Library Services for Students
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Book Collection

Books are organized on the shelves according to the Library of Congress (LC) Classification System and can be located using the CMC Public Access Catalog (PAC).  (Please refer to the section entitled Using the CMC Library Consortium Public Access Catalog, Page 2, for instructions on how to search for books on a specific topic.)  In the LC Classification system, books are arranged alphabetically, numerically and decimally in order of the appearance of each element in the call number.  A copy of the LC Classification system and instructions on finding books on the shelf are included on Page 8 of this handbook.  Another list of LC Classification subject groups is posted at the beginning of the book collection.

The book collection consists of non-circulating materials, such as Reference, and materials in the general circulating collection, which may be borrowed.  Within these two categories are specialized materials that are labeled with a prefix to indicate the type of material (such as Oversize) or the location of the item (such as Tryon Rm). 

The following prefixes are used:

Prefix

Indication

Basic Bk Career Juvenile Lg Print Nursing Oversize Ref Sm Bus Special Tryon Rm

Books for adult beginning readers Items shelved in Career Center (Student Services Building) Children's books Books in large print ADN or LPN nursing program materials (circulation limited to nursing students) Books too big for normal shelf size, located at beginning of circulating collection Reference items (non-circulating) Items shelved in Customized Training and Development Center (Foundation) See Circulation desk staff (non-circulating: witchcraft, etc.) Historical materials in Old Tryon Room (may also be Ref, Oversize or Rare)

Fiction is shelved with other literature, primarily in the PS and PZ sections.  To locate a work by a particular author, use the catalog to retrieve the call number of the book desired.  For more information on searching for books by using call numbers, see Page 8.

Reference Materials

Reference materials include dictionaries, encyclopedias, almanacs, atlases, directories, handbooks, and a number of other publications that may be used to find answers to a wide variety of questions, from word definitions, statistics, or dates of historical events to general background information about a subject.  Items in the Reference collection may be found in several locations in the library, but most of the materials are located in a special section, just ahead of the circulating collection.  Reference materials are available on a large number of topics, such as: philosophy, religion, history, science, sociology, medicine, biography, literature, mythology, government, and technology.  Some Reference titles consist of a single book; others have multiple volumes.  Although Reference materials are non-circulating, they are a very important part of the library collection.  Articles in reference books may be photocopied as desired.

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Periodicals

The library subscribes to 194 current periodicals (magazines, journals and newspapers).  Current subscription magazines and journals are arranged alphabetically by title on the shelving around the walls of the Periodicals Reading Room.  The current issue of each title is placed on the slanted outside shelf, which lifts up to provide access to back issues, most of which are held for up to two years.  Issues from the earliest year are removed at the end of each year, although back issues of titles judged to be of special research value are retained for longer periods.

The library also subscribes to a selection of local, regional, and national newspapers, the most current of which are located on a rotating stand just outside the Old Tryon Room.  Back issues are stored for about two weeks on shelves nearby.  Periodicals and newspapers are not circulated; however, articles may be reproduced on the photocopier in the lobby.

The Isothermal Community College Library Periodicals Holdings list contains information regarding the periodicals and newspapers to which the library currently subscribes, as well as archival issues of newspapers on microfilm.  A copy of the current Isothermal Community College Library Periodicals Holdings list, in a dark blue binder, is located on the index shelf to the left of the entrance area of the Periodicals Reading Room.  The same list is accessible on the library webpage at http://www.isothermal.edu/library/phl.html.

Microfilm
The library's microfilm collection and a reader/printer, which allows viewing and printing of microfilm, are located in the Old Tryon Room.  The microfilm collection includes older issues of the New York Times newspaper, local newspapers and other historical records. 

As you enter the Old Tryon Room, the reader/printer is situated on the left, just beyond the microfilm cabinets.  A small diagram on the machine shows how to load the microfilm.  If you need assistance using this equipment, come to the Circulation desk; the staff will be happy to help.  Photocopies of microfilm cost $.10 per page.  Change is available at the circulation desk.

Print Indexes
The Reader's Guide to Periodical Literature, a set of green hardbound and paperback volumes on the index shelves in the Periodicals Reading Room, is an index to articles in general-interest periodicals.  Back issues of other print indexes on specific subject areas are shelved nearby.  Most indexes contain a sample entry and an explanation of how the index is used at the beginning of each volume. 

Other Access to Periodicals
Articles from many periodicals are indexed and/or available in full text via NC LIVE.  (For more information, see Library Website and Links to Electronic Resources and Accessing Electronic Resources, Page 6.)
 

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