officer are specified in  Standard  Organization  and Regulations of the U.S. Navy, OPNAVINST 3120.32, article  305.9. Library  Attendants The  shipboard  general  library  may  be  staffed  in  a variety of ways. In some cases, it may be designated as an  assigned  duty  station  and  staffed  by  assigned watches. In other cases, especially when the appropriate fleet commander in chief has granted a waiver to the ship, the shipboard library may be staffed by paid library attendants or volunteers. As an RP, you and the library attendants will perform library duties and carry out library procedures under the supervision of the library officer. HOURS OF OPERATION The shipboard library is a customer service-oriented program. This means the library’s hours of operation must include evening and weekend hours so shipboard personnel will have access to the library’s collections and services. Operating hours should be clearly posted, shown in the plan of the day (POD), and advertised during the orientation of newly assigned personnel. The  shipboard  library  is  an  important  morale builder,  particularly  during  underway  periods.  This  is why it is important not only for shipboard personnel to know when the library is open but also for the library’s staff to adhere to and maintain the posted hours of operation. As a member of the library’s staff, you should take the libray’s hours of operation as seriously as you would the maintenance and care of its materials and spaces. GENERAL POLICIES AND SERVICES Library materials are put in the ship’s library to be used. The policies and procedures governing the use of these materials should be fair to all shipboard personnel. All aspects of library service are designed to make the library’s resources convenient for the users, remove barriers,  invite  use,  and  guide  reading  and  education toward the goals of the individual user. Normal services to the customers of a shipboard library should include the  following  provisions: . Well-organized collections of materials that have been  classified,  cataloged,  and  arranged  with  the convenience of the user in mind l Arrangements for the loan of materials, either directly  from  the  library’s  collections  or  through interlibrary  loan  procedures .  Information  services  designed  to  help  users locate facts or resources as needed . Guidance in the use of reference, professional, educational,  and  recreational  materials . Assistance to command organizations in locating and  using  materials  for  professional  development, planning  programs,  and  other  organizational  needs  and projects l   Publicity   to   stimulate   interest   and   use   of materials by means of advertising, notices, displays, reading   lists,   book   talks,   discussions,   and   other promotional methods both in the library and at various meetings  outside  the  library’s  spaces l Bibliographic information on books and other materials MANAGING THE USE OF LIBRARY MATERIALS Your  shipboard  library  must  have  locally established  policies  for  managing  the  use  of  its materials. Policies for use will often depend on the types  of  materials  involved.  For  example,  most clothbound  (hardbound)  or  paperback  books  are  made available for circulation or loan to individual users to be enjoyed outside the library’s spaces. Managing these materials may be accomplished by the use of library book cards and check-out records, as shown in figure 5-3. Other materials, such as reference materials, must be used within the library’s spaces and are not generally made  available  for  use  outside  the  library.  Still  other materials may not be locally available but must be acquired by interlibrary loan. In the following sections, we  will  discuss  general  procedures  for  managing materials  that  can  be  loaned  or  circulated,  those  that must be used within the library’s spaces, and those that must be obtained from other libraries. Clothbound  Books For   clothbound   books   in   the   general   library collection, the loan period is 2 weeks with an option for renewal.  Clothbound  books  that  are  cataloged  as reference  books,  however,  are  for  use  solely  in  the library and are not circulated. 5-5