CSM’s Library website will debut a new look along with