The Library serves the students, faculty, administrators and staff of Manatee Community College. Our student body consists of full and part-time certificate and degree seeking students, non-degree seeking students taking courses for their enrichment or enjoyment, and dually enrolled high school students. The public is welcome to use all materials and services within the building. Only faculty, staff and currently enrolled students may check out materials, or have remote access to databases. Reciprocal borrowing privileges are also extended to other Florida community college and state university system students and faculty.
The Manatee Community College Library actively promotes the accessibility of its programs and resources to all people. The Library strives to comply with the regulations contained in Section 504 of the Rehabilitation Act of 1973. The Library actively promotes bibliographic instruction programs for all students, to enable them to become independent information seekers. The Library seeks to be open the maximum number of hours needed by its users, based on needs analyses which are conducted periodically.
The Library respects and adheres to the applicable copyright laws of the United States; therefore, unpublished or copied materials in any form will be added to the collection only when copyright compliance can be verified.
Collection Development Committee
The Collection Development Committee encourages active participation in the selection process by the students, faculty, staff and administration. The Collection Development Committee accepts suggestions and requests for new material to be added to the library collection in all formats. Each request is considered with regard to the planned growth and balanced development of the collection and its impact on that program of planned growth. Budget considerations, curriculum changes, location determinations and current trends are all part of the acquisitions decision. The specific criteria for selection of materials are listed within the body of this document.
Budget Allocations
In order to insure continuous and balanced growth of new library materials (print and non-print), the collection is divided into subject areas. Each fiscal year, a percentage of our total materials budget is established for each subject area, print and non-print categories are allocated separately. The amounts are based on many factors, including usage of materials, size of existing collections, age of collections, and changes to the college curriculum.
In order to insure continuous and balanced growth of new library materials (print and non-print), the collection is divided into subject areas. Each fiscal year, a percentage of our total materials budget is established for each subject area, print and non-print categories are allocated separately. The amounts are based on many factors, including usage of materials, size of existing collections, age of collections, and changes to the college curriculum.
Selection Criteria
The highest priority in selecting Library materials is to directly support the A.A., A.S. and certificate programs offered by Manatee Community College. A complete listing of programs may be found in the current catalog.The subject specialist on the Collection Development Committee serve as liaisons with the teaching faculty to build Library print and non-print collections, including books, periodicals, audiovisual materials, electronic resources, e-books, and Internet websites which are appropriate to the goals of Manatee Community College and meet the following levels:
A. Basic Information Level:
A collection of up-to-date general materials that introduce and define subjects and indicate the varieties of information available at MCC and elsewhere. The collection may include dictionaries, subject encyclopedias, and selected editions of important works, historical surveys, handbooks, and major periodicals.
B. Instructional Support Level:
A collection that is adequate to support undergraduate curriculum needs of the college. The collection may include a wide range of primary and secondary sources.
The following guidelines should be considered when selecting materials in any format:
Curriculum needs as reflected by current courses
Anticipated curriculum needs
Faculty and staff needs to develop college programs and goals
Student, faculty and staff requests
Support and development of the existing collection
Representation of various perspectives of issues
Reviews from professional journals and other sources
Timeliness and lasting value
Cost of the material
In general, textbooks and multiple copies of materials are not purchased
Materials that serve entertainment purposes only and do not support the curriculum are not purchase
These additional guidelines should be considered when selecting Periodicals:
In general, periodicals should be indexed in sources accessible through the MCC Library Periodical subscriptions will be renewed as long as the periodical continues to meet the selection criteria for library materials. New periodicals may be requested throughout the year, however they are reordered during the summer and begin the following January.E-Journals are evaluated based on the method of access, stable and reliable access, and retrieval of articles in print and electronic formats.
C. Other selection decisions will be determined by the Committee on an individual basis
Criteria for Withdrawal of Materials
The evaluation of the collection is a continuous process. Subject specialists are responsible for withdrawing materials in their area. Faculty and staff are consulted to determine if additional factors apply. This evaluation will be based on the materials section guidelines. Additional factors to be considered in withdrawing materials include:
Appearance and condition of material
Duplication of material
Outdated material
Additional criteria for withdrawing Periodicals:
The periodical collection is reviewed annually to determine if it still meets the selection guidelines.
Incomplete and short runs of a title may be withdrawn, particularly when the title is not currently received.
Duplicate issues of periodicals and journals are discarded when replaced by microfilm.
When a journal subscription is canceled, or the journal ceases publication, the entire holdings are evaluated to determine suitability for our collection.
Regular withdrawal schedules are as follows for specific titles in these subject areas:
5 years-Nursing and Allied Health journals
5 years-Computer journals
Requests for Library Materials
Students, faculty, staff and administrators are encouraged to recommend materials for consideration for purchase. Requests should be submitted on the appropriate forms to their subject specialist.
Library Gift Policy
The authority to accept gifts rests with the Library Collection Development Committee.
Physical condition of materials will be a factor in the decision, as well as the other materials selection guidelines.
The Manatee Community College Library retains the right to dispose of gift material, including books, magazines,or audiovisuals, if after examination they do not meet selection guidelines.
Persons donating materials to the Manatee Community College Library may sign a release/acceptance letter at the time of donation. The Manatee Community College Library does not appraise gifts for tax purposes.
All monetary gifts to the Manatee Community College Library should be directed through the Manatee Community College Foundation Office.
Requests for Reconsideration of Library Material
All complaints regarding appropriateness of Library materials will be handled individually, based upon the following:
Selection criteria.
Withdrawal criteria.
Statements of ethical standards.
Interlibrary Cooperation
The Manatee Community College Library actively seeks to expand its resources through participation in local, state, and national cooperative networks. The Library currently is a member of the following networks:
Through these networking activities the Manatee Community College Library seeks to provide access to additional materials through on-site access and interlibrary loan, as well as provide public access to its own resources. The Library adheres to the protocols and procedures of the above networks.
Inter-library Loan
Inter-library Loan (ILL) is a service provided to obtain materials which are not available in the MCC Library. Materials necessary for study and research are borrowed from other libraries. The conditions of this service are set by the National Inter-library Loan Code, 2001 (adopted by the American Library Association).
Borrowed materials must be used and returned within prescribed time limits. Persons not abiding by these guidelines are subject to loss of future ILL privileges.
The following types of materials cannot normally be requested or loaned:
Reference Books
ERIC documents
Dissertations
Rare or valuable manuscripts
Reserve materials
Audiovisual materials
We will honor requests for specific books, not general subject requests.
All ILL requests for books will be handled through the Bradenton Campus Library.
Periodical requests may be handled at either campus library as appropriate.
All in-house resources will be searched by the Reference librarians before ILL procedures begin. Patrons will be made aware of how long requests take to process and receive. Books take 2-14 days; Periodicals take 2-7 days.
The need to borrow from out-of-state libraries will be determined by the ILL/Reference Librarian. They will also be notified of expected charges. Any charges in excess of postage must be paid by the patron. The ILL librarian will forward the check from the patron to the lending institution.
The librarian who took the original request will oversee completeness of the information on the form. Forms must include social security numbers before materials are requested.
Provision for 'Selection Policy' Review
The Selection Policy will be periodically reviewed by the Collection Development Committee and amended as necessary.
