Collections

The library stores its materials in several different COLLECTIONS. The name of a collection is noted in each listing you get when you search the online library catalog. To find your item, you will need to know both its collection name (or location) and its call number. Books and audiovisuals are organized using the Library of Congress Classification System.

Note: If using the Power Search option in the Library Catalog, you can select a particular collection in the Location box.

AUDIO BOOKS: 1st floor in Room 148

• A browsing collection of books on CD. Titles include both fiction and nonfiction works.

BESTSELLERS: 2nd Floor in the northwest corner

• A rotating collection of popular titles from recent best seller lists. Books in this collection include both fiction and nonfiction titles.

CHILDRENS: 1st floor in the Children's Room

• Supports the curriculum for the Early Childhood Program. The collection includes books (fiction and nonfiction) in English and other languages suitable for preschoolers. The PCC Library does not acquire items specifically for children other than preschoolers.

CIRCDESK: 1st floor behind the Circulation Desk

• Media items housed in the staff area behind the circulation desk. This collection supports the various academic programs on campus, so circulation of these items is limited to in-house use by students and community members. Faculty may check out the items for use in class.

EASY BOOKS: 2nd floor, mixed in with the General Collection and Fiction

• Easy books are those which are written at a reading comprehension level suitable for adult new readers and those adults for whom English is a second language. Fiction easy books are housed in the Fiction collection in the sub-section F-EASY. Non-fiction easy books are intermixed with the other books in the General Collection, and are identified by an “EZ” sticker. Easy books can also be identified in searching the Library catalog by using the Power Search, then selecting “Easy” in the Item Category 1 box.

FICTION: 2nd floor, northwest corner

• Consists of relatively recent popular fiction from all genres. Fiction books are grouped by genres and then shelved within each group in alphabetical order by author's last name and the first word of the book title or series title. There are posters in the Fiction area which explain our genre-based shelving system.

GENERAL COLLECTION: 2nd floor on shelves numbered 1-20

• Our main book collection. These books discuss subjects or contain works of literature. The books are shelved using the Library of Congress Classification System.

LEGAL REFERENCE: 2nd floor on shelves labeled Legal Reference

• Contains the North Carolina statutes and other legal references most often used by the students in the Paralegal curriculum. Items in this collection may not be checked out or removed from the second floor of the Library.

PCC AUTHORS: 2nd floor, northwest corner

• Consists of works written by current and former members of the PCC community, including faculty members, staff members, students, and alumni.

PERIODICALS: 2nd floor in Room 209

• Includes the print version of local and national newspapers, popular and trade magazines, and academic journals. These materials are grouped by subject or type and then shelved alphabetically by title within each group. The current year’s issues are in Room 209; the previous two years’ issues are kept in storage and may be accessed by asking a librarian at the Reference Desk.

PUBLIC-AV: 1st floor in Room 148

• A browsing collection of DVDs, CDs and various other media of popular interest. In contrast to the CIRCDESK collection, these materials may be checked out for one week.

REFERENCE: 2nd floor in Room 209

• Consists of research materials such as encyclopedias and dictionaries, and multivolume items. Meant to provide quick access to factual information, materials in the reference collection may not be checked out of the library. These books are shelved using the Library of Congress Classification System.

RESERVES: 1st floor behind the Circulation Desk

• Consists of materials that are placed in the library by instructors for use by students in their classes. These materials have varying levels of circulation as determined by the instructor. Most often reserve materials are meant to be used in the library.