • Patrons are expected to obey all current copyright regulations and adhere to the posted Technology Use Policy.
  • Patrons are expected to pay for all printed and photocopied material.
  • Shoes must be worn at all times.

The following are prohibited in all areas of the library:

  • Sleeping.
  • Smoking, or the use of any tobacco product.
  • Animals, with the exception of those necessary for personal assistance.
  • Use of roller blades, skateboards, cycles or any unauthorized wheeled equipment. Bicycles must be left in the rack provided in front of the library; they may not be left in the entryway.
  • Blocking entrances, exits, or aisles.
  • Disorderly, disruptive, or threatening behavior including, but not limited to, loud talking, threats, sexual harassment, displays of illegal materials, or violent or abusive language.
  • Damaging or destroying library materials or property including, but not limited to, underlining or highlighting, removing pages or portions of pages, or attempting to remove bindings or electronic theft tags.
  • Using library furnishings and/or equipment in a manner which is inconsistent with its intended purpose and/or potentially damaging.
  • Attempting to remove library materials without following proper checkout procedures. Patrons setting off the security alarm will be asked to return to the desk to determine the reason.
  • Concealing or deliberately misfiling library materials for the exclusive use of an individual or group.
  • Failing to leave the building promptly at closing or in the event of an emergency; attempting to remain in the library after it is closed; or attempting to enter the building after the doors are locked.
  • Opening emergency exits except in an emergency.

The Peter Mills Electronic Classroom (PMEC) is designed for University of Maine at Farmington (UMF) library staff to teach library instruction and is the support facility for the library’s Information Literacy Program. Library instruction or other use by library staff has priority over any other use of the PMEC. When not being used for instruction, the classroom is available to UMF students, staff, faculty, and community patrons as an open computer lab.

Sessions in the PMEC are scheduled for the following purposes (in order of priority):

  • Course-related or course-integrated library instruction conducted by library staff.
  • Workshops or training sessions for students or student library aides conducted by library staff.
  • Workshops, training sessions, or professional development sessions for UMF faculty or staff conducted by library staff.
  • A one-time, single session of a UMF class conducted by UMF faculty for their own instructional purposes when no other computer lab is available.
  • Instruction, training, or workshops conducted by a UMF student with the direct supervision of a member of the UMF faculty.
  • Administrative training for UMF faculty or staff conducted by non-library UMF faculty or staff when no other computer lab is available.
  • Other UMF-related uses on an as-available basis, when no other computer lab is available and subject to the approval of the Reference Librarian.
  • Occasional use by non-profit community groups or organizations on an as-available basis, subject to the approval of the Reference Librarian.

The PMEC may not be scheduled or used for the following purposes:

  • Regular, repeating, or recurring meetings of any class for an entire semester.
  • An open lab or on a drop-in (unscheduled) basis for a UMF class, with or without the faculty member or course instructor present.
  • Use of the classroom for any purpose when the library is closed.
  • Instruction, training, or workshops for community patrons or the general public conducted by any person not employed by or affiliated with UMF for any purpose not affiliated with UMF, not associated with an officially sanctioned UMF program, not associated with a non-profit group or organization, or without the approval of the Reference Librarian.

Personal, commercial, business, or for-profit use by UMF faculty, staff, students, community patrons, or the general public.

Rules of Use

Reservations will be accepted on a first come, first served basis, and can be made by contacting the Reference Librarian by phone, through email, or in person. The Reference Librarian reserves the right to deny a request for a reservation that does not comply with the rules and guidelines outlined in this policy.

The person who is requesting permission to use the classroom and who will be responsible for monitoring the use of the room during the reservation period must make the reservation with the Reference Librarian.

Faculty must accompany any classes they schedule in the PMEC.

Reservations for instruction sessions conducted by library staff should be made at least one (1) week in advance to allow the library staff sufficient time to prepare.

Requests for reservations by UMF faculty to use the classroom to conduct their own session with their class should be made at least three (3) days in advance and are subject to classroom availability. Requests for reservations by any other person who wished to use the PMEC without library staff should be made at least one (1) week in advance and are also subject to classroom availability.

A calendar of reservations will be posted outside the PMEC and made available online through the library’s homepage. However, all reservations made by the Reference Librarian will be valid and the reserving party will be allowed to use the classroom for the reserved period even if notice is not posted in advance.

A reservation takes priority over other use of the PMEC. Anyone using the PMEC must leave when asked to do so by the UMF faculty member, library staff, or any other person who has reserved the classroom with the Reference Librarian.

Only members of the group or class with the reservation may use the classroom during the reserved period.

When a reserved period has ended and if there is no other class scheduled, the PMEC will be made available to all library patrons as an open lab.

No reservations will be made for the last week of classes during an academic semester or during finals week so that the PMEC can remain available as an open lab for students.

Any person or group who does not keep a PMEC reservation and fails to notify the Reference Librarian in advance can be denied future reservations.

The PMEC’s instructor station and the classroom technology available from it are for librarian use only. Faculty with a reservation to use the room for instruction may use the instructor’s station and classroom technology and can request to be logged into the instructor’s station.

