Students want to keep non-circulating books longer

The time limit of two hours placed on non-circulating academic material in the Ferdinand Postma Library on the North-West University Potchefstroom campus (NWU) is not enough to allow students to do their work, several students complained this week.

However, library staff say the rule has been set in place to give all students access to prescribed material.

Students who cannot afford textbooks feel they are affected by the rule – also by the fines that are payable if the study collection material is returned late.

Students and staff members have access to the libraries and databases, and are all allowed to borrow resources from any of the three NWU campus libraries at the loan services desk.

Non-circulating material such as journals, newspapers, referencing guides and more, are to be used in the library only. 

Students say they find it hard to use the items in the span of two hours for studying, research or doing their work.

“I use the library books because I cannot afford to buy textbooks and I always have to rush doing my work because the book is due in two hours,” Nelisiwe Bezana, 23, a corporate communication student, said. “I have to be in the library until late because they do not allow us to check out the books,” she said.

Theoline Figland, 24, a senior psychology student, said the two hours are not enough. There are many students who do not have textbooks and who are using the library books. “That makes you wait for the book, which may take you time to get the book if there are already people waiting for that particular book,” she said.

The library has a study collection, which consists of prescribed and reserved books.

Martin Nokoane, manager of the loan services desk, said the librarians provide prescribed books to students and if they cannot get hold of the books, they ask lecturers to reserve the particular books they use that year.

“Every year there are new book collections, which is the reason why librarians ask for reserved books from lecturers to be able to help students who do not have the financial means to purchase the books,” he said.

Nkoane further said, “We come from lending students books for three hours, we reduced three hours to two hours because the demand was too high and we did not want to deprive other students of the chance of getting the books. Some students return books past the due time and that is a problem but the library management deals with it by fining overdue items by R3 per item, per hour.”

Students are allowed to make copies of the material if they need more time to use them, according to Portia Mosetlhi, loan services desk assistant.

“We understand that two hours may not be enough at times but students are allowed to make copies of the books and to also borrow books overnight,” Mosethi concluded.