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LIBRARY

Located in the Student Achievement Center on the Youngwood Campus

Material Selection & Gifts

  • The Library collects books, periodicals, and audiovisual materials in both print and digital formats, individually or through database subscriptions, and in varying levels of difficulty.
  • The Library staff welcomes faculty recommendations and relies on faculty judgment to assess the adequacy of collection in supporting curricula. Requests for titles may be sent to the Library at library@westmoreland.edu where they will be reviewed. If an item is purchased, you will receive an email notification of its availability.
  • We also welcome student suggestions!
  • We assume the responsibility for the development of a strong basic collection representing all fields of knowledge, and for the balance and integration of the total collection.

Library staff continuously select and deselect materials to provide the most significant and relevant information.

Criteria are:

  • Anticipated demand 
  • Accuracy and validity of the information
  • Author, publisher, or producer reputation
  • Relevance to the instructional and work-related needs of students, faculty, and staff
  • Timeliness or permanence of the material
  • Strengths and weaknesses of the existing library collection in the subject area
  • Format (Is the content best provided in print or digital format, or both?)
  • Cost 
  • Reading or viewing level of the material
  • Evaluations of the material from standard or knowledgeable reviewing sources
  • The Library does not purchase duplicate items.
  • However, if heavy use of a particular item indicates a need for more than one copy, or an instructor requests duplicate copies of an item to support a particular instructional program, the request will be considered.

 

  • As a general rule, textbooks are not included in the collection.
  • However, if the subject matter and/or presentation of a particular textbook is such that the information is not available elsewhere, or if a faculty member recommends that a textbook be added to the collection and the textbook meets the selection criteria, it will be added.
  • Books that are not textbooks but are required or supplemental readings as indicated in syllabi may be purchased in print or digital form.
  • The Library does not automatically replace items in the collection because of loss or damage.
  • Each item is considered individually on the basis of demand and/or the availability of more recent publications or materials on the subject.
  • The Library reserves the right to accept or reject gifts using our selection criteria.
  • We do not provide appraisals of donated items.
  • If you want to place a memorial book in the Library as an individual or as a group, please fill out the Gift or Memorial Book Donation form.    
  • You may request a specific title or a subject of interest. If you have no preference, the librarians will select an item which would be appropriate for the Library collection. 
  • The Dean for the Online College, Center for Teaching and Learning, and Library Services will send a letter to the donor(s) and to the family of the memorialized person notifying them that the item is available in the library. 

Gift or Memorial Book Donation Form

Westmoreland County Community College Library - Student Achievement Center, 145 Pavilion Lane, Youngwood, PA 15697
Phone: 724-925-4100 | library@westmoreland.edu | Library Hours | D2L | FAQs
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