Policies

Animals in the library

Only service animals are permitted in the library.

Food & drink

You can eat & drink in the library! Sustenance can make reading, studying, or research in the library a more productive and enjoyable experience.

Guidelines:

  • Personal servings of food and drinks with lids are allowed.
  • Your consumption of food should not distract others. Group meals should be consumed in the Lake Effect Café. Staff may ask you to move to another location, at their discretion.
  • Food should not be stored in the library's study carrels.
  • No food or drink is allowed in the computer lab or near other computers, scanners, or other electronic equipment.
  • Report spills to a library staff member as soon as possible, so the spill may be cleaned up. Spilled food and drink can cause an accident, attract pests, or damage library resources.
  • Clean up after yourself and discard your trash and recyclables into the labeled bins.

Closing due to inclement weather

Closing due to inclement weather

  • When a State of Emergency has been declared and SUNY Oswego is closed, the library is closed. To be notified about a State of Emergency:
    • Sign up for New York Alert to receive emergency notifications, including campus-wide cancellation of classes due to severe winter weather.
    • Check out FEMA's page on emergency alerts to learn other ways you can find out about State of Emergency.
  • When classes are cancelled, the library will be open if there is available staff. Call 315-312-2560 to confirm open hours before visiting.
  • When in-person classes are not in session, the library may close at the discretion of Library Administration.

Resources available when the library is closed

Theft & mutilation of library materials

Don't steal or intentionally damage library materials! This makes the materials unavailable to others and is in direct violation of Student Conduct as outlined in the Student Handbook. If theft or intentional damage occurs, we will contact University Police to initiate an investigation.

Table Reservations

Anyone who wants to set up a table in the library must first get permission from Library Administration.

  • Table space in Penfield Library is available to all SUNY Oswego student organizations, departments, or sponsored events, for the purpose of academic support or educational activities. Table space is not available for fundraising.
  • Reservation requests must be submitted at least 1 business day in advance.
  • Table activities should not interrupt the normal flow of pedestrian traffic nor disrupt regular use of the library.
  • Reservations can be scheduled 8 am - 9 pm weekdays, and may last up to two days. Only one organization will be scheduled for each particular day/time slot.
  • Tables must be staffed at all times they are reserved.

Locations and procedure

  • Table location can be either across from the Check-Out & Reserves Desk or in the Lake Effect Café corridor.
  • We will provide your group one 24" x 60" table and two chairs. If you want to hang signs, please attach them only to your table.
  • Upon arrival for your event, please stop by the Check-Out & Reserves Desk. We'll show you where to find the table and chairs. You will also need to return them when you're done for the day.

Filming & photo shoot permission

Anyone who wants to use the library as a setting or background for filming and taking photos must first get permission from Library Administration.

Obtaining Permission from Library Administration

  • Permission should be requested at least 48 hours in advance of filming, and is processed Monday - Friday.
  • Permission is not effective until the requestor receives an email confirmation. Be prepared to show library staff this confirmation during filming.
  • Permission for course-related filming or photographing will be granted under the following circumstances:
    • The filming does not interfere with students studying, library business, or library/university events.
    • The site within the library is appropriate and used in a safe manner.
    • The filming is at a time and of short enough duration that it is not disruptive. Filming is discouraged at certain times of the academic year, such as the week before Finals and Finals Week.

Locations

  • The 3rd floor is a quiet study area. Filming on that floor should be limited and must minimize disruption to library users.
  • Some areas are off limits to video shooting, such as staff work areas.
  • In addition to the filming & photoshoot permission form, some areas require additional reservations or permissions:

Participant Consent

Photographers must either use their own subjects, or obtain the consent of anyone who is photographed or filmed.

Website privacy

For each visitor to our website, our web server automatically recognizes information regarding the IP address and domain.

We collect and aggregate information on what pages users access or visit and how they use those pages, to statistically analyze site usage and to improve our content and layout. We believe this analysis allows us to improve our site and better tailor it to meet our users' needs.

Any identifiable information collected will only be used internally by Penfield Library. We do not give, sell, rent, or loan such information to any third party, unless approved or requested by you, or unless we are legally required to do so.

This site contains links to other sites and services. Penfield Library is not responsible for the privacy practices or the content of such websites. Since we cannot guarantee the same level of privacy and security of these sites, we recommend that you read their privacy policies which may differ from ours.

For additional information, consult the State University of New York at Oswego - Internet Privacy Policy.

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