The Book Collection

The mission of the Collections services in the Information & Learning Commons (ILC) is to build and maintain collections of quality, in both print and electronic formats, through the selection and management of library resources required to support the College's programmes of teaching, learning and research.

Library Collections

Main Collection

The Main Collection contains all books available for loan. Items included in this collection may be borrowed, reserved, renewed or recalled if on loan.

The Main Collection comprises books from all subject categories. Books are arranged on the shelves by broad subject area according to the Dewey Classification System. Within each subject category the books are arranged alphabetically by author. Classification numbers (a combination of numbers & letters) are posted on the shelves and on the spines of books.

For further details please see the Dewey Decimal Classification guide on the Help and Support ILC web pages.

Subject Areas: Locations

Reserve Collection

Includes items such as textbooks and recommended readings found in the reference lists of Unit Syllabi. These items held in multiple copies, are for studying within the ILC premises and not available for loan. You may find the definition and scope of the Reserve Collection on Policies & Procedures in the ILC web pages.

The purpose of the Reserve Collection is to:

• Support the needs of a certain class or group of students.
• Ensure that all students have equal and efficient access to highly-demanded materials.
• Protect items that are at a high risk of misuse or vandalism.

In many cases lecturers upload Unit material such as articles, past exams, case studies, etc to the College’s E-Learning Environment. Use your enrollment key to access this material. If you experience access problems you should contact the Course Administrator of your Department.

Location and use

The Reserve Collection is located in designated areas in the library and is shelved by department. Labels on the spine of the reserve items indicate the department in which the book belongs to.

Students may use items of the Reserve Collection within the premises of the ILC or take them into the Study Rooms provided they leave their Student ID Card at the Library Services Desk. 

Material included in the Reserve Collection is not available for loan under any condition, unless requested by the lecturer. In case certain material is less likely to be in heavy demand, the lecturer may request for a copy to be placed in the Short Loan Collection on a two-day loan period.

Tip: Use the “Understanding References in Reading Lists” guide available at the ILC Help Guides web pages.

Short Loan Collection

Includes items, which for a certain period of time are in-demand for class or group assignments (such as textbooks, books, personal copies of items, journal articles and/or photocopies, audiovisual, etc) or further material that support tutorials. Access to Short Loan material is far more restricted than is the access to items in general circulation.

Location and Use

Items on short loan are stored at the Library Services Desk. Students will need to leave their Student ID Card in order to access the specific material. Items are for use in the ILC premises unless lecturer allows a two-day-loan. Strict fines oppose for the late return of items in-high-demand.

Reference Collection

The ILC hold a collection of authoritative and scholarly reference material that is for use in the premises only. These include: 

Reference items, are helpful for finding:

• Background information
• Definitions and spelling
• Facts and figures
• Translations
• Statistics
• Topical overviews of subjects

Location and use

The Reference Collection is located behind the Library Services Desk. When removing an item from the Reference Collection you must inform the ILC staff. If you want to photocopy a part of reference material, you should be extra careful since many items are heavy and large and may be damaged or destroyed. Material included in the Reference Collection is not, in any case, available for loan.

For accessing online reference resources you may visit the Electronic Resources ILC web pages.

New Books in the ILC

When new books arrive in the Information & Learning Commons (ILC), they are regularly displayed for a certain period of time during which they may be reserved but not borrowed.

Printed catalogues of New ILC Acquisitions are available for users at the Library Services Desk. Electronic lists are available at the News ILC web pages.

Reservations for new books are made by filling in a Reservation Form or sending an e-mail to the ILC staff at library@york.citycollege.eu. You will need your Student ID Card in order to collect the books you have reserved.

Suggestions for purchasing new books should normally be made by contacting the Library Services Desk and filling in the appropriate Recommendation form. Students are also welcomed to place their recommendations be sending their request at library@york.citycollege.eu.

Publishers & Bookshops websites can be accessed from the Internet Resources ILC web pages.

Finding Books

In many cases, in order to locate material, it is better to look in several different physical locations within the ILC. For example, to complete an assignment on ‘Psychology of Middle Aged Employees’ you might need to consult books shelved in each of the Psychology, Personnel Management, and Sociology subject areas. 

In order to locate a particular book or to find books on a particular subject, it is always best to use the ABEKT Online Library Catalogue. By browsing through the shelves only, you might miss books which are on loan, in use in the ILC, or waiting to be re-shelved.

If you cannot locate an item you find in the catalogue approach the Library Services Desk to find out whether the item is on loan, misplaced, on the recently returned shelves or at binding.

Tip: Use the “Types of Information Resources” guide from the ILC Help Guides web pages to find out what other resources are available at the ILC and make your research on a specific topic complete.