Library Policies

Vision

We deliver exceptional library and information services that are essential for a transformational educational experience. We support the impactful research and creative work of our AUS community, and more broadly we aim to foster an informed and responsible society.

Mission

The AUS Library realizes our vision and supports the mission of the University by:

• Delivering relevant, quality information resources and services to the academic community.
• Partnering with our academic community to educate thoughtful, information literate citizens and to support research and creative work for societal impact.
• Providing spaces that inspire curiosity, creativity, and learning.
• Fostering an organizational culture focused on continuous personal and professional development.

Strategic Priorities

Scholarly information sources - We will enable user discovery and access to quality resources, information and scholarship aligned with areas of learning, teaching and research priorities.

Education, culture and the learning experience - Through our outreach and instruction programs, we will focus on strengthening information and digital literacies, particularly when preparing students and faculty to navigate, critique, and utilize AI tools ethically for academic success. Through our cultural programming we will offer representational library spaces and experiences, cultivating a sense of belonging and active construction of the learning atmosphere.

Supporting impactful research and creative work - The library collaborates with researchers and creators throughout the research/creative lifecycle, offering high-quality support, scholarly communication expertise, and services that amplify the discovery, sharing, and preservation of scholarly and creative outputs.

Digital infrastructure - The Library will continue to implement current and effective systems that ensure users can easily discover, access and use relevant scholarly resources. We will maintain our emphasis on adopting platforms and hardware responsive to user needs.

Space and environment - The Library will offer diverse and technology-rich spaces to encourage student learning, to safely house our collections and to respond to the social behavior and expectations of our users. We support initiatives that promote sustainable environmental practices.

People and operational excellence - The Library values evidence-based practice and commits to continually evaluating services, staff and spaces. We place continuous learning at the centre of our professional development. We actively build local and international networks to enable and inform efficient and progressive Library services.

The AUS Library Collection Development Policy can be accessed for further information regarding collection building and acquisition policies.

Collection Development Policy

The AUS Library welcomes inquiries about donations, but has strict limits on what is accepted. For each donation we accept, there are both immediate and long-term expenses to cover processing of the items and making the items accessible. Generally, only items that would make a unique and important contribution to the library collection will be considered.

The AUS Library does not accept:

• Textbooks
• Mass-market paperbacks
• Books, journals, magazines, DVDs and CDs that duplicate our holdings
• Individual issues or small runs of scholarly journals
• Popular magazines (e.g. National Geographic, Smithsonian, Reader’s Digest, etc.)
• Materials in poor condition or exhibiting signs of mold or mildew
• Materials that contain highlighting, underlining, or annotations (unless annotations are of significant scholarly value)
• Materials in outmoded formats (e.g. cassette tapes, VHS, etc.)
• Materials that might cause the library to be liable for copyright infringement (e.g., copied audio and video recordings)

Prospective donors should NOT send unsolicited items. They should, instead, first contact a Liaison Librarian to speak about the usefulness of the proposed donation. To help evaluate proposed donations, the Library may request that donors provide a list of materials.

No monetary value will be placed on materials given to the library. No special conditions will be agreed for housing, retention, display or any other variation from normal library practice. The library’s selection and weeding principles apply to donated items in the same manner as they apply to purchased items.

For more information, please contact us at researchhelp@aus.edu.

AUS Library’s Food & Drink Policy is intended to preserve our library materials, computer equipment, and furnishings, and to maintain a pleasant and comfortable environment for our readers and staff.

We also recognize the University’s commitment to move toward sustainable waste reduction initiatives.

Your help in this effort is greatly appreciated.

Food

Food is not allowed in the library.

Drink

Unless otherwise posted, drinks may be consumed in the library. We encourage reusable cups or recycle your disposable cups / bottles.

Non-Compliance

• Users not complying with these policies will be asked to take the food outside of the Library.

keywords: eat, eating, drink, drinking, coffee, tea

The Library is committed to providing students and faculty with an inspiring and engaging learning environment that meets a wide variety of needs. To support this mission, the Library has adopted the following statement of Library User Rights and Responsibilities.

The AUS Library provides:

• Courteous, knowledgeable and helpful assistance
• Technology tools to facilitate research, inquiry and knowledge creation
• Facilities that support and enrich individual and collaborative learning
• Information resources in a variety of formats

Library users are expected to:

• Honor the library as a place for study, research and collaboration
• Behave in a manner that does not disturb others or cause damage to the library
• Interact courteously and respectfully with other library users and library staff
• Maintain a clean, pest-free environment by not bringing food or drink into the library and only using approved containers for drinks

Library users, as members of a community of learners, play an important role in creating an environment that is conducive to research, reflection and collaborative learning. As such, all library users are expected to act appropriately in the library and conduct themselves in accordance with these rights and responsibilities. Users who do not comply and who disrespect the rights of others will be asked for their university ID, escorted from the building and referred to university authorities.

For detailed information, please refer to the AUS Student Handbook – Library Code of Conduct

Library users are urged to set their mobile phones to silent or vibrate out of respect for the other users of the library.

The following principles are aimed at increasing the visibility and impact of publications by our faculty, researchers and students.

