Table of Contents

Where are the restrooms?
Is the library accessible?
Do I need a library card to check out materials?
How do I renew materials?
Where is your catalog?
What are Stacks?
What and where are Reserves?
Does the library have textbooks for my class?
Where can I view the film my instructor has put on reserve?
What is a call # and how do I use it?
If something I need is already checked out, can I place a hold?
If an item I want is checked out or the library doesn't have it, can I find it elsewhere locally?
If an item is on the shelf but I am not at the library, may I have it set aside?
How long may I keep an item for?
Where are your magazines and journals?
What are online databases (such as Ebsco and ProQuest) and how do I access them?
How do I order an article?
Can I do word-processing here?
I am having trouble opening my file - what should I do?
Can I print documents I've sent as email attachments?
Do you have wireless coverage in the library?
Do you have a color printer or copier?

Where are the restrooms?
Restrooms are located on the main floor of the Heiner center. Exit the library, and look to the right of the stair rails and tables. There are also bathrooms on the lowest level.

Is the library accessible?
The library is accessible to the mobility impaired. An elevator provides access between floors.

Do I need a library card to check out materials?
Your student or WCC employee ID is your library card. Community members need to show picture ID.

How do I renew materials?
Books and other items may be renewed by calling the library's Circulation Desk at 360-383-3300, or by visiting the Circulation Desk in person. Also, you can renew items online from our catalog by selecting the My Account tab. You can view items charged to you, pending hold requests, and items you’ve marked for inclusion in My List.

Where is your catalog?
The Library Catalog is web accessed. It is a link under the banner image on the library’s site. To the right of the Library Catalog link is Resources, where a link to other catalogs is available, both local and world-wide. If you click Resources, you will see a menu of options, or hover for a drop-down menu. Select Finding Materials.

What are Stacks?
This library term refers to ranges of open shelves. In our library, it refers to the shelves on the top floor where materials available for check-out are located. Our reference collection is on the main floor, and these are not available for check-out. Our online catalog will indicate where a book is located and also if it is available.

What and where are Reserves?
Instructors put textbooks and other materials on reserve so that they are available for all students in the class. Most items are limited to in-library use for a period of 2 hours. Some reserve items can be checked out overnight or for 3 days. The Reserves section of the library is at the Circulation desk, where you first enter the library. Items are loaned on a first-come, first-served basis. Other types of items placed on reserve are samples of student work, such as tests and research papers. More information about reserves is on our Services menu.

Does the library have textbooks for my class?
Although the library does not purchase textbooks for classes, instructors often put their own copies on Reserve. The library catalog allows for searching materials on reserve. Sometimes the library will also accept donations of older textbooks; these can be found in the Stacks. The college bookstore has a list of texts for the current quarter and related textbook information.

Where can I view the film my instructor has put on reserve?
Computers in the library can be used for DVD viewing. There are also TVs with VCR and DVD players connected. These are located on the main floor. You may get headphones from the circulation desk if none are nearby.

What is a call # and how do I use it?
Most academic libraries, including ours, use the Library of Congress classification system. A chart of the call numbers and a brief description is available on our Call Number page, along with a link to the Library of Congress, and a picture of our shelves and how they are organized. If you need assistance, please don't hesitate to ask for help.

If something I need is already checked out, can I place a hold?
You can place an item on hold by going online to the catalog, finding the item, and selecting Request. You will need your student ID number. You can also place holds by calling the circulation desk at 360-383-3300.

If an item I want is checked out or the library doesn't have it, where else can I find it locally?
Whatcom students may check out materials from Western. You can consult their catalog online but you must go to their library to get the materials. The Bellingham and Whatcom County public library systems will deliver materials to the WCC library for their patrons. Select items from their combined online catalog and choose "Community College" for the location when placing a hold (you will need your public library card number). They will alert you when your item has been delivered to WCC. Items are placed on the cart near the self check-out station, found across from our circulation desk. You need your public library card to use the station, and Whatcom circulation staff are not available to help with checkout of public library materials. Public library items can be returned to any Whatcom book drop or to any public library drop location.

If an item is on the shelf but I am not at the library, may I have it set aside?
Yes, but currently you can only doing this by calling the Circulation Desk at 360-383-3300.

How long can I keep an item for?
Loan period information is available under policies.

Where are your magazines and journals?
Current issues of more than a hundred titles are kept on spinner racks at the foot of the staircase on the main floor. Back files of issues are kept for one year on the top floor, in room HNR301C.

What are Online Databases (such as Ebsco and ProQuest) and how do I access them?
These are collections of articles from journals and magazines that are in electronic, searchable format. Often the full text of the articles is available and fully searchable. In some cases, only the citation information is available, such as the titles of the article and journal, the author, and a brief summary (aka abstract). The databases provide access to information that is not otherwise available on the web. The library pays subscription or licensing fees and the terms require that only valid patrons access the databases. When on campus, the database providers rely on Internet Protocol addresses to determine if you are an authorized user. When off-campus, you must enter a user name and password. Please come into the library to obtain a list of passwords.

How do I order an article?
Articles published in periodicals that we do not have paper copies of (and that are not in any of our periodical databases in full text) can be ordered through Interlibrary Loan, just as books may be. Speak to a librarian by calling (360)383-3285 and they can help you.

Can I do word-processing here?
The computers in the library's instruction room have Microsoft Office on them and may be used when a class is not in session. A daily calendar showing classes is posted to the left of the instruction room door. The computers in the main area of the library are for searching our catalog, accessing the library’s bibliographic databases, and Internet research.

I am having trouble opening my file - what should I do?
If you tried double-clicking on the file name, try opening the program (Word, Excel, etc) and then using the File>Open dialog box to access the file. If you don't see your file, make sure all types of files will display by setting the 'Files of Type' drop-down at the bottom of the the dialog box to All Files (*.*). If you have a word processing program other than Word, you should save your files in Rich Text format.

If the file will not open properly, it is likely that your file is in an incompatible format. For example, the file might have been created in Works and has a file extension of .wps. Our Word programs can not interpret these files, but Computing Resources (Cascade 121) might be able to help 'translate' the file.

Can I print documents I've sent as email attachments?
Yes. You may need to save them to the desktop. Be sure to erase them when you are done with the computer, or you can log off instead.

Do you have wireless coverage in the library?
Yes, but our network may only be used by those who have created an account with the Computer Resources department, located in Cascade 128. It may take several days for the account to become active, and you will need to renew it each quarter. There is no way for your laptop to access our network printers, but saving a file to an external drive, such as a flash drive can help.