Frequently Asked Questions about the Library

How often do librarians or others return the books and magazines back to the shelves?

SCCC student assistants sort and return books, magazines, journals and newspapers once daily. This usually takes place before 4 p.m. Student assistants are not available for this task in the evening hours. (Hint: Can't find an item on the shelf? For magazines, journals, newspapers, check the plastic bins near the entrance to the ERA/ESL room; for books, check the carts near the copy machines. ASK FOR HELP IF YOU STILL CANNOT FIND WHAT YOU'RE LOOKING FOR)

What kind of students work here?

SCCC students help out at the Circulation Desk (checking out books, shelving materials); UW Library School students assist at the Reference Desk (using periodical databases, the Online Catalog, Internet resources, locating books in the stacks, answering some reference questions).

Who decides what is included in the collection? How?

Librarians working with the Director of Information Resource Services. Decisions are made based on students' needs in terms of subject and ease of access, as well as standards of organization for an academic library.

How does the reserve system work (i.e. the place hold option)?

This is commonly known as Inter-Library Loan or ILL. The 3 campuses of the Seattle Community College District share library resources; if an item shows "Available" at another campus in the Online Catalog, a student can request an inter-library loan by plac

ing a hold on the title. Simply enter your student number and a message will be sent to the other campus library requesting that the item be delivered to Central campus (this usually takes a day or two and the student pays no delivery fee).

How do I use Audio Visual equipment?

When checking out audio visual materials, ask the staff person at Media Services to give you a quickinstruction session.

Conference Rooms? Quiet Study Rooms?

Conference Rooms are available for group study, meetings, filming or video -viewing. Play it safe and make reservations at Media Services to prevent being "kicked out" by a group who did.

Are the computers in the classrooms available for anyone to use without making a reservation?

There is one computer in Classroom A which is an instructional workstation (librarians only). The computers in the Library Instruction Lab are reserved for hands-on instruction.

Are there limits on who can use the computers?

Students doing research related to school projects and homework have first priority on the library's computers. Email is restricted to the four stations inside Room C.

Can I type a paper in the library?

Students who have paid the Universal Technology Fee are eligible to use the computer lab in the library (near the copy machines) and in the main lab, Room 3148. Lab assistants are available to help you log on and use the software.

What time does the library close?

Hours are: Mon-Thu 7:45am - 9pm Fri 7:45am - 4:30pm Sat 10:30am - 3:30pm

How long can you check books out for and how many at a time?

Check out books for 2 weeks, magazines and journals for 1 week. As many as you can carry :) at one time.

What is the section on vertical files for? What's a pamphlet for? What do you find in it?

Vertical files contain newspaper clippings dealing with important local issues; pamphlets (short informational mini-books) issued by non-profit organizations; company annual reports. Information resources that are valuable but would not last very long if stored with regular sized books or magazines.

How many kinds of magazines are here?

There are about 500 periodical titles (magazines, journals, newspapers) in our collection (past and current). Check the Periodical Holdings List to get an idea of the range of subjects covered.

Can I watch videos of "Video Courses"?

Yes. Check the list at Media Services.

How can I use microfilms? Do I need permission for it?

No permission is needed, but you can ask a librarian or reference assistant to help you find the right issues and use the machines. When you feel comfortable working on your own, go ahead and select the film or fiche you need and view your document on the readers in the southeast corner of the library.

What are periodicals / indexes?

Periodicals are regularly issued magazines, journals, newspapers. Indexes list the articles found in periodicals according to topic, providing complete bibliographic information.

How do you use periodicals / indexes? Is there any easy way to find a newspaper article on the shelf? Why would I use an index?

Use periodicals for current information on a topic. An index will help you identify which periodical issues have articles on a given topic.

What's the difference between periodicals and newspapers?

NEWSPAPER is a kind of PERIODICAL. Shelved separately for format reasons (newspaper larger, usually issued daily - takes up more space).

Do we have children's books? Oversized photography books? CD's that we can check out?

A selection of notable (award winning) children's books is available in the main collection. Browse the PZ classification area or use the online catalog to search for a specific author or title. Oversized art books are shelved in the N classification area with the other art books; photography in the TR classification. Oversized books tend to be placed sideways on the shelves; otherwise check on the bottom shelf where they lie flat.

Does the library carry the same books found in the student book store?

No, due to budget restrictions. You may sometimes find an older edition of a textbook in the main collection; check the Online Catalog. Some instructors (e.g. Spence, LIB101) place a copy of their class text and/or photocopies of required or recommended readings on RESERVE. Stop by the Reserve Desk and ask the staff person for your instructor's last name and the course number.

Library of Congress classification system lists magazines in "A" but at SCCC they're alphabetized?

Faster processing. Easier access.

Can the encyclopedias without an R call number be checked out?

Yes. Older editions of general encyclopedias are removed from the Reference collection (R or REF designation before the call number), and placed in the Main Book collection for check out.

What exactly does the Media Services office have to offer?

Language tape duplication, CD check-out, video and DVD check-out (library use only), film strips, slides, video equipment check-out, and audio cassette check-out.

Where's all the fiction? Is it just the shelves of paperbacks at the beginning of the collection?

Fiction is shelved within the main collection in the P classification area (Literature) according to geographical region. SCCC Library does not purchase popular fiction titles; the fiction collection is limited to works of award-winning authors.

How do you use an atlas or how do you look at one?

Use the index to identify the place name you want to examine for location, distance between two points, etc. An atlas can also answer questions concerning climate, environment, commodities, political boundaries... Graphic representations (illustrations, charts, something other than letters and numbers) make the information more interesting and help the user to better understand the material.

Dictionary on south wall of library (72 volumes)?

Webster's English Dictionary in BRAILLE, remains of a small Braille collection.

This page is maintained by Francine Walls