Library Services

The Library is service-oriented, and these operations have top priority. Call the appropriate phone extension for more specific information.

Your BCC Library Card
(236 - 2154, 236 - 2150)

BCC students, faculty, and staff use our library card to borrow materials, request items online from other libraries, check records, renew items, and gain remote (off-campus) access to library reference databases. Please stop in to get a card if you don’t already have one (you will need a picture ID). Members of the general public may obtain a BCC community borrower card. All card holders are registered with the Central Western MA Automated Resource Sharing (C/W MARS) library network, which processes our circulation transactions. Borrowing privileges are contingent upon users respecting the policies of BCC and other libraries that loan them materials.

Circulation of materials (236 -2154, 236 - 2150)

Most of our books and sound recordings circulate to students and the general public for three weeks. They may be renewed once for an equivalent period if other users have not requested them. Video recordings may be used in the Library and may be checked out by faculty and staff. Reference books and periodicals normally don’t circulate outside the Library. You may borrow materials by bringing them to the Circulation Desk and presenting your BCC library card. The fine for overdue items is ten cents per day per item, and replacement costs will be charged for lost materials.

Reserve Service (236 -2154)

Faculty often place materials on reserve for student use, especially if there are items that should be examined by all class participants. Ask for these materials at the Circulation Desk. Most reserve items have in-house status, which means they are to be used in the Library. Forum videos are also kept here for in-house use, as are some required course texts. Please ask about the availability of specific textbooks.

Reference Department (236 - 2153, 2157)

Professional librarians are available during most hours of operation to help library users with research, use of traditional and electronic resources, and other information needs. We can locate answers to specific questions or guide you to appropriate sources for more in-depth work. The librarians can be of great assistance with literature searches because of their knowledge of specialized databases, other Internet resources, and search techniques. If no one is stationed in the Reference Department, please request assistance at the Circulation Desk.

Resource Sharing/Interlibrary Loan (236 -2154)

BCC belongs to various library resource-sharing networks in order to increase access to information. If you need to borrow items that are not in our collection, you may find them by searching the broader C/W MARS or MA Virtual Catalog systems. Then you can enter your BCC library card number and request the material be delivered here. The library staff can obtain other items for BCC students, faculty, and staff through our membership in the Online Computer Library Center (OCLC), a global interlibrary-loan network of thousands of libraries. Please provide complete citations and allow one to two weeks for requested items to arrive here.

Library Orientation/Bibliographic Instruction/Information Literacy (236 -2153)

The librarians conduct sessions for BCC classes and other groups on how to utilize the modern library. Sessions may consist of a lecture, demonstration, tour, hands-on lab work, or combination of formats. General research principles about information organization and access are stressed. The policies and arrangement of our own library are also covered. Basic library orientation is provided to all English 101 classes. Subject-specific sessions focusing on resources in a certain discipline may also be arranged. Librarians work with faculty and others to develop the best type of session for each group.

User Guides and Library Displays (236 -2153)

The librarians prepare resource lists, research guides, and displays of holdings on subjects of current interest. Check the display area for current exhibits. A wide selection of user guides is available near the Circulation Desk.

Current Awareness

These services enhance professional development and awareness by alerting users to new library resources and information of interest. Lists of recently cataloged books and non-print items are compiled on a regular basis. Our online Current Subscriptions list has links to contents information for recent issues of many periodicals. “Library Updates” and other types of announcements inform users about new displays, databases, guides, events, and other items of interest.

updated 3/10/2008