Policies & Procedures
Chapter 4 – Audio-Visual
4.1 Mission Statement
4.2 Collection Development and Management
4.3 Circulation and Interlibrary Loan
4.4 Media Reserves
4.5 Instruction
This document is based on the Association of College & Research Librarians (ACRL) Standards and Guidelines for Media Resources in Academic Libraries. The Guidelines have been used to provide a structure to the Wake Technical Community College policy. Each section corresponds to a heading in that document though the content has been modified to fit the existing collection at Wake Technical Community College.
The ACRL provides standards for academic libraries based on surveys, research of current literature, earlier guidelines, recommendations, task force collaboration, experience and committee work. The most recent guidelines are dated 2006, and the Wake Technical Community College policy should be revised regularly with reference to revisions of the ACRL’s Media Resources Guidelines.
4.1 Media Services Mission Statement
It is the mission of the Wake Technical Community College Libraries Media Collection to seek, evaluate, obtain and facilitate the use of resources and information that support the college’s curricula, student and faculty resource needs and overall community information expectations. These activities include providing materials in print and non-print formats to stimulate and support information literacy.
The Media Services Librarian is responsible for developing a multi-disciplinary collection of multimedia formats that supports students, faculty and staff research and instruction needs. It is representative of the entire curriculum of the college. The selection process is collaborative and initiated by faculty request and collection analysis.
4.2 Media Collection Development
Wake Technical Community College’s media collection is comprised of non-print materials, mostly CDs, DVDs and VHS tapes but also cassettes, digital images and printed material accompanying media items. The format of media items is relevant because of technological shifts. So, while it is a general rule to favor CDs to cassettes and DVDs to VHS, this consideration does not determine every purchase, nor does it preclude purchasing a single, core or requested title in multiple formats. Preference is given to items that will be used widely and often.
There are two main media collections housed at Howell Library: teaching / research collection and browsing collection. The collection priorities are different for each.
- Teaching and Research Media Collection –
- The teaching and research collection supports the curriculum and mission of Wake Technical Community College. Titles are purchased across every subject though some classes, such as Introduction to Film or Music Appreciation, lend themselves more readily to audiovisual resources thus have a larger number of items for classroom use. The scope of the collection includes documentaries, soundtracks, compilation CDs, feature films, and step-by-step technical training videos.
- Specific title purchases are initiated by instructor or departmental request and are housed in the library collection. Titles that are instructional materials that meet the objectives of only one course or one part of one course should be purchased by that department for exclusive classroom use. These titles should be housed in their respective departments.
- Selection is also based on reviews from library sources such as Choice,
Library Journal and Audiofile. Items are evaluated according to the
following criteria:
- Accuracy/Authoritativeness
- Timeliness of information (is it up-to-date?)
- Level of treatment (overview or analysis?)
- Technical quality
- Relative cost
- The Teaching and Research Media Collection is housed in room 103 of the Library Education Building on Wake Tech’s Main Campus. This is a “closed-stacks” system that requires a Howell Library staff member to retrieve requested items for faculty, staff and students.
- Services offered to students with disabilities include viewing visual media with assistive technology, captioned or subtitled films and media transcripts. On a case-by-case basis and at the request of Disability Services, a particular title may be captioned or transcribed.
- Browsing Collection –
- The Browsing collection is comprised mainly of videos, DVDs audio books and CD’s, often donated through a “Friends of the Library” donation and titles no longer used in classroom instruction. This collection is supplemented by occasional purchases, when the budget allows, as suggested by faculty, staff and students. The collection’s purposes is to provide the college community leisure viewing or listening and are available to community, staff, faculty and students for one-week check for on music and film and three weeks for audio books. Items in this collection are designated “Public AV” in the catalogue.
4.3 Circulation
Circulation rules may differ by type of user and type of material, with exceptions made depending on particular circumstances. Circulation rules by type of material are listed below, as well as services offered to faculty for securing access to items needed for classroom instruction.
- Audiovisual Materials (DVDs, VHS tapes, CDs, slides etc.)
- Audiovisual materials in the Teaching and Research Collection are available for one-week checkout only to faculty and staff. Fines are not charged for overdue items for faculty and staff. Renewals are available by phone, by email, via the library catalog or in person.
- Booking is a service available to faculty and staff to insure that they have access to a video needed for in-class viewing. Similar to booking a reservation in a restaurant or on a plane, this insures that the item is specially set aside for the dates you need it.
- To book a video, an instructor can request that the Media Services Librarian book an item for a given range of dates. The item will be waiting at the circulation desk by the first date in the range. Requests can be placed via email, phone or in person.
- Students may check out items from the Teaching and Research Collection for in-house viewing only. Viewing and listening stations are available in Howell Library for student use.
- Use of items from the Teaching and Research Collection for in-class presentation is allowed. Items must be checked out and returned immediately after class.
- Audiovisual materials in the Browsing collection are available to
faculty, staff, students and community members for one week checkout,
with one renewal allowed. Items may be renewed by phone, by email, via
the library catalog or in person.
- Interlibrary loans are not generally supported within the NC Community
College Consortium, but materials may be requested and considered for
loan on a case-by-case basis.
- Media loans from the State Library may be initiated though the Media
Services librarian at Howell Library. Titles can be selected from the
State Library Media Catalog. Materials are requested via email or telephone
and State Library asks for one week to process the request. Items are
sent via US Mail and time must be allotted for transit to campus. While
the standard delivery method is US Mail, an instructor may arrange to
pick up the item from State Library. This is considered on a case by
case basis and determined by State Library.
- Loans between Wake Technical Community College campuses (Health Science, Main, Western and North) are initiated via the online catalog’s “holds” function. Requests can be initiated by faculty, staff or students and regular circulation rules apply. For example, if a student needs a video from the Health Sciences campus, it can be requested via the catalog by placing a hold. The student must watch the video in house, in accordance with the existing restriction on student borrowing of AV materials. Holds and loans may also be requested through the media Services librarian.
4.4 Media Reserves
Media Reserves are items that have been selected by instructors as important supplementary course material. They are housed in the Reserves section of the library and are kept in “closed stacks” behind the Howell Library circulation desk.
- Instructors placing reserves:
- The Reserve Request form must be filled out and signed to make reserves available to for student use. The form (either the print version or online) includes a description of the item, term of use and a copyright statement.
- Media reserves may be used for multiple semesters and are limited to legally purchased/owned media. Home made items may be allowed but will be considered on a case by case basis according to current copyright laws and guidelines. No item that violates copyright may be placed on reserve.
- Media items will be shelved with books and other reserve items according to course number. A reserves index is available for student use so that they may find items by instructor name or course number. In addition, there is a brief record made of instructor-owned items so that the item may be accessed through the online catalog.
- Any instructor-owned media items will be processed for use in the reserves collection. This typically means affixing property stickers to media cases and adhering security strips on the item itself. If there is a concern regarding the fragility of an item, please speak with the Media Services Librarian.
- Students using reserves:
- Wake Technical Community College student IDs act as library cards and are needed to check out reserve material.
- Reserves may be located on the library website under the reserves link or by using the reserves index found at the circulation desk. Usually, reserve items are available for two hours at a time and may not leave the library.
4.5 Instruction
Instruction covering media collections is available through the reference department. Specialized instruction on media use, research or other topics is also available. Periodically there are workshops created to meet a perceived need among faculty or staff, such as a copyright workshop or an MP3 workshop, and these will be advertised as they arise. Individualized instruction with regard to media for faculty or staff is also available, upon request of the Media Services Librarian.