1. The outputs of scholarly enquiry that are created by faculty, researchers or students at the American University of Sharjah should be affiliated clearly and disseminated as widely and promptly as possible.
2. ORCiDs are strongly recommended for identifying authors and creators. Author and co-author affiliation (including international and industry affiliates) must be clearly stated on all outputs
3. Where copyright permits, American University of Sharjah researchers should deposit full-text copies of their peer-reviewed journal articles, papers from published conference proceedings and other works into the AUS Repository. Relevant subject repositories could also be utilized for this purpose.
4. It is recommended that the full-text of the publication and its details be uploaded between acceptance and publication. In DSpace, an embargo will be applied by repository software, as per publisher permissions.
5. Optional deposit of other research outputs such as book sections, creative works, working papers and conference presentations is encouraged. These items will be identified as peer-reviewed or non-peer-reviewed as appropriate.
6. The library provides support for this activity, including training, and will check copyright permissions and embargoes on all deposited material.

Photography or videography is generally permitted if it is for general Public Library promotion by the media, student projects, and/or strictly for personal use.

In order to protect the rights of individual Library patrons and to reduce distractions, photographing and videotaping on Library property are restricted as follows:

• Under no circumstances may the public, members of the media, or Library staff take photographs or videotape without the express permission of any Library patrons who would be prominently included within the composition.

Photographing or videotaping for commercial purposes is not permitted without approval by the University Librarian. Requests for permission to photograph or videotape for commercial purposes must be submitted in writing for review by the University Librarian.

keywords: pictures, videos, filming

The following rules apply to all study rooms on the 1st floor of the library:

1. The rooms are limited to 2 or more people.
2. The Library is not responsible for your personal items.
   Unattended items may be moved by Library staff to ensure fair access for all students.

Individuals who prefer to study quietly may use the Silent Study Area on the 1st or 2nd floor.

Seminar Room 1:

• Is reserved for faculty or staff for their tutorials or meetings
• Located on the 2nd floor inside the no-talking zone. For this reason, the room is limited to 2 people maximum and they must keep quiet inside the room.
• Can be booked in advance for the entire semester through email to circulation@aus.edu or in person at the Service Desk.
• Can be checked out for 3 hours only

Seminar Room 2:

• Can be booked by students, faculty or staff via the Room Reservations system
• Located on the 2nd floor 
• Can be checked out for 3 hours only

The AUS Library provides employment opportunities for currently registered undergraduate students depending on library needs.

The basic requirements you must fulfill for student employment are:

• You have completed at least one semester at AUS and are not an Achievement Academy/Bridge Program or visiting/exchange student
• Your cumulative GPA is not less than 2.2
• You are available to work 6 to 15 hours/week (including weekends) in shifts lasting no less than 2 hours each

Successful applicants are assigned a work schedule according to their class schedules and are expected to continue working through study periods and finals.

Library Student Assistant Responsibilities

Newly Hired Students
As a new hire, your job consists mainly of the following activities:

• Shelving
• Gathering unused books and periodicals
• Assisting patrons
• Carrying out routine equipment checks and rounds
• Shelf Arranging
• Shelf Reading

You may also be assigned by your supervisor to shifts at the Library Service Desk or in Technical Services based on your computer skills. Service Desk responsibilities will include carrying out routine equipment checks and rounds, assisting library patrons with check-outs, and trouble-shooting computers/printers/copiers etc.

Returning Students
In addition to performing the aforementioned tasks, returning students will respond to tier-one level patron queries at the Service Desk and refer reference questions as necessary. You will also begin to work more closely with individual departments such as Public Services, Technical Services and Information Commons, or on special projects.

How to Apply
Hiring takes place only at the beginning of the Fall semester* (subject to operational needs) and occasionally at the beginning of the Spring semester. Applications are accepted from 2 weeks before classes start to the end of the first week of classes.

• During the application process you will be required to upload your C.V.  Uploads are only accepted as PDF documents. Please do not send your C.V. via email.
• Only shortlisted applicants will be contacted within 5-10 working days from application deadline.
• In Fall 2026, the application form will open on August 10th and close at 5pm on August 27th.

The American University of Sharjah Library welcomes visitors for research and study purposes.

Library privileges for visitors are outlined in the Terms of Use below. To register as a visitor, complete the Visitor Access Request Form. Send the completed form and required documents to auslibrary@aus.edu. If approved, the Library will request a Gate Pass for visitor access onto campus for the duration of the visit (maximum one month per request).

Library Terms of Use:

Library privileges for visitors include:

• In-house use of library print resources including journals, magazines and reference materials
• Access to reference services
• Access to databases and electronic resources via the Guest Wireless network in the library building. Visitors must bring their own laptop or mobile device

Library privileges for visitors exclude:

• Borrowing privileges for any library materials
• Access to library computers
• Use of Study rooms, Presentation rooms, Media rooms, or Seminar rooms.

Visitors must observe all library rules and regulations.

The Library reserves the right to grant or deny access, and specify the period of visitor access, according to operational requirements. Further documentation (such as an introductory letter from an external University or organization requesting cooperation) may be requested.