Service Alert
The BCC Library is committed to providing accessible and equitable borrowing services to all eligible users. Please review the following borrowing guidelines to ensure smooth access to our collections.
The BCC Library is a fine-free library. While we do not charge overdue fines for late materials, we encourage patrons to return items on time so they remain available to others. For more details, please visit our Overdues page.
A valid BCC ID must be presented to check out library materials. This applies to:
Current students
Community patrons
Faculty and staff
Library materials may only be checked out by the individual to whom the BCC ID belongs. Checkouts are non-transferable and may not be used by or loaned to others. Patrons are responsible for all materials checked out on their ID.
Loan durations vary by user type:
Students and community patrons: 4 weeks
Faculty and staff: 8 weeks
For full details about borrowing limits and loan periods by user type, please refer to our Services page.
Most materials may be renewed once, provided they are not on hold for another user.
Reference and reserve materials do not circulate, except under special circumstances as determined by library staff.
Library materials may be returned:
Inside the library during business hours
24/7 via the blue book drop located outside Building A, lower level
While we do not charge overdue fines, patrons will be billed for any item that is:
Lost
Damaged beyond reasonable use
Unreturnable due to condition
Charges may include the replacement cost of the item and a processing fee. Please contact the library if you have questions or concerns about a lost or damaged item.
Access & Borrowing Responsibility
The Brunswick Community College (BCC) Library affirms the principles of intellectual freedom, the freedom to read, and unrestricted access to information as essential components of higher education and lifelong learning. In accordance with the American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights, the BCC Library does not exclude materials from its collection based on content, viewpoint, or potential controversy.
Library materials are selected to support the academic mission of BCC and reflect a diversity of perspectives, disciplines, and cultural expressions. As such, some materials may include controversial, sensitive, or graphic content that is appropriate for college-level study and discourse.
Selection decisions are guided by professional standards, including but not limited to:
The presence of any item in the collection does not imply institutional endorsement of its content.
The minimum age to be issued a BCC Library card is 16 years, with the exception of students enrolled in Brunswick Early College High School (BECHS). BECHS students, regardless of age, are considered college-ready by virtue of their formal admission into a dual-enrollment program and are therefore eligible for full library privileges.
This age requirement aligns with the State of North Carolina’s age of consent laws and with BCC’s responsibility to serve a college-level academic community.
The BCC Library does not restrict, label, or monitor materials based on their content, nor does it regulate which materials individual cardholders may borrow. Library staff will not assume the role of determining suitability of materials for users, regardless of age.
It is the sole responsibility of each library cardholder—and in the case of minors, their parent or guardian—to determine the appropriateness of any borrowed material for their own personal, educational, or moral standards.
By accepting and using a BCC Library card, the cardholder (or their parent/guardian, where applicable) acknowledges and accepts:
Full responsibility for the selection and use of library materials
That access to information will not be restricted by the Library based on age, subject, or content
That all library users meeting the eligibility criteria are entitled to equal access to the collection
All eligible BCC Library cardholders, as defined above, are presumed capable of making independent, informed decisions regarding the materials they choose to access or borrow. The Library will not assume the role of gatekeeper for content, nor will it engage in prior restraint or age-based censorship.
This policy is intended to preserve the integrity of academic inquiry, uphold intellectual freedom, and ensure equitable access to resources for all qualified users.
