Policies
The Baylor Libraries have instituted a number of policies that govern its spaces and operations. We ask that Baylor students, faculty, staff, and visitors observe these policies while inhabiting library spaces and using materials and resources.
The Baylor University Libraries have a wide variety of rare, special, and unique materials, many of which are now in digital collections or may be in the future. Those libraries include the:
- Armstrong Browning Library
- Arts & Special Collections Research Center
- Baylor Collections of Political Materials
- Baylor University Archives
- Keston Center for Religion, Politics, and Society
- The Texas Collection
Uses of the digital materials from these collections adhere to the following:
- Baylor University provides access to these materials for educational and research/scholarly purposes.
- Baylor University may or may not own the rights for materials found in our digital collections.
- For those materials for which Baylor University does not own the rights, we cannot grant or deny permission to distribute that material. These materials may only be used with permission from the copyright owner, or within the limits of fair use and other statutory exceptions. It is the user's obligation to determine and satisfy copyright or other use restrictions when publishing or otherwise distributing materials to which Baylor University does not own the rights.
- If you wish to publish or reproduce materials from these collections, please see: Baylor University Libraries' Publication and Digital Reproduction Policy and Procedures, located on this same page.
- If you claim copyright ownership of any of the materials in these digital collections and believe that your materials are inappropriately accessible online, please contact:
Jon Allen
Associate Vice President, CIO & CISO
Email: DMCA@baylor.edu
Phone: (254) 710-4793
Fax: (254) 710-2716
PO Box 97268
Waco TX, 76798
Reproductions
For information about digital reproduction for publication, please see the Baylor University Libraries' Publication and Digital Reproduction Policy and Procedures, located on this same page.
All users have a right to use the services and facilities of the University Libraries without undue distraction or disturbance. No person shall act in a manner which is inconsistent with the general norms of research libraries.
Furniture and equipment are provided for those who are here to use it now. Hoarding of resources (e.g. tables, chairs, white boards) is not permitted.
Do not leave personal items unsupervised. Unattended items may be removed by Library staff. Personal items will be turned in to Library Lost and Found. The Libraries accept no responsibility for personal belongings.
The Libraries provide research and study space. While clients may nod off from time to time, sleepers are a distraction and take space that might be used by others who are actively studying. People sleeping in the library will be asked to resume studying or to leave.
No form of tobacco use is permitted in the Libraries, its gardens, or near entrances.
Food may be consumed in the libraries except in areas where specialized materials are made available. Beverages may be consumed in most other areas of Moody and Jones Libraries, but must be in containers with lids (secure, sealable lids are preferred). Trash and recycling receptacles are provided throughout the Libraries. Users are expected to dispose of their own trash and leave spaces at least as neat as they found them.
Users shall not deface or damage Library furniture, equipment, or building surfaces.
Animals, with the exception of registered service dogs, are not permitted within the Libraries.
The Libraries reserve the right to inspect any bag, folder or other receptacle capable of containing library materials, particularly when a security alarm at one of the exits is activated.
According to the University's definition of Student Misconduct, students are expected to cooperate and comply with any Baylor administrator, faculty member, or staff person, and to provide identification to these representatives of the University on request. These expectations apply to all persons in the Libraries.
Are you searching for something that was potentially left in the Baylor Libraries? All lost & found items are gathered at the Information Desk on the first floor of Moody Memorial Library. If you have misplaced something, please inquire by phone to (254) 710-6702 or in person at the Information Desk. You can also complete an online form and we will notify you if the description you submit matches items collected. NOTE: Please include a detailed description of the lost item in the More Detail/Explanation area of the online form
If there is information on a lost item that identifies the owner, the Baylor Libraries will try to contact the owner. Unclaimed items are periodically discarded or donated to charity. Please note that Baylor University is not responsible for any stolen items and/or additional charges to any of your personal accounts as a result.
If you believe your missing item may have been stolen, contact Baylor Police at (254) 710-2222.
The Baylor University Libraries contracts with a variety of vendors and publishers to provide users with thousands of electronic resources (databases, abstracts, e-journals, full text, etc.) costing millions of dollars per year.
In addition to paying for these resources, the Libraries typically negotiate license agreements that stipulate how and by whom these resources may be used. If license terms are violated by anyone, licensors usually have the right to temporarily suspend access for the entire University community! In some cases, licenses can be permanently revoked.
You can help prevent problems with our electronic resource providers by adhering to good practices and avoiding improper use.
Good Practices (or, things that are usually OK)
- Making limited print or electronic copies (e.g., single articles)
- Using these resources for personal, instructional or research needs
- Sharing materials with Baylor faculty, staff and students
- Posting links to specific content
Improper Uses (or, things that are usually NOT OK)
- Systematic or substantial printing, copying or downloading (e.g., entire journal issues or books)
- Selling content, re-distributing content or providing content to an employer
- Sharing with people other than Baylor faculty, staff and students
- Posting actual content or articles to web sites, blogs or listservs
- Modifying, altering, or creating derivative works
- Including licensed content (journal articles, abstracts, eBooks) in generative AI/LLM environments (Box Hubs, Microsoft Copilot, or even localized LLM platforms)
Always acknowledge your source on any published or unpublished document when you use data found on electronic resources. The Baylor University Libraries subscribes to RefWorks that provides invaluable assistance in the collection, management, and appropriate citation of references.
Grey Areas
Some resources allow inclusion for electronic reserves, course packs, and multiple copies for classroom use and interlibrary lending. Others explicitly forbid one or more of these activities.
- Sharing with non-Baylor users: This means peer-to-peer informal sharing for research, teaching and educational purposes. For example, if you are working with a colleague at another institution, and wish to make him/her aware of an article of mutual interest, you may send that article in print or electronically if this use is "allowed." Some publishers do not allow sharing with non-Baylor users, and only allow this activity with other authorized users within the Baylor University community.
- Course Reserves: Most electronic resources may be used for print or electronic reserves. If "Course Reserves Allowed" is indicated, then copyright clearance has already been granted. Reserves, both print and electronic, need to be secured and not made openly available. For more information, see Course Reserves
- Course Packs: Some electronic resources allow for limited portions, such as a single articles from a journal, to be reproduced and provided to students in a course pack. If "Course packs allowed" is indicated, then copyright clearance has already been granted for this use. In nearly all cases, course packs must be provided on a cost recovery basis only, and not sold for profit. If "Course packs not allowed" is indicated, then the material needs to have copyright cleared with the publisher before proceeding with inclusion in a course pack. Information on how to handle course packs at Baylor University can be found at the Baylor Copyright website.
If you have questions about a particular resource, please send us an email
For more information see Information Technology Services' Technology Usage Policy BU-PP 025.
Smoking and the use of all tobacco products including e-cigarettes or vaping devices are prohibited on all property that is owned, operated, leased, occupied or controlled by the University. No tobacco products of any type may be used in the University Libraries. This includes smokeless tobacco.
Individuals found violating the tobacco policy will be asked to either dispose of their tobacco (including spit receptacles) or leave the library. They may also be asked to provide identification. Additional sanctions may be imposed on uncooperative or repeat offenders.
Print flyers and posters are not allowed to be posted in or immediately outside of Moody Memorial Library, Jesse H. Jones Library, W. R. Poage Legislative Library, Carroll Library, or Armstrong Browning Library. This applies even to any materials that have been approved by Student Activities.
In some cases, we provide advertising support through digital signage throughout the Libraries. See our Marketing & Communications Guidelines for further information.
The materials available in our Digital Collections, online catalog, and other resources may contain content that is offensive, upsetting, or otherwise difficult. Please review the statement below for full context, and please visit https://libanswers.baylor.edu/ask if you have questions or concerns regarding items in our collections.
The Baylor University Libraries strive to make our digital collection resources available and useful to our faculty, staff, students, alumni, researchers, and the general public. Through our Web sites, the Libraries offer broad public access to a wide range of information, including historical materials that may contain offensive language or negative stereotypes. Such materials must be viewed in the context of the relevant time period. Baylor University does not endorse the views expressed in such materials.
A central mission of the Baylor University Libraries is to make its collections available in support of research and scholarship by members of the Baylor University community and others. In order to support research and scholarship, the Baylor Libraries strive to reduce or eliminate restrictions for the research and educational uses of their collections, including the reproduction and publication of materials found in the collections. However, the Baylor Libraries and users of the Libraries must respect copyrights and other legal rights held by other parties that may affect the use of materials in the collections. Therefore the Baylor Libraries provide services on the following terms for purposes of supporting teaching, research, and other scholarship. This statement applies only if the use of materials is principally for research and scholarship. Uses that are principally for commercial purposes may be subject to separate agreements between the user and the specific Baylor University Library that holds the materials of interest. Note: Unless other arrangements have been made with the custodian, researchers need to contact personnel at the custodian library or collection regarding use of these digital objects.
