Reference- For reference books, electronic resources take priority over print. The Libraries shall substitute electronic alternatives to current print titles when appropriate.
eBooks- High quality multidisciplinary and subject-specific academic eBook collections, whether bought or subscribed, are increasingly able to respond to general curricular needs for the libraries. The benefits of eBooks are many, such as cost savings over print editions, off-campus access, full text searchability and greater access to resources through demand driven acquisition.
Leisure Audiobooks and eBooks- Overdrive supplies the library with literature in a wide variety of genres along with a collection of award-winning children’s and young adult titles.
The Libraries subscribes to Flipster, a digital magazine solution to keep a selection of popular magazines available through a computer or mobile device. The collection will be reviewed yearly to ensure it reflects the interests of the college community.
Program needs will take precedence when the Libraries buy access to streamed media (particularly videos) through subscription or license from third party vendors such as Films on Demand, Kanopy, and Swank.
The Libraries will keep a variety of multi-disciplinary and subject- specific electronic databases that provide access to journal articles, eBooks, and digital libraries or archives. As with other information resources, electronic resources are selected to support the SSC curriculum. Resources are assessed as to relevance, content indexing and coverage (especially, availability of full text), and cost. Preference is for resources that provide unlimited simultaneous users and authenticate users via IP addresses (both on-campus and off-campus through a proxy server). The library will not subscribe to software or database packages that require loading on individual computers. In addition to direct publisher or vendor buying, the library takes part in several consortiums that provide access to electronic resources or support group buying for discount pricing. Continuance of any electronic resource subscription will be subject to ongoing evaluation through analysis of usage statistics.