Space Use Policies & FAQ

Please silence cell phones when entering UK Libraries buildings.

Cell phone use is permitted in William T. Young Library in the Basement and near the elevators in the core areas on Floors 2-5. We ask that users lower their voices, keep conversations brief, and refrain from using phones in the stairwells. 

In other campus libraries, please limit indoor phone use to messaging and take calls outside.

UK Libraries provides dedicated spaces for doctoral student and faculty study. 

• Doctoral students may apply for access to group study rooms
• Faculty may apply for access to either individual study carrels or group study rooms

Before applying for a study room, please review the following policies. 

1. The keys that you will receive for your study room and personal locker are the property of UK and must be returned at the end of the assignment. Please ensure that the door to your study room is securely locked when you are not present.  
2. UK Libraries’ food and drink policies also pertain to study rooms. You may consume non-messy snacks and drinks from securely covered containers. 
3. Please note that library staff will periodically check study rooms and lockers and promptly remove any food or other prohibited items, including:  
   • Electrical items such as coffee pots, hotplates, and personal or space heaters
   • Non-circulating library materials, including unbound journals and reference books
   • Library materials that have not been checked out to you
   • Furniture from other areas of the library
4. Please do not use study rooms as a personal office or meeting area. 
5. Please maintain a quiet atmosphere and refrain from using devices that might disturb others.
6. At the end of the room assignment, any personal items left in study rooms or lockers will be placed in the Lost and Found at the Circulation Desk for a reasonable period of time and then discarded. 

A first violation of these policies will garner a written warning, and a second will result in the suspension of study room and locker privileges for 12 months.

Doctoral Study Rooms

To be eligible for a doctoral study room, students must: 

• Be enrolled in a doctoral degree or equivalent degree program
• Be engaged in the writing phase of their dissertations
• Present a letter, typed on UK letterhead stationery and signed by the department chairperson, identifying the student and attesting that the student meets the above conditions
  • Please send this letter to:

Graduate Study

Circulation Department

William T. Young Library 0456

Students may submit a request for a study room at any time during the year. Assignments run through the end of the academic year assigned.

Please remember that doctoral study rooms are a shared space. You will not be assigned a personal desk.

Please store all personal items, including library materials checked out to you, in your locker after using the room, and place any un-loaned or non-circulating materials in the open stacks area to be reshelved.

Doctoral Study Room Application Form

Faculty Study Carrels

To be eligible for a faculty study room or carrel, you must be a current, UK-affiliated faculty member. 

Faculty may submit a request for a study room or carrel at any time during the year. Assignments run through the end of the academic year assigned.

If you are assigned an individual study carrel, you may store personal items and checked-out library materials in your carrel.

If you are assigned a group study room, you will not be assigned a personal desk. In this case, please store all personal items and checked-out library materials in your locker. 

Faculty Carrel Request Form

To organize an exhibit or public art display in William T. Young Library, please submit an Exhibit Request Form. 

The form includes detailed information regarding acceptance guidelines, display procedures, and specifications of available exhibition spaces and equipment.

In order to maintain an atmosphere conducive to research, reading, and study, filming and photography are generally prohibited in UK Libraries. 

On an exceptional basis, filming and photography are permitted for university-related purposes or UK student projects with advanced approval by UK Libraries’ administration.

Outside entities may be granted permission with advanced approval from:

• UK Libraries’ administration
• UK Public Relations Office
• UK Legal Office

To seek approval for a film or photo shoot, please submit a request form at least two weeks before the proposed date.

In order to preserve library collections, equipment, and facilities and maintain a clean, user-friendly environment, we ask that you take special care when consuming food and drink in UK Libraries buildings.

• Please ensure that beverage containers are securely covered. Travel mugs, cans, and cups and bottles with lids, twist-tops, or closable spouts are all acceptable.
• No uncovered beverage containers are permitted in UK Libraries.

• Please limit food items to non-messy snack foods, fruit, and items in small containers.
• Meals may be eaten in the Basement of William T. Young Library, but are otherwise not permitted in UK Libraries. Please receive any food deliveries outside.

No food or drink may be consumed near computer workstations, printers, scanners, or other electronic equipment, or in areas marked as “No Food or Drinks Allowed.”

