As more and more students take classes through distance education programs at remote institutions, the Library receives more and more requests from these students for test proctoring services. To have an exam proctored at the Library, please read our test proctoring policy and fill out an application form.
While such services fall broadly under the Library’s mission to provide local residents with materials and support to help meet their self-directed learning and academic goals – and while local residents may have few other places in the community where they can have exams proctored – it is important to realize that regular test proctoring can take up a significant amount of library staff time and represents a shifting of administrative responsibilities from the academic institutions who offer distance education programs to local public libraries.
Accordingly, in an effort to meet the needs of local residents for test proctoring services without having to absorb the full cost of a responsibility that has traditionally been provided by academic institutions as part of their tuition fee, the Library will provide test proctoring services under the following conditions:
- Students must contact the Reference & Information Services Department to book an appointment in advance.
- Proctoring services will be provided during regular Library hours only. Students will be required to turn in their exam no later than one half hour before closing time. It will be the responsibility of the student to be aware of the Library’s closing time on the day of their appointment and to plan their time accordingly.
- The Library will meet the proctoring requirements of the testing institution whenever possible. However, the Library reserves the right to refuse to proctor an exam if it deems the conditions imposed by the institution to be intrusive to its normal workflow or detrimental to the normal provision of its other services. The Library cannot provide direct supervision of the student during the test.
- Library staff must receive the following before a test will be administered:
- student’s name
- name of institution and contact name, email, and phone number
- phone number or e-mail of student
- whether a library computer will be required
- full payment of the Library’s proctoring fee
- It is the student’s responsibility to check with the Library to see if the test has been received prior to coming in to take their test.
- The Library’s proctoring fee is:
- For those holding an active Auburn Public Library card, Lewiston Public Library card, or APL/LPL joint library card: $5 per exam
- For those not holding an active Auburn Public Library card, Lewiston Public Library card, or joint APL/LPL library card: $20 per exam
- Tests can be received or returned through the mail, by e-mail or by fax. The Library can also receive tests from delivery services such as Fed Ex or UPS, but tests cannot be returned in this manner. If a test is to be returned by mail, the student or institution must provide a postage-paid mailing envelope before the test will be returned. The Library will not incur any expense for the sending or shipping of tests.
- It is the student’s responsibility to follow up with the institution to ascertain that a returned test was received there. The Library will not keep copies of test materials unless specifically asked to do so by an institution, in which case it will do so only for a limited time.