Policies

The Visual Resource Center accepts material gifts. These gifts will be given through the Office of Development. The Office of Development will prepare any necessary donor agreements or tax forms. The Visual Resource Center is happy to prepare itemized lists of donations.

In accordance with federal tax law, any appraisal of the value of donations is the sole responsibility of the donor. Donation does not automatically equate acquisition into the collection. Items will be assessed for acquisition under the Center’s collection development policy. Any items not acquired by the Center will be donated to other libraries or similar non-profit educational institutions in the area.

Because the Visual Resource Center does not have the conservation capabilities, primary source materials should not be collected. In the event that primary source materials are donated to the Center, they should be directed to the appropriate special collection or archive giving preference to Pfau Library Special Collections and California State University libraries.

• Upon each visit to the Visual Resource Center students must sign-in and sign-out at the sign-in kiosk
• Students need their student ID to check out any resources
• Take responsibility for your personal property
• We are not responsible for any items left in the VRC
• Set your cell phones on vibrate mode and step outside to answer or make calls
• Be respectful to those studying. Do not talk loud or listen to loud music

• Do not store any files or data on the computers
• Notify the staff about any computer problems
• Log off from the computer but do not shut it down
• The VRC is not responsible for any files or data left on the computers

A fee is charged for the use of any printer except the Kodak printer*.
Use of the color printer costs $0.70 per page, use of the black-and-white printer is $0.15 per page.
Cash only is accepted. Receipts are issued for any payment.

* The Kodak printer can be used to print material related to class activities and assignments by graphic design students only.

• To check out books and equipment you must be a registered patron
• Contact the VRC Director about the registration
• Books can be borrowed for a period of two weeks maximum
• Students can use iPads only in the VRC
• Do not leave any equipment unattended
• Faculty, staff, and students can borrow laptops and iPads after signing the required off-campus property use agreement form and lending agreement forms;  

  LaptopLendingAgreement and iPadLendingAgreement

• Check availability and reserve any equipment and books via the library catalog 
• Projectors are available for borrowing along with display adapters that will connect with the classroom terminals, or rolling cart terminals
• If a special app is needed for a class, please inform the VRC Director when making reservations (vrc@csusb.edu)
• Return books and equipment personally to a staff member at the VRC
• The working condition of the device will be assessed before the checkout and upon its return
• Borrowers should report any problems experienced with the equipment when returning it

Up to $1,200 for laptops
Up to $750 for iPads

Faculty may request image digitization for course materials or research projects.
In addition to image processing, the VRC creates also PDF copies of articles or book chapters for faculty members to use in courses.
To request digitization services, please contact the VRC Director.

The Visual Resource Center is transitioning its physical slide collection to digital collection on the instructional technology platform. 
Slides are digitized in order of priority.
Discolored, out-of-focus, or otherwise poorly produced slide images will not be digitized unless correction and digital cleaning can be performed at minimal cost and only when the images are not readily available in other formats.

When students request digital images or scans, the Visual Resource Center will guide the student through the digitization process.

Images are added to the permanent collection according to the acquisition policy.
The VRC may refuse digitization requests if we believe they violate the copyright law, but the faculty member is solely responsible for using digital materials in accordance with copyright law and fair use practices.

The VRC is dedicated to providing educational support of the faculty and students needs. As new changes are made to the Department of Art & Design’s curriculum or new suites of courses are added the acquisition of general materials, books, magazines, journals, DVD’s will be focused on filling gaps within the collection.

Selection of images, monographs, catalogue raisonné, and films for the collection should contribute to one of the following: support Department of Art & Design curriculum, support of student and faculty research, and strengthening of the overall collection value to the department at large.

Replacement items should only be purchased when it is evident the item still meets the goals of the current curriculum.

The Visual Resource Center subscribes to academic fine art and art education journals according to curriculum needs and following recommendations of Art Department faculty. Subscriptions are re-evaluated before renewal based on the volume of use and importance to instruction.

Licensing of materials, including acquisition of digital images, should be considered when the items being licensed are not readily available and provide support for instruction. Licenses should be examined closely to protect the integrity of fair use practices within academic libraries.

Due to the space constraints and mission of the Visual Resource Center, all materials should be open to consideration for deaccessioning if they no longer contribute to the educational purpose of the department. However, duplicates, out-of-date materials, and damaged materials should be considered first. Items that may fall into one of these categories may be replaced if they still meet the current criteria for acquisition.

When de-accessioning items, their value to other institutions and libraries should be considered. If institutions whose collecting policies would include items being de-accessioned, these items should be offered as donations to those institutions. If the items do not fit any institutions’ collecting policies, donation to public libraries for book drive sells should be considered.