• Where can I find books and media to recommend for purchase?
• What criteria do librarians use to select books?
• How can I borrow books from other libraries?

Where can I find books and media to recommend for purchase?

Find reviews of current titles in these periodicals (shelved in the periodicals area on the second floor of the library). 

• Library Journal
• Booklist
• Choice
• Book Review Digest (Ref Z1219 .C95 2003)
• Subject-specific journals often carry reviews, too. Ask at the reference desk for a list of periodicals in your subject area. 

Current reviews are available in the Library’s Research Databases. Try InfoTrac, ProQuest, and Literature Resource Center. 

Online bookstores, such as Amazon and Barnes & Noble also post reviews for many current titles. 

Visit AcqWeb Directory of Book Reviews on the Web for a comprehensive list of book review sites. 

Publisher’s catalogs are another source for titles. The librarians keep a collection of publisher's catalogs at the reference desk. 

What criteria do librarians use to select books?  

Librarians are guided by the following standard criteria (summarized):

• relevance to the SCC curriculum;
• relevance to a perceived demand;
• of a style and reading level appropriate for a general, undergraduate, occupational or selected remedial audience; 
• positive reviews of other indicators of quality content;·
• availability and currency of existing holdings in the library;
• relative need for subject coverage and balance in the collection;
• permanence or timely merit;
• currency and availability for acquisition; 
• appropriate size, format, and design;
• cost, relative to available funds;
• access to selected materials for interlibrary loan from cooperating libraries;
• ease of access or user-friendliness of electronic resources. 

How can I borrow books from other libraries?

The library offers interlibrary loan service to faculty, staff, and students who wish to borrow research texts and other material that may not be appropriate for purchase at SCC from the CSUS, UC Davis or other cooperating research collection. Contact the SCC Library Circulation Desk or ask a librarian.

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Last update 08/25/2008 Sue Chen chens@scc.losrios.edu