Point Loma High School Library

Frequently Asked Questions (FAQs)

How do I get a library or textbook card?

Your current-school-year PLHS student photo ID card serves as your library card. It is required to check out any library book, textbook.

Your ID card is like a charge card. You are responsible for any items checked out on your card whether lost, stolen, or damaged. Do not check out materials for others and take care of your books.

If you lose your student ID card, go to the Textbook Window during lunch and pay for a replacement ($10.00). Mrs. Fuentes, the textbook technician will make you a new ID card. This typically can be done while you wait, but if not, be sure to get a receipt.

How do I check out books, how many can I check out, and when are they due?

Bring the library book(s) to the Circulation Desk with your ID card. Mrs. Cooper, the library technician, or a student monitor will check out the books to you. You may have up to five library books checked out at one time.

Library books are due three weeks from the date they were checked out. You can renew a library book for another three-week period any time on or before its due date, as long as no other student has requested that title.

There is a late fee if you return library books after their due date. If you need to keep a book longer simply bring it in to renew it to avoid having to pay fines!

Stay off of the debt list!! If you owe the school money for any reason, you are put on the debt list.

The list is posted in the library and in the textbook window. Students on the debt list are not allowed to participate in extracurricular activities, including dances!

When are textbooks due?

Please return any and all textbooks as soon as you no longer need them! The school only owns as many copies of each textbook title as there are students enrolled in the course, and your failing to check back in a copy you no longer need means another student now in that course doesn't have the textbook! This is not only a problem at the beginning of each semester, when students are beginning classes, but also during the rest of the school year. For instance your class may check out a set of novels for a just a week or two and then other classes will need them.As soon as you are finished using a textbook, or your teacher says you are finished using a textbook, please return it to the textbook window.

Bring your ID card so you can verify that the book is returned off of your checkout record.NO ID, No INFORMATION!

Always bring your ID card to the library or textbook window.

All textbooks are due the last day of school

An overdue fine of $5 per book will be charged for every book--text or library--not checked in by 12:30 on the last day of school! As with any other charges (e.g. for unreturned or damaged books), all late fines must be paid before you will be allowed to register for classes the following year (or, for seniors, allowed to participate in senior activities and the graduation ceremony.)
 

What are my responsibilities when I check out library or textbook materials?

You are responsible for returning any library materials in the same condition as when they were checked out (minus what LMC staff consider reasonable wear for textbooks), on or before their due date. Books simply left in classrooms, lockers, or anywhere else on campus may not be checked in for you!

Any damage or loss of the materials while they are checked out to you is your responsibility--including loss or damage due to rain, theft, locker damage, etc. (PLHS does not take responsibility for what happens to any items stored in your locker.) You will be charged the replacement cost for any item lost or--in the judgment of LMC staff--damaged to the extent that it no longer may be circulated.
 

Anytime you check out a book, it is yourresponsibility to take a minute or two to look through the entire bookfor any markings, water wrinkling, or any other kind of damage. If you find any damage that is NOT NOTED by LMC Staff, you must bring the book back to the LMC and show the damage to Mrs. Fuentes, Mrs. Cooper, or Mrs. Toyzanwithin two weeks of the date you checked it out.

Where and how do I return materials?

Textbooks must be returned by you in person with your ID card to the Textbook Window before and after school or during lunch. You must wait to watch them be checked in and be sure you are cleared for each item. IF YOU RETURN SOMEONE ELSE'S BOOK IT IS CLEARED OFF OF THEIR RECORD, NOT YOURS!!

We recommend you also check in Library books in person this way, but you may also return Library books by depositing them in the 'Library Book Return' slot inside the front door of the LMC on the circulation desk.

At the end of August we mail a list of all books still checked out to students and any damage charges and late fines which may have been accrued, including the $5.00 late fine for textbooks returned after the last day of school. Payments for books you have lost and won't be returning in August and payments for damages and late fines can be made as per the instructions on the letter which will accompany the book list.
 

If I lose a textbook, how can I get another copy?

We cannot check out a second copy until you have paid for the first copy. We do keep one "reference copy" of each of the textbooks currently in use; this is for use only within the LMC. You can photocopy a few pages (at your own expense) and take those pages home with you.

Can I buy a copy of a textbook so I can write in it, keep it at home, etc.?

