All members of the Randolph-Macon College community are encouraged to use the services and resources of the McGraw-Page Library. The first floor is a social space, with group tables, computers, media and design software and equipment, Makerspace, and the 24/7 Abernathy Room. The second floor is oriented toward quiet, individual study and is furnished with carrels and enclosed group study spaces. We ask users to choose the floor and space that best suits their study habits, and to please be considerate of others near you.
Food and Drink: Drinks are permitted in most areas of the library if they are in containers with lids. Food is permitted, but consideration should be given to others using the space. Please refrain from eating foods with strong odors that may be distracting for other library users. Eating and drinking are not allowed in the Library Lab or when handling materials from Special Collections.
All applicable College policies also apply to individual and group activities held in the Library. Such policies include the College’s Code of Academic Integrity, Code of Student Conduct, and Computer Use Policy. These policies can be found in Fishtales: The Student Handbook.
In addition to classroom and meeting space, McGraw-Page Library offers seven (7) group study rooms .
Rooms can be reserved by current R-MC students only, but if not reserved are available on a first come, first served basis. You can check the reservation status of a room, and make a reservation:
Each student may reserve a room for up to four (4) hours per day.
Rooms may be reserved up to two (2) weeks in advance.
If they are not reserved, rooms are available on a first-come, first-served basis, but must be vacated if a reservation holder arrives.
Reservations will be forfeited after 10 minutes if the users fail to appear.
Individuals may reserve group study rooms, but please defer to groups needing the space.
Courtesy Matters:
Occupy your room. All patrons are encouraged to be respectful of their time and that of others. When it is your time to occupy the room, if it is occupied please knock softly. If it is free, just go in.
When your time is over, if another group is waiting, please leave as quickly and efficiently as possible. If no one is waiting, you may remain in the room, but only until the next group with a reservation arrives.
If your plans to use the space change, please cancel your reservation.
Please address any violations of these policies yourself. The library will not police these spaces.
The library is not responsible for unattended, lost, stolen, or damaged personal items.
The Oliver Classroom may be reserved by faculty, staff, and organizations through the campus’s EMS reservation system.
Abernathy Room: The Abernathy Room is a 24/7 study space for students with a maximum occupancy of 82. When it does not interfere with student studying, the room may be reserved for receptions or other events in consultation with Library staff. Arrangements must be made with Physical Plant for set up as well as cleaning the room and trash removal after the event. The room is not suitable for plated meals or buffets. Informal student meetings may occur, but the room cannot be reserved for that purpose. Access is through the fob-restricted courtyard door when the library is closed; the library-side doors will remain closed during events outside normal library hours of operation. The room is equipped with a TV monitor.
J. Rives Childs Room (formerly the Library Lab): The J. Rives Childs Room is intended primarily for instruction in the use of library materials and for Library and HAC staff meetings during regular business hours (8am-5pm M-F). Outside of those times it is a flexible space that can be used for individual or group study or other purpose. Reservations by those outside the Library must be approved by Library staff.
Oliver Classroom: The Oliver Classroom seats 40 at 20 tables on casters. It is scheduled as a classroom by the Registrar and is suitable for large classes.
Owen Room: The primary purpose of the Owen Room is to serve readers using Special Collections & Archives materials. The room also serves as the Faculty Writing Room. The key can be checked out from the Information Desk.
The McGraw-Page Library is an academic library intended to support Randolph-Macon College students, faculty, and staff. Other individuals are permitted to come to the Library and use available library resources within the building, provided they conform to library rules and policies and follow directions given by Library staff members. The College reserves the right to restrict an individual from entering the McGraw-Page Library or from using some or all library resources, equipment, facilities, and/or services. Unaccompanied children under the age of 15 are not allowed in the library.
Building Access: Access to the Library building is limited to current R-MC students, faculty, and staff except during special events. If you are not a member of the RMC community but would like to use Library resources, please email library@rmc.edu or call the Information Desk at (804) 752-7257. If you as a community member need access to Library resources after 5pm M-F or over the weekend, you must email library@rmc.edu to arrange access in advance.
