Mission Statement

The mission of the library is to advance the educational goals of the students enrolled at Virginia Western Community College by providing access to learning resources and helping students develop their information-seeking skills. Library services are available to all students, whether they are taking classes on campus or through some form of distance learning (including both off-campus classes and online courses).

The library provides books, periodicals, and other informational materials needed by students to fulfill the reading and research requirements of the College's course offerings. Materials needed by instructors for maintaining a current knowledge in their fields are also acquired. Various commercially available periodical and newspaper databases are made available through web site subscriptions paid for by the VIVA consortium or by the VCCS. The library provides students and faculty with convenient access to these print-based and electronic collections. Items not available in-house or on-line are obtained through interlibrary loan. Special actions are taken to provide convenient access for distance learners to the library's collections.

The library enables students to learn information-seeking skills, including the new skills mandated by advances in library technology and by the development of the Internet. Reference librarians place an emphasis on teaching the use of the online catalog and various web-based services. These librarians conduct orientation classes as needed throughout the school year.

The library also advances the educational goals of students by providing an accessible, friendly, and comfortable physical facility, with adequate lighting, hours, and seating, where students can study and do research.

The effectiveness of the library in achieving its mission is assessed informally on a continuous basis through student and faculty feedback and more formally through the student and faculty surveys administered by the VWCC Library Committee every two years. Distance learners and students at off-campus sites use web based forms to evaluate the library's support for remote users.