Use of Public Computers Policy

Colgate students, faculty, and staff are priority users. Others may be asked to relinquish workstations for Colgate-affiliated users. As a United States Government Depository Library, we also grant priority status for use of computers in the Reference Areas to persons using United States Government Documents.  Colgate reserves the right to prohibit use of its computers by any non-Colgate persons.

Computers are often in high demand. Anyone leaving a computer for more than a short break should close all programs and remove personal belongings from the workstation. Computers that remain unattended for more than ten minutes are available for use by other patrons. Colgate does not recommend leaving personal belongings unattended and is not responsible for losses.

Email is a lower priority use, particularly in the Reference Area.

All existing federal and state laws and university regulations and policies apply to the use of computing resources and all users of such resources are required to be in compliance with all laws, regulations and policies at all times. This includes not only those laws and regulations that are specific to computers and networks, but also those that apply generally to personal conduct. Individuals are also responsible for ensuring that their activity complies with copyright laws.

The legal definition of sexual harassment includes "display in the workplace of sexually suggestive objects or pictures." If your work requires access to material that may fit the definition of sexual harassment, please speak with a reference librarian. We will suggest options for viewing materials in a less public area.

Use of computer labs in the Colgate Libraries is restricted to Colgate faculty, staff, and students.  Non-Colgate users may use computers provided for information searching in the Reference Areas of both Case and Cooley Libraries.

Computers may not be reserved or held for later use.

Chatroom use and playing games are not permitted on public workstations in the Colgate Libraries unless required for Colgate courses.

Computers are made available in the libraries to Colgate students, faculty, and staff primarily to support coursework, research, and email use.

Computing Policies at Colgate outlines responsibilities of those who use computing and networking facilities at the college. Colgate policy specifically prohibits harassment, including sexual harassment, and applies to all public computer areas in the Libraries.