Library Card & Checking Out Books: A library card is required for borrowing materials. A Randolph-Macon College ID card functions as a library card for College students, faculty, and staff. Adult residents of Virginia may purchase a library card at a cost of $25 for the first year and $10 per year thereafter. A current driver's license or other photo ID must be presented at the Information Desk along with cash or a check made payable to "McGraw-Page Library." High school students who are residents of Hanover County must have a parent present to obtain a community card.
The fee for a library card is waived for retired R-MC faculty and staff, R-MC alumni, and Hanover County teachers.
See Borrowing & Renewing for loan periods and fine information.
One renewal may be granted if no one is waiting for the item and renewals must be done in person or over the phone. Please contact the Information Desk at (804) 752-7257. A maximum of five items may be out on loan to a cardholder at any one time. Public users may not borrow periodicals, reference books, movies, and special collection materials.
Students & Faculty at Other Virginia Colleges: No library card or fee is required for students, faculty, or staff from an institution participating the VIVA Cooperative Borrowing Program. Students may borrow ten books at a time for one month, with one renewal. The fines and replacement fees for community users apply (see Borrowing & Renewing).
Use of library computers: The Library provides access to desktop computers and laptops for the use of current Randolph-Macon College students, faculty, and staff. Due to licensing agreements, online resources are not available to public users. The library provides open access to the library’s catalog via dedicated workstations on both floors of the library; all other computer access requires a Randolph-Macon College network login and therefore is limited to current members of the College community.
Exceptions to this policy may be made for friends of the College (e.g. College alumni or parents of current or prospective students visiting the campus) on a case by case basis.
The library adheres to the Randolph-Macon College Acceptable Use Policy of Computer Resources.
Individuals seeking general internet access are encouraged to visit the Ashland Branch of Pamunkey Regional Library.
Use of library resources by high school students: High school students are welcome to use the library's catalog, which lists individual works in the library's collections, journal titles as well as index information for journal articles. Electronic access to the full text of any of these items is not available to public users.
Note to high school teachers: With the above restrictions, the McGraw-Page library is not likely to be suitable for routine use by most secondary school students. However, if there is a special need for a particular student or group of students to do advanced library research, please contact the Head of Reference, Laurie Preston by e-mail at lpreston@rmc.edu or by phone at (804) 752-4718 to arrange for help and/or instruction on a case-by-case basis.
For further information on use of the Library by community users, please contact Judee Showalter, Circulation Supervisor, by phone at (804) 752-7388 or by e-mail at jshowalter@rmc.edu.
Updated 10 January 2022
The collections of the McGraw-Page Library are purchased for the non-profit, educational use of students and faculty. Priority is given to academic resources that broadly support the College curriculum.
Any member of the Randolph-Macon College community can recommend items for the library to purchase. Recommendations should be submitted using this form or sent to the appropriate Subject Librarian.
Items recommended for purchase are evaluated according to the same criteria as other purchases. If you have questions about a title you would like to recommend, please contact your Subject Librarian. If we do not own and cannot purchase a resource, we make every effort to obtain it through interlibrary loan.
Challenges to Library Materials
The McGraw-Page Library strives to provide unbiased access to information on diverse topics and perspectives to support the R-MC community. The Library resists censorship in all its forms. All complaints concerning library materials must be submitted to the Randolph-Macon College Library Director using the Challenges to Library Materials form.
Updated 9 February 2021
McGraw-Page Library is no longer accepting donations of printed books or journals. There are three exceptions to this policy:
This policy change is due to the high cost of storing, reviewing, and processing donations. As a college library with a collection that supports our current curriculum, we have found that it is more cost effective to purchase new titles than to review older titles that too often duplicate existing copies in our collection.
For further information about donating items that fall under the above three categories please contact Katie Hall at KatieHall@rmc.edu.
Other Options for Donating Books:
Adapted from Donations policy developed by
DeWitt Wallace Library, Macalester College.
Accessed December 2020