The mission of the library system of Metropolitan Community College is to serve a diverse community of life-long learners by providing quality information resources and services and instruction in their use.
CAMPUS LIBRARIES
Campus libraries are located at each of the three main campuses: Elkhorn Valley, Fort Omaha, and South Omaha. See Campus Library Locations and Hours for more information.
In addition, the College shares the Sarpy Center with the La Vista Public Library which also provides service to OPE电子竞技官网 faculty, staff and currently enrolled students. For hours, location, and contact information see the La Vista Public Library website.
Faculty located at other OPE电子竞技官网 sites are encouraged to contact a campus library for information about class presentations or for assistance with their research needs. Library staff can visit your classroom and faculty, students and staff may request that library materials be sent to them at other OPE电子竞技官网 locations.
LIBRARY USE INSTRUCTION AND PRESENTATIONS
Members of today's society are inundated by information and the volume of information that is available, not only on the internet but also as print materials, increases daily. That abundance alone will not create better students or citizens, so the OPE电子竞技官网 campus libraries provide instruction in information literacy skills as well as library use instruction to familiarize students with the resources and services offered by the library, and also to help them locate and effectively use information and conduct research.
Library use instruction may consist of three parts: a tour of the library facility, instruction in general library skills and instruction in library use and research skills in a specific subject or program area.
Presentations can be designed according to faculty needs and may include any or all of the three types of instruction, at faculty request. They may take place in the campus library, over Zoom, or arrangements can be made for library staff to visit your classroom.
In addition, library staff are available to work with faculty to design critical thinking or information literacy activities for classes. Information-literate individuals are those who have developed a set of skills and abilities that allow them to recognize when information is needed and have the ability to locate, evaluate and use effectively the needed information.
For additional information about scheduling library use instruction for your classes, contact a campus library supervisor.
Elkhorn Valley:
Scott Mahoney
531-622-1324
smahoney@shinjiweb.com
Fort Omaha:
Ann Wills
531-622-2630
awills@shinjiweb.com
South Omaha:
Gary Katz
531-622-4737
gkatz@shinjiweb.com
LIBRARY COLLECTION
PHYSICAL COLLECTION
Although there are three campus libraries, the materials housed in them are considered to be one collection. Students, faculty and staff at any College site may use any OPE电子竞技官网 campus library.
The library collection at each campus is designed to support the College programs offered at that campus. A small amount of popular fiction and nonfiction (including bestsellers) is also available.
Each campus library collection consists of print materials (books, magazines, newspapers, journals) as well as DVDs and other audiovisual materials. Most of these physical items may be checked out. Loan periods vary depending on the format type.
All borrowers, including faculty and staff, are charged the replacement cost for lost (long overdue) or damaged materials and equipment. Faculty and staff who have overdue materials may have their records blocked at the Business Office and their accounts may be turned over to a collection agency. Because the OPE电子竞技官网 library shares a circulation system with Omaha Public Library, OPE电子竞技官网 faculty and staff with overdue OPE电子竞技官网 materials may lose their borrowing privileges at Omaha Public Library.
Additional information about the circulation of library materials is available in Procedures Memorandum IX-3.
ONLINE RESOURCES
The OPE电子竞技官网 libraries subscribe to more than 40 online databases containing a wide range of materials including eBooks; audiobooks; streaming videos; full-text magazine, journal, and newspaper articles; online encyclopedias and dictionaries; digital art, architecture and photography images; practice exams and study guides; company reports; career profiles; legal cases and codes; automotive repair manuals.
The online resources are available on the Library's webpage. Most of them can be accessed remotely with a OPE电子竞技官网 username and password.
SELECTION OF MATERIALS
Faculty and staff are an important part of the planned selection process of library materials. Library staff rely on faculty subject expertise when adding or removing items (both physical and online) from the collection. Professional library and subject journals are also used in the selection process.
To provide the flexibility to support new programs or areas that need additional materials, the libraries do not budget specific amounts for divisions or departments.
Purchase requests
Faculty members may make a purchase request by contacting a campus Library Supervisor or by completing an online Purchase Request form. Requested materials are acquired as quickly as possible, depending on available funds. If materials are needed by a specific date, faculty should include this information with their request so the materials can receive priority handling. Faculty members who are members of professional associations or organizations may be able to order materials published by those groups at a discount. If so, providing a membership number along with a request will save College funds.
De-selection
De-selection or weeding of materials that are outdated, damaged or have been updated by more recent editions is an important part of the overall development of the collection. Faculty recommendations play an important part in this process and library staff will ask departments to review collections in their areas frequently.
FINDING TOOLS
In addition to each individual database, the following finding tools are available on the library website:
Library Catalog: The library catalog (WebPAC) lists the print books, DVDs, and other physical items available in the campus libraries, as well as some (but not all) of the library's streaming videos. It also lists OPE电子竞技官网-owned materials housed in the La Vista Public Library at the Sarpy Center.
