Library Newsletter – Fall 2022 | West Valley College

Wednesday, August 24: Early pickup for Textbooks 'n' Technology from 1:00 PM – 4:00 PM in the Village V-26. Tell your students!

Stronger Student Research Skills = College Success

Library orientations are a great way to introduce students to college research. Whether the assignment is to write a two-page paper about career aspirations, a SWOT analysis for a business class, or a requirement to use an outside reputable source (non-textbook) to answer an exam question, we can help!

We offer online synchronous and on-campus orientations in either your classroom or in The Village, V-7.

If you have an idea for a library research project and want to discuss, please contact Maryanne%20Mills.

Schedule an Orientation

For Your Syllabus: Textbooks in the Library

Think about including a blurb in your syllabi or a prominent area of your Canvas course if you utilize the Textbooks 'n' Technology Program (formerly Books for Food). Feel free to copy, paste and edit the following:

Free Textbooks, Graphing Calculators and Surface Gos from the Library

Follow these instructions on borrowing free textbook(s) for this class. Our textbook is [put textbook title, author]. The book is being loaned on a first come, first served basis, so it is important to go to the library during the first week of class if you want a free textbook for the semester!

Navigate to the Textbooks 'n' Technology webpage and search for our textbook. Make sure there are copies available by clicking on the title of the book and reviewing availability in the Textbooks'n' Technology Collection.
Go to the library located in the Village, V-26 to pick up your textbook.
The library also lends out Microsoft Surface Gos, Chromebooks, Dell laptops, hotspots, and graphing calculators on a first come, first served basis.

How to Embed Films Into Canvas

We have added more streaming databases to our collection. Two of our newer databases are Academic Video Online and Black Studies.

Academic Video Online includes a variety of video material available with curricular relevance: documentaries, interviews, feature films, performances, news programs, and demonstrations.
Black Studies contains interviews, biographies, debates, speeches and conferences that span the Civil Rights era to present day.

To search for films or snippets, visit the Databases (Find Articles) page and go to the "All Database Types" pulldown. Choose "Streaming Videos":

pulldown menu for all database types

Once you have found a film, visit the WVC Online Faculty Resources course in Canvas and navigate to Faculty Library Resources. From there, you will see detailed instructions by database.

Research Help

Two ways your students can contact the library for assistance:

In-Person Research Help

Librarians are available at the Research Help Desk in V-25 or by calling 408-741-2029.

Monday	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Tuesday	9:00 AM – 7:00 PM
Wednesday	9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Thursday	9:00 AM – 4:00 PM
Friday	9:00 AM – 1:00 PM

Complete a Research Help Form

Students can request research assistance using our Research Help Form to describe the help they need (assistance with locating articles and books, citation assistance, finding books, checking out a print book, etc.). A librarian will get back to them.

Students can also request a printed book directly from OneSearch. Library staff will let you know when the book is ready for pick-up.

Research Help Form

Visit Us in the Village

Library Village Locations

V-21 to V-24	Study Rooms with white boards
V-25	Research help, study tables and desktop computers
V-26	Book Checkout Desk, printing and study tables

Library Liaison

Did you know that every subject taught at WVC has a Librarian Liaison? Librarians can help you incorporate library resources within your courses and tailor research guides on specific topics. Faculty who meet with a Librarian Liaison can earn flex credit!

Get Started

In The News

United Against Book Bans is a national initiative to empower readers everywhere to stand together in the fight against censorship.

According to the American Library Association, attempts to ban books from libraries are rising at an unprecedented level across the country. The American Library Association reported more than 729 attempted bans of 1,597 individual books in 2021 alone; more than at any time since the American Library Association began tracking more than two decades ago.

Top 10 Most Challenged Books by Year (ALA)America's Censored Classrooms (Report by PEN America)