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GENERAL INFORMATION ABOUT THE NIACC LIBRARY

Use of the NIACC Library

The Library is open to the students, faculty and staff of NIACC, its partner institutions, and residents of the North Iowa Area. A NIACC ID or Borrower Card is necessary to check out materials. Through the Iowa Open Access program, anyone with a library card from a participating library may use that card to check out materials from the NIACC Library. Users should stop at the Circulation Desk to have their card activated before checking out materials for the first time.

The Library Collection

The collection contains over 46,000 volumes of print and electronic books, and a variety of non-book media items, including microforms, filmstrips, videotapes, DVDs, cassettes, and kits. Subscriptions include nine national newspapers, 33 NIAD area newspapers, and 370 periodicals with ten-year holdings of most titles. The library provides access to over 50 electronic databases, including EBSCOhost and LexisNexis.  Files containing up-to-date career information and social concerns materials are also available.

Staff and Hours

The library is open 59 hours per week. A professional staff of one full-time librarian  assisted by three full-time assistants and several student assistants provide service for all patrons. The library staff will provide assistance at any time. Library orientation sessions are offered at the beginning of each semester to inform students of library resources, policies, and procedures. A library handbook and web page are also available. 

Media Room and Copy Services

A media viewing area located on the south wall of the library houses various types of audiovisual equipment for student use. Copying services are provided at a minimal cost. 

Interlibrary Loan Services

The library is connected by computer to over 40,000 libraries across the country via the OCLC system. This brings the libraries of the United States to NIACC students. The library's Interlibrary Loan Service allows students and staff to borrow books and obtain photocopies of articles free of charge. 

Computer Workstations

Five terminals are available in the library for searching the online public access catalog (OPAC). Nine workstations provide Internet access for students, faculty and staff.   They are for research purposes only.  A word processing workstations are also available in the library. The library does not have access to Writer's Workbench.

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NIACC LIBRARY STAFF

Librarian 
Karen Dole
(641) 422-4327

Interlibrary Loan Assistant
Cindy Eyberg
(641) 422-4407

 

Circulation Assistant / Main library number

Deborah Kolb-Jackson
(641) 422-4232 

 

Library Associate 
Kim Kraus
(641) 422-4139  

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LIBRARY HOURS

Fall and Spring Semester

7:30 a.m. - 8:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday
7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday
Closed Saturdays and Sundays

Summer Term II (June-Mid July)

7:30 a.m. - 6:00 p.m. Monday - Thursday
7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Friday
Closed Saturdays and Sundays

Summer Term I (May) & Term III (Mid July-August)

7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Closed Saturdays & Sundays 

Breaks  
 

7:30 a.m. - 4:00 p.m. Monday - Friday
Closed Saturdays, Sundays and holidays
 

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SERVICES TO STUDENTS

  • Checkout of library materials 

  • Face-to-face and online library orientation 

  • Reference/research/database searching 

  • Local and remote access to online library catalog and databases

  • Interlibrary Loan 

  • Media Room 

  • Photocopy machine 

  • Conference rooms 

  • North Iowa area newspapers 

  • Online college catalogs 

  • Library handbook 

  • Coffee & hot chocolate sales for Cafe Bean

Circulation Policies for Students

General Circulation

The majority of the books in the open stacks may be checked out for three weeks. A few, such as career books, children's literature, and books on high-demand topics, are on one-week checkout. Renewals are granted unless the item is on hold for another user. 

Reserve Materials

Instructors often place books or other materials on reserve for their students. These may be checked out at the circulation desk. A list is available on the rotary file at the desk. These books check out for a shorter period of time, determined by the instructor, usually one week, two hours, or overnight. Reserve items may not be renewed, but a different copy may be checked out if available. 

Reference Books

Because of high demand or high cost, reference books do not normally check out. Ask the librarian about overnight checkout or free photocopying of reference materials. 

Fines

As of May 2006, the library is no longer charging fines for overdue materials.  However, students are encouraged to return or materials on time to make them available for other users.  Replacement fees are charged for lost or non-returned materials.  Please refer to the Library Handbook for additional information.

Responsibilities of Library Users

You are responsible for all materials checked out on your ID/Library card. You are responsible for notifying the library staff immediately if your card is lost or stolen, or if you have a change of name or address. 

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SERVICES TO FACULTY/STAFF

  • Reserves (Deborah)

  • Book and periodical acquisitions/Collection Development (Karen) 

  • Library orientation (Karen) 

  • Display cases (Cindy) 

  • Video rental (Kim) 

  • Booking of NIACC-owned videos, DVDs, and other media (Deborah)

  • Reference/research/database searching (Karen)

  • Serials Processing/Maintenance/Routing (Kim) 

  • Interlibrary Loan (Cindy)

  • Cataloging of library materials (Karen)

  • U.P.S. (Kim) 

  • NIACC Library New Materials List (Deborah) 

  • Library FAX (641) 422-4131 

Circulation Policies for Faculty/Staff

Unless the material is needed by another user, faculty and staff members are allowed unlimited checkout periods on all library materials except reference books. A reference book may be checked out overnight with approval of the librarian. Non-book media items should be reserved ahead of time to ensure their availability and returned after use. An annual inventory list of circulated items will be sent to each individual in the spring. This is to be completed and returned to the library. 

 

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PROJECT VOTE SMART

NIACC Library is a partner in Project Vote Smart, a nonpartisan program that provides citizens with information about the political system, issues, candidates, and elected officials.  Project Vote Smart provides the most powerful tool citizens in a democracy can use: factual, relevant, unbiased information. 

Vote Smart Web provides instant access to information on the candidates, issues, and other facts relevant to young adults. 


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North Iowa Area Community College, 500 College Drive, Mason City, IA 50401
641-423-1264 or 1-888-GO NIACC
www.niacc.edu