Library

CONTACT PERSON
Library Director: Susan Niewenhous, MLS
e-mail: sniewenh@lcsc.edu
Office: Library
Phone: 792-2396
Fax: 792-2831
Web: http://www.lcsc.edu/library

OVERVIEW
The Library supports the mission of the College by providing information access and resources for the students, faculty, community and region. The Library is an integral part of the instructional program of the College and serves as a classroom extension for faculty and students involved in independent reading, study, and research. A variety of book and non-print material stimulates intellectual curiosity while satisfying academic, vocational and recreational needs.

COLLECTION
The library collection contains more than 247,000 items. Participation in a variety of networking and consortial agreements provides access to a web-based catalog, automated circulation system and resource sharing with libraries in Washington and Idaho through the North Idaho Academic Library Network (NIAL) and the Washington-Idaho Network (WIN). The resource sharing agreements and courier delivery facilitate local access to more than 2.5 million items. Membership in the Online Computer Library Center, (OCLC) assures rapid access to additional titles that may be borrowed from participating libraries around the world. Special collections include: the Lewis-Clark Centennial Collection, Pacific Northwest materials; children’s and young adults’ literature; elementary and secondary school textbooks; the Library of American Civilization, a microfiche collection covering all phases of United States history and culture through 1914; and the Allan H. Smith Collection. The Library also serves as a partial depository for federal documents, which now exceeds 22,000 items.

More than 11,800 journal titles are accessible through print subscriptions and electronic journals in full-text databases to support course offerings and research needs.

REFERENCE ASSISTANCE
The Information Desk provides a centralized point where assistance is available to students, faculty, and the community with information and research needs. Reference Librarians are available to instruct, advise, and assist patrons on the effective use of resource materials in both print and digital formats. Assistance is available to support research needs including the development of research strategies, resource identification, and evaluation of resources. Librarians are available in person, via telephone, e-mail, or through instant messaging.

INTER-LIBRARY LOAN
Inter-library loan is a service available to students, faculty and staff The service provides access to resources that are not available within the LCSC Library. LCSC maintains local, regional and worldwide agreements with libraries for resource sharing. The Library will borrow books and media as well as obtain copies of articles from other libraries for patrons.

LIBRARY INSTRUCTION
The Library employs a variety of instructional methods to help students develop the full range of information literacy skills needed to succeed in their courses and meet the expectations of their future
employers. Together with course instructors, the librarians develop assignment-related instruction and web pages for individual classes. Librarians also provide individualized instruction to students who need to use library resources to complete their assignments. To meet the needs of distance students and provide self-paced in-depth instruction, the library offers online tutorials for research skills. These modules dovetail with the Information Literacy Competency Standards for Higher Education of the Association of College & Research Libraries.