Research Assistance

BCC LIBRARY RESEARCH AND REFERENCE SERVICES

At the Berkeley City College Library, librarians are available to assist the you with your research/information/reference needs. Librarians are happy to help you identify books in the library's circulating collection; locate magazine, journal, and newspaper articles in the library's in house and online collections; find information in the library's encyclopedias, handbooks, dictionaries, and other reference sources; and point out creditable sources that will meet your research and class needs.  The most complete and best reference assistance usually requires a visit to the library.  If you feel you have a brief question, please free to email a librarian and we will try to answer it via email. If more time is required, we would ask you to come to the library for assistance. Library phone numbers, email addresses, and hours can be obtained by clicking on HOURS & CONTACTS from the BCC Library home page.

BCC LIBRARY REFERENCE AND INSTRUCTIONAL SERVICES GOALS

Consistent with the Reference and User Services Association (RUSA) Services Guidelines, the goals of the BCC library’s reference and instructional services are to:

• Provide the information sought by the user to anticipate as well as meet user needs.
  
• Encourage user awareness of the potential of information resources to fulfill individual information needs.
  
• Develop information, reference, and directional services consistent with the goals of the BCC community it serves.
  
• Provide users with complete, accurate answers to information queries regardless of the complexity of those queries.
  
• Make available user aids in appropriate formats to help users identify items in the collection relevant to their interests and needs.
  
• Provide instruction in the effective use of its resources. Such instruction, for example, can include the individual explanation of information resources or the creation of guides in appropriate formats, formal assistance through orientations and presentations designed to provide guidance, and direction in the pursuit of information.
  
• Actively publicize the scope, nature, and availability of the information services it offers.
  
• Survey and assess the information needs of its community and create local information products to fulfill those needs not met by existing materials.
  
• Make available to the public a statement that describes the information services it strives to offer all members of its community.

(http://www.ala.org/ala/rusa/rusaprotools/referenceguide/guidelinesinformation.cfm accessed 10/31/07