The computers in the PMEC may not be reconfigured, and no software (permanent or temporary) may be installed on or removed from any computer or the instructor’s station in the PMEC without the express approval of library management. Requests to add software must be submitted at least two (2) weeks in advance of the scheduled reservation, and any modifications to any computers, including the instructor’s station, must be made by the IT Services. Library management and IT Services also reserve the right to refuse any such requests.

The library is not responsible for hardware, software, or network failures during a class. Library staff should be notified of any equipment failures or technical problems that arise during a PMEC session.

Loud conversation, cell phones, or other disruptive behaviors are not permitted in the PMEC. Any person or group using the PMEC, with or without a reservation, can be asked to leave for failure to abide by library policies. Anyone, with or without a reservation, can also be denied access to the PMEC or denied reservations to use the PMEC in the future for failing to abide by the library’s policies.

Community patrons under the age of 16 may not use the Peter Mills Electronic Classroom unless accompanied by a parent or guardian.

All use of the PMEC equipment must conform to the Mantor Library’s Acceptable Use Policy, Patron Conduct Code, and UMF copyright policies.

When day and evening classes are canceled, the library will be closed. Staff members are granted administrative leave and do not have to report for work.

The week before finals and the week of finals, the library will remain open from 10am-4:30pm, regardless of campus closure. It will be staffed by students, with a designated student shift leader in charge. The head of circulation will arrange for this coverage in advance, in case of a campus closure.

When classes are canceled after the library has opened for the day, the library will close at the same time as campus. Staff members are granted administrative leave and may go home at that time.

When the campus opens late, but classes are not canceled for the whole day, daytime staff should report for work 15 minutes before campus opens. (Anyone opening should report 25 minutes early to allow time for opening the building.) The building will unlock 15 minutes before campus opens. Students should report for work at their regularly scheduled time.

  • Staff members will leave a phone or email message at least one hour before campus opens to let others know if they cannot make it in, or need to arrive later than the scheduled opening.
  • If day classes are canceled but evening classes are held, evening staff and student workers will report to work at the regularly scheduled time or 15 minutes before campus opens.

On the weekend, the library director may close the library based on prevailing conditions and contact the head of circulation and HR.

  • The head of circulation will notify students of this decision no later than one hour before the start of a shift.
  • If students have concerns about conditions and have not heard from the head of circulation, or if they cannot make it in, they should contact the head of circulation at home. If the head cannot be reached, they should contact the director.

On the weekend, after the library has opened for the day, if a situation indicates closure of the library, the student shift leader on duty will contact the director or head of circulation to confer about closing.

  • If the director cannot be reached, the student shift leader is authorized to make the decision to close, based on prevailing conditions.
  • If the library closes, the student shift leader will contact security and the switchboard to convey the information.

During periods of extreme emergency, if there is imminent danger to staff or patrons, the library should be closed immediately without regard to the above procedures. All patrons should be cleared from the building before the staff leaves.

If administrative leave is declared when the college is not in session (such as during winter or spring break), the library will not open and staff do not have to report in.

NOTE: Whenever regular library hours are altered because of weather or other unforeseen conditions, every effort should be made to put a message on the library’s incoming phone (207.778.7210) indicating that the library is closed and providing, if possible, information about when it will reopen.

Additionally, when the library closes unexpectedly over the weekend, the director will notify HR so they can be aware if admin leave listed on time sheets is correct.

Technology use in the library is intended primarily for academic purposes which will take precedence over all other activities.

Mantor Library does not control information available over the Internet and is not responsible for its content. Patrons should be aware that Internet sites may contain offensive or controversial material. Parents or legal guardians of minors are responsible for monitoring the library activities of their children. Users at workstations are in a public building and are expected to show consideration for others.

Guidelines

Mantor Library guidelines include, but are not limited to, the following:

  • Library staff may provide assistance with library technology and equipment. More detailed assistance for UMF Students, Faculty, and Staff will be referred to IT Helpdesk Staff.
  • Patrons assume all responsibility for the loss or damage to their personal equipment and media.
  • Community members must sign up for a UMF community computer account to use community access computers in the building. A photo ID is required to create a community account. Children 12-17 years old may use community access computers only if accompanied and directly supervised by a parent/adult guardian at all times. Photo IDs may be waived for applicants between the ages of 12 and 17 provided the parent or guardian presents their own photo ID.
  • Mantor Library’s electronic resources are to be used only for purposes which are legal and consistent with the Library’s mission.
  • During heavy use library staff may limit time on library equipment.

Prohibited Uses and Behaviors

  • Harassment or disrespect of other library users or staff
  • Misuse, abuse, destruction or damage to equipment, software or data belonging to the library
  • Violation of any local, state or federal law: this includes but is not limited to, copyright and licensing violations, except as permitted by the principles of “fair use” under federal copyright law; invading the privacy of individuals by accessing their data or by harming, modifying, or destroying their data and using Internet access for slanderous, libelous or harassing purposes. It is the responsibility of the computer user to know, understand and abide by the law.

If you are uncertain about any area of acceptable use, please consult library staff.

Contact Us

Mantor Library
University of Maine at Farmington
116 South Street
Farmington, Maine 04938
tel  207.778.7210
fax 207.778.7223
TYY (via Maine Relay Service) dial 711
umfmantorlibrary-group@maine.edu