About the Library: Acceptable Computer Use

Hagerstown Community College has a standard for acceptable use of computers on campus. This policy states, in part:

• Hagerstown Community College will provide access to students, faculty, staff, and others by special arrangement and ensure that College computing, network and communication resources are used appropriately in the conduct of College-related business and activities. The College encourages users to utilize available technologies to explore educational topics, conduct research, and contact others in the context of their professional duties.
• All users are expected to utilize these resources in a responsible, respectable and ethical manner. Use is governed by all federal, state, and local laws and any related College policies, guidelines and procedures.
• The College reserves the right to monitor, audit, and review files, directories, Internet logs and communications to maintain system integrity and to ensure that employees are using the College systems in accordance with policies and procedures and applicable federal and state laws.

Hagerstown Community College considers any violation of this policy and related procedures to be a serious offense. Failure to abide by this policy and related procedures and guidelines may result in temporary or permanent denial of access to HCC computing systems. Inappropriate use may warrant disciplinary action up to and including termination.

See the complete policy here: Use of Computing, Network and Communications Policy 5093.

Additionally, the Library maintains specific, internal computer use policies that are applicable to students and members of the public as outlined below.

• Currently, there is no time limit for computer use. However, if all computers are occupied and there is a student waiting to use a computer for class work, you may be asked to relinquish your workstation for a student needing to do academic work. Games, email, and social networking sites do not support the mission of the college and must not delay or interfere with students engaged in class work.
• Please refer to HCC’s Policy Statement Use of Computing, Network and Communications Resources for acceptable use of campus computers.  Copies of this policy are posted throughout the Library.

Users may be barred from the Library and campus for:

• Downloading and/or viewing obscene, harassing, or pornographic sites
• Printing from obscene, harassing, or pornographic sites
• Changing computer settings
• Using computers for non-academic purposes including, but not limited to, running a business, illegal file sharing, system hacking, identity theft, etc.

• Computers are not equipped with sound devices. If you need to listen to sound for a particular website, you must bring your own headphones to listen to any audible component to the site. 
• Children should be accompanied by an adult at all times while in the Library. Children under the age of 16 are not permitted to use library computers due to lack of website-content filtering.