The circulating collection, housed mainly on the
second floor, consists of approximately 90,000 volumes, organized
using the Library
of Congress Classification System and stored
in cherry wood designed cases accented by hanging stained glass
fixtures which feature indirect, diffused lighting, giving students
an optimum and attractive atmosphere for studying at tables located
within the stacks.
Tables are constructed of the same cherry wood with a working
surface texture, which resembles marble bordered by cherry wood,
with a dark metal Moorish influenced lattice design mounted on
cherry wood footings. Tables are accented with matted metal finished
lamps installed in the center, which illuminate with soft light,
and allow the control of glare.
Elegant, Comfortable, Educational
Rich,
Organized, Accessible
Six of the shorter, elegant, richly designed stacks are finished
with a grey granite platform end cap and open metal work braces
consistent with the Moorish influence that support the stand up
online computer catalog stations used to access the library collection.
The collection consists of books which cover a wide range from
classic literature including Shakespeare and Hemingway to current
literature offerings as well as topics of interest in today’s
society and world.
The Library of Congress Classification System, which our library
uses, as do most four year academic institutions, differs from
the Dewey System that most public libraries and public schools
use. Many new community college students are unfamiliar with how
LC categorizes books or how to search for them since they are not
shelved in the traditional way by author in one fiction section
nor are all the biographies shelved together alphabetically by
biographee, but instead they are placed by the content area to
which they belong. By using the LC System our students will be
prepared and understand how to utilize academic libraries in the
future.
