LARC

Library Information - Collections

Minnesota West libraries have approximately 50,000 cataloged items. The online catalog for the college is MnPALS and the college uses the Library of Congress Classification System (LC System).

Circulating Book Collection
Each library has a book collection which supports the programs on its campus.  Books may be requested from any Minnesota West campus using interlibrary loan. Books check out for 21 days.

Electronic Resources
Access to a wide-range of electronic resources is available through the library web site. Full text article databases, streaming video collections, and electronic books are available both on and off campus.

Media Collections
All libraries have media collections containing video cassettes, DVDs, audio cassettes, and CDs. Circulation time varies according to format.

Newspapers
Each Minnesota West library subscribes to local and regional newspapers.  Most of these newspapers also have an online version.

Periodicals
Minnesota West libraries subscribe to over 100 periodicals (magazines and scholarly journals), most with three years of back files. Periodical issues may be checked out from the libraries for one week. Via nearly 30 databases, the library provides access to thousands of articles, many of the which are available in full text and can be printed. Some are only citations and the actual article needs to be ordered through interlibrary loan.

Reference Collection
The reference area of each library has standard reference works such as handbooks, encyclopedias, dictionaries, almanacs, and atlases. These books are used for ready reference and do not circulate.

Questions?
Contact your campus library during regular library hours or email your campus librarian.