We ask that you properly dispose of empty containers and wrappers and immediately report spills to the nearest service desk so they can be cleaned up quickly to avoid permanent damage.

In accordance with UK regulations, alcohol and the use of tobacco products are not permitted in UK Libraries.

Users in violation of these policies will be required to dispose of unauthorized food, drink, or tobacco items and/or leave the library. All violations will be handled in accordance with the UK Libraries User Code of Conduct.

In accordance with the UK Policy on Distribution of Publications, prior approval is required before publications, including newspapers, magazines, and other periodicals, may be placed in UK Libraries. Unapproved publications will be removed and recycled. 

Bulletin boards located in UK Libraries are reserved for announcements of university units, student organizations, or departmental activities. Any announcements placed on bulletin boards must be marked with a day-of-posting date, and will be removed one month after posting.  Bulletin boards are not to be used for personal, commercial, or business purposes. Use of bulletin boards and electronic message systems shall be consistent with the Governing Regulations on Use of Facilities, Solicitation of Funds, Political Activity, and Campus Sales. 

For more information, see UK Governing Regulations, Part I, or contact refdesk@uky.edu.

Personal lockers are available to all UK students, faculty, and staff on Floors 2-5 of William T. Young Library. To check out a locker, talk to a librarian at the Circulation Desk.

To ensure the maintenance of a clean, user-friendly environment and the preservation of library materials, please review the following locker guidelines. 

1. Lockers may be checked out at any time. Assignments last for the duration of the current semester, at which point the keys must be returned. Lockers may be renewed at the end of the semester.
2. Any library materials stored in your locker must be checked out to your library account. Do not store non-circulating materials in your locker.
3. Please do not store any food in your locker.
4. UK Libraries is not responsible for personal items stored in lockers.
5. Please remove all items from your locker at the end of your assignment, before returning your key. Personal items left in lockers will be placed in the Lost and Found at the Circulation Desk for a reasonable period of time and then discarded. 

Please note that lockers are checked by library staff at regular intervals, and any prohibited items will be removed. A first offense will result in a written warning, and a second will result in the revocation of locker privileges. 

There is a $5 replacement fee for a lost locker key.

Computer labs and public computers [link to S&T] are located in the Fine Arts Library, the Medical Center Library, the Science & Engineering Library, and William T. Young Library.

Computers are available during each library’s normal operating hours. For information on available software, hardware, and other technology services, visit our Spaces & Technology page.

All users of UK Libraries computers are expected to observe the following policies:

1. The intended purpose for public computers is to allow users to gather and view educational and research information.  
2. Software is licensed for educational use only. Illegal use of computer hardware and software is prohibited under Kentucky Criminal Law (KRS 434.850 - 434.860). 
3. Please do not download or install software. Only software installed by UK Libraries is permitted.  
4. Do not attempt to bypass system restrictions, tamper with system files or applications, or otherwise misuse computer or network resources.  
5. Personal files left on computers will be deleted.
6. UK Libraries is not responsible for a user’s lost files or data or for a user’s lost or damaged media or peripheral equipment.  
7. Please be considerate of others by keeping noise and other disruptions to a minimum. Disruptive persons will be asked to leave.
8. UK Libraries does not restrict use of the Internet, nor monitor or control Internet content. Users are responsible for choosing which sites they access. UK Libraries is not accountable for information or images accessed through the Internet or any other external resource, or for content intentionally or inadvertently viewed or read from other user’s screens. Parents, legal guardians, or other adults chaperoning children are responsible for children's use of the Internet.
9. UK Libraries promotes an environment conducive to study and research. To this end, we expect users to demonstrate respect for others' right to privacy and freedom from intimidation or harassment. Users are asked to be sensitive to the fact that some on-screen images, sounds, or messages might create an atmosphere of intimidation or harassment for others. Users should speak to a library staff member if concerned about materials viewed on library computers.

Flagrant violation of computer use policies may result in the loss of library privileges.

For additional information, please refer to UK’s Use of Technology Resources regulations. For any questions about computer use policies, please speak to a librarian or send an email to refdesk@uky.edu.

Policies regarding reservable meeting and study spaces are located on the reservation page for each space.

Find Information for using spaces and equipment at the SCRC here.

For all other policy questions, please consult our User Code of Conduct.