Because OPE电子竞技官网 shares WebPAC with Omaha Public Library it also includes the books, DVDs and other materials available in Omaha Public Library's branches and locations.
Discovery: Discovery searches WebPAC and several online databases at once, allowing users to find print books, eBooks, streaming videos, or online magazine, newspaper, and journal articles in one search.
Journals A-Z: Find magazines, newspapers, or journals by title or browse by subject.
COMPUTERS
Each campus library has a number of computers available for public use. The computers can be used to access the library's online resources, the Internet, email and other software programs including Microsoft Office (Word, PowerPoint, Access, Excel). Printers are also available.
Elkhorn Valley and Fort Omaha
Computer users must log on with their OPE电子竞技官网 username and password and are expected to abide by the library's Computer Use and Copyright Guidelines.
South Omaha
Because the South Omaha Library is a joint library shared by OPE电子竞技官网 and Omaha Public Library, computers in that facility are governed by OPL policies. Computer users must log on with their OPL card (available to all OPE电子竞技官网 faculty, staff and students) and must abide by the library's Internet Use and Safety Policy.
INTERCAMPUS LOAN
Materials available at one campus library or the La Vista Public Library may be requested by faculty, students and staff for pickup at another campus or location.
INTERLIBRARY LOAN
Materials that are not available at the College can often be borrowed from other libraries through interlibrary loan. See Interlibrary Loan for more information.
RECIPROCAL BORROWING
OPE电子竞技官网 faculty, staff and students may check out materials from other academic libraries participating in the Nebraska Library Association's Reciprocal Borrowing Program. Faculty, students and staff who wish to take advantage of this service must have a current OPE电子竞技官网 identification card. They must contact the circulation department at the borrowing library to determine what materials they are eligible to check out, the loan period and any restrictions. OPE电子竞技官网's library staff will assist the Reciprocal Borrowing library in collecting any overdue fines or materials as needed and may place a block on the OPE电子竞技官网 faculty, staff or student's Business Office account.
OMAHA PUBLIC LIBRARY
OPE电子竞技官网 faculty, staff and students may also check out materials from Omaha Public Library (OPL). A public library card is required and may be obtained at any OPE电子竞技官网 campus library (NOTE: The South Omaha Library is a joint library shared by Metropolitan Community College and Omaha Public Library).
OPL materials may also be requested for pickup at the Elkhorn Valley, Fort Omaha or South Omaha campus libraries.
Faculty, staff and students with overdue OPL materials will be assessed overdue fines by OPL and their accounts may be turned over to a collection agency.
RESERVE MATERIALS
Faculty reserves
Instructors who use books, DVDs or other library materials in class on an ongoing basis may ask that those materials be placed on reserve, limiting circulation to OPE电子竞技官网 faculty and staff. This will prevent other library patrons (students or community members) from checking those items out when needed by an instructor.
Instructors who plan to use library materials on a certain date should notify library staff in advance in order to ensure that the item is available on that date. A Course Reserve form must be completed.
Student reserves
Instructors may also request that library materials be placed on reserve for student use. The loan period is set by the instructor. Usual loan periods are two or 24 hours, although longer time periods can be arranged, depending on faculty perception of student needs. Instructors may also request that reserve materials be restricted to in-library use only.
Faculty members may also place their personal or departmental copies of materials on reserve. The library is not responsible for these copies if they are lost or damaged. Instructors may also place copies of course textbooks on reserve for students. The library does not have current course textbooks available in the collection.
Materials obtained by interlibrary loan may not be placed on reserve.
Photocopies of articles may be placed on reserve, providing certain copyright restrictions are observed. These restrictions include:
- A single photocopy may be placed on reserve, providing that the instructor has made the copy and that the copy remains the property of the instructor. The instructor must determine whether the copying has been done according to copyright guidelines; if you have copyright questions, ask the campus library supervisor. The single copy shall be on reserve for one quarter and will be returned to the instructor at the end of the quarter.
- Multiple photocopies of materials may be placed on reserve, providing that the instructor provides written proof that copyright permission has been obtained or, in the case of spontaneous copying, that permission has been sought. Multiple photocopies remain on reserve for one quarter.
- If photocopied materials are to remain on reserve for more than one quarter, the faculty member must request permission from the copyright owner and provide written proof of such permission to library staff.
AUDIOVISUAL EQUIPMENT
The campus libraries provide a limited amount of audiovisual equipment for faculty use. The selection varies from campus to campus. Contact a campus library for more information about the availability of equipment at that campus.
QUIET STUDY/MEETING ROOMS
Quiet Study and meeting rooms are available at each campus library. The location and room size vary with each library. Reservations must be made in advance with library staff.
OPEN EDUCATIONAL RESOURCES
Library staff are available to assist faculty find Open Educational Resources (OER) for use in the courses they teach. For more information, see Open Educational Resources.
Reviewed 8/5/24