Getting Started

The WCC Library is in the Heiner Building, located at the corner of Cordata Parkway and West Kellogg Road. The Library is on the 2^nd and 3^rd floors.

If you need a map of campus, the college has a bird’s-eye-view illustration online.

Hours

Look to the right-hand bar on both this page and on any page of the library’s main site. Changes to hours are noted on the WCC Library Blog.

Library Floor Plan

There’s a map for that.

Borrowing

Most of the items in our collection can be checked out, including everything in the “Stacks” (Stacks is the name of our main collection, located upstairs). The normal loan period for most items is two weeks; you can renew once. There are, of course, exceptions, and lots more details.

Computers & Printing

The IT Dept. maintains around 50 computers in the library, primarily on the main floor near the Reference Desk and in the Library Instruction Room. The computers in the library print to either of two black & white printers on the main floor. Printing is 10 cents per side, automatically deducted from students’ ORCA card account. Click here for more information.

Copiers

Two black & white copiers are available. Copying is 10 cents per side. An ORCA card or Guest Card is needed to use them. Click here for more information.

Supplies

Supplies for students — paid for through student fees — are on the counters near the copiers:

• paper cutter
• 3-hole punch
• scissors
• staplers
• correction fluid
• paper clips
• glue
• tape

Study Rooms

Two rooms are available for group study; one of them can be booked (201a). Booking ahead isn’t always necessary, but it is a good idea. Call the Circulation Desk at 360-383-3300, or visit the desk in person, to reserve one. The other is drop-in only, and multiple groups may use it simultaneously.

We also have a silent study room, 301b.

There’s a page with more details.

We group the things we own into several collections, noted in the online catalog as Location.

Reference

On the main floor. These are items you wouldn’t want to curl up in bed with — dictionaries, encyclopedias, and the like. They stay in the library, but you may make copies of the pages you wish.

Stacks

On the top floor. Our biggest collection, and you can check out any of the books, DVDs, flashcards, maps, musical scores, sheet music, pamphlets, reports, software, and everything else. CDs and children’s books have moved to the main floor, and VHS tapes are all found in room 301c.

Reserves & Open Reserves

Behind the Circulation Desk on the main floor. These are items that instructors have asked us to make available to everyone in a class. Most can be borrowed for 2 hours at a time, and have to stay in the library. A few items can go home overnight. Some Reserves items are now self-serve — the Open Reserves are on the main floor, along the wall near the stairs.

Other Locations

Periodicals collection,  main floor

Scattered about, tucked here and there. While the vast majority of our collection is found in the three collections mentioned above, there are smaller collections of items such as Flat Maps, Rolled Maps, Periodicals, Running Start Textbooks, and some items at the Reference Desk. You may see these Locations noted in the records of some items when you search our library catalog.

Online Catalog

To find out what we have in our collection (i.e. what we own), search our library catalog. It’s available to anyone and everyone, both off campus and on.

Search the Library Catalog

Databases

We subscribe to many databases that provide access to periodicals, books, art, music, etc. Access them from http://library.whatcom.ctc.edu/guide/databases/   

If you wish to access our databases through your smartphone or tablet we have several mobile apps and interfaces for you. Access them from http://library.whatcom.ctc.edu/guide/databases/mobile/

Tutorials

We have a comprehensive set of online library instruction tutorials: IRIS 4-2  http://library.whatcom.ctc.edu/iris/. IRIS offers many bite-sized chunks of information on how to do research. We highly recommend them!

People

We have great people here at WCC Library. Ask questions of the Librarians at the Reference Desk by visiting the desk in person, by calling 383-3285, or by emailing libref@whatcom.ctc.edu. When we’re closed, direct questions to the 24/7/365 chat service we belong to.

For circulation questions, ask the folks at the Circulation Desk in person, or by calling 383-3300.