Publication and Other Uses of Materials from the Baylor University Libraries
- General Information
In order to reduce barriers to the dissemination of research conducted in its collections, the Baylor Libraries will ordinarily not set conditions on publication of materials from the Baylor Libraries' collections in connection with scholarship. The Baylor Libraries do not hold the copyright to most materials in the collections, and the Baylor Libraries will neither grant nor deny copyright permission regarding such materials. When using these materials in a publication, the researcher is responsible for obtaining permission to use the materials.
- Baylor University Holds the Copyright
If Baylor University holds the copyright or other legal rights of materials in digital collections, the appropriate Baylor office may set standards and terms for the use of those materials.
- Collaborative Digital Collections
Some digital collections result from external collaborations or partnerships with other institutions. In these cases, users must contact those institutions directly in order to obtain information about use of those materials.
- Materials or Services are Subject to Contract or Other Obligation
Some materials in the Baylor Libraries' collections are subject to contractual obligations or other restrictions on use. Users are responsible for inquiring about such conditions and using materials in an appropriate manner.
Acknowledgements
The Baylor University Libraries request that all researchers who use its collections cite accurately, acknowledge, and give appropriate credit to the specific Baylor University library for supporting their research.
Attribution statement
The attribution for each special collection may vary, but generally will follow a format like the one listed below
- [Identification of collection or record group]. [Library's formal name], Baylor University.Waco, Texas.
- For example:
- Royce-Darden Black Gospel Restoration Project. Baylor University Digital Collections, Baylor University. Waco, Texas.
- Sam B. Hall Papers. Baylor Collections of Political Materials, Baylor University. Waco, Texas.
Work with staff at the special collection to determine their preferred attribution in publications.
Commercial or other uses
Reproduction and publication of materials found in the Baylor University Libraries' collections principally for commercial or other uses not permitted under the Policy on Publication and Digital Reproduction for Research and Scholarly Purposes is subject to separate agreement between the user and the specific library that holds the materials of interest. For further information or to request permission, please contact the Office of Marketing & Communications for University Libraries.
Large-scale initiatives
Reproduction and publication of large quantities of materials found in the Baylor University Libraries' collections may be subject to separate agreement between the user and the specific library that holds the materials of interest. For further information, please contact the appropriate library.
Researchers must sign the register and store their personal belongings in the lockers each day before requesting materials. Valuable items should be kept in the user’s possession.
Photo identification (Baylor ID, driver’s license, or other) must be presented on the user’s first visit to the Library. Since the stacks are closed to the public, users should request materials and information concerning the collections from Library personnel. Users are encouraged to discuss their research needs with the Curators/Librarians.
All materials must be used in the reading room. No marks may be made on or removed from any items. Only pencils or laptops may be used in the reading room, and only books and research notes that have been approved by Library personnel may be taken into the reading room.
No food or drink is permitted within the reading area; users are monitored at all times.
Because of the fragile nature of manuscripts, rare books and periodicals, and archive materials, users are requested to exercise the utmost caution and gentleness in handling them. In some instances, use of book cradles or gloves may be required. Please preserve the order in which manuscript and archive materials are arranged within folders; if materials are discovered which appear to be disarranged, consult Library personnel. In case of accidental damage to any materials, please report the matter to Library personnel immediately.
When leaving the reading room, users must sign out in the presence of Library personnel and either return all library materials or request that materials be placed on hold. All items from assigned lockers should be collected.
Facsimile reproductions of the library’s holdings may be requested. Persons requesting copy service must sign a Photoduplication Order Form and observe its conditions. A Library staff person carries out all copy service requests.
Persons making use of materials or information from the holdings of this Library are reminded of the existence of libel laws and of the need for due regard for property right, literary right, and, when applicable, for copyright. The Armstrong Browning Library will not be responsible for the researcher’s infringement of any of the above laws and rights.
The Director of the Armstrong Browning Library should be consulted concerning any restrictions or special provisions that may apply to the Library’s holdings. When special restrictions or conditions have been placed upon the use of certain manuscripts or collections, the researcher is required to sign a separate document agreeing to such conditions.
- Written authorization for publication or other use of the Library’s materials must be obtained from the Director of the Armstrong Browning Library. Requests for authorization should include a statement of the specific documents or portions required thereof and an indication of the areas of publication and distribution.