We cannot sell you one of our copies. However, in most cases Mrs. Cooper can provide you with ordering information so you can contact the vendor or publisher directly and purchase a copy from them. Be sure to give her the exact title of the textbook you wish to purchase.

How do I find books in the PLHS Library?

You can search for library books by subject, author, or title using any of the eight online catalog computers located in the center of the LMC. Library books are located in one of the three main shelf areas: Fiction, Nonfiction, and Reference (signs hanging from the ceiling).

Remember that if a book has a call number (for example, '514 Rob'), it's nonfiction. If it has an R before the number ('R 514 Rob'), then it's reference. And if it has no numbers at all--just letters ('FIC Rob' or 'PB FIC Rob')--then it's fiction, either (FIC) or paperback (PB) and is shelved alphabetically in the fiction area by the authors last name. The call number gives you the spine label information you need to locate books in the PLHS library.

What if a book is not on the shelf or the library doesn't own it?

Where the card catalog says "Copies In" and numbers (NOT A 0) are showing this indicates the book is NOT checked out. If you cannot find it on the shelf, ask library staff or student monitor for assistance.

You can search the online catalog of the combined collections of all the San Diego Public Libraries (including the big Central library downtown) via the Web by going to the San Diego Public Library Online Catalog . Once there, select the library branch closest to you (you'll still be searching the collections of books in all the libraries), and do your search. Once you display the full record for the book, all copies owned by any of the branch libraries will be shown (those owned by the branch you selected will show in boldface.) If a copy is not available at your local branch but shows as available at another branch, you can click on "Click here to reserve this title." If you enter your public library card number and your "PIN" (the last four digits of your phone number), the book will be transferred to your local branch library--usually within only a day or two--and held under your name, waiting for you to come in and check it out. This gives you access to over three million books... without having to drive across town to get one!

For links to the online catalogs of any of the "big three" major libraries in San Diego (SD Public, UCSD, and SDSU), click here .

If you'd like a book the PLHS LMC doesn't have but you'd like us to get, please let Mrs. Toyzan know.

We want to have books you want to read!
 

What programs do you have after school?

There is tutoring available in the LMC after school Monday-Thursday.

Peer (student) tutors and adult volunteers are available to help you with your studies. Ask at the circulation desk if you do not see a "Tutor" sign.

How much are photocopies?

The photocopier in the LMC cost 10 cents per copy. The copier will not make change and will accept only dimes. You can exchange your dollars or quarters for dimes at the circulation desk. Copies are black-and-white only, and to make a front and back copy will cost you 20 cents. The instructions for copying on the back side of the paper are written on the side of the copy machine.

Can I check out magazines?

Current issues of the magazines the library subscribes to cannot be checked out. We discourage checkout of back issues, since they're fragile and cannot be replaced if damaged or lost.

If you have a schoolwork-related need to check out a back issue of a magazine and cannot make photocopies of the article or graphics you need, see Mrs. Cooper or Mrs. Toyzan about an overnight-only checkout.
 

Does the Library have computers available for student use?

There are IBM and Macintosh computers in the LMC for student use. In addition to word processing and Web access, they provide many other kinds of applications programs. You can print from any of them (printouts cost 10 cents per page, and you pick them up at the circulation desk.) The computers are available for use by students any time the LMC is open as long as a class has not reserved them.

The library computers are provided for school related research only!NOTE: This means no games, no personal e-mail, and no chat. These network rules are strictly enforced and improper use of computers may result in immediate referral and suspension!
 

 How do I pay for a lost or damaged book?

Go to the textbook window with your ID card to find out how much the book is.

LOOK EVERYWHERE, under your bed, in your car or friend s car, in every possible place you might have left it, and if you still can t find it, pay for it at the textbook window. FYI, we do not accept checks after May 1^st. 

Once you have paid for a lost book it will be tagged in the computer so that if within one year it is returned in good condition and checked in, the computer will notify us of your having paid for it and we will have a refund mailed to you. Please note that it could take as long as two months from the time the book is checked in for you to receive your refund check. If you paid for adamaged book, then you are welcome to keep it as soon as you've paid for it. However, we cannot store paid-for damaged books indefinitely, so if you want it, be sure to claim it as soon as you've paid for it, since we will discard it soon after that.
 

This page last updated on Tuesday, October 2, 2001 @ 4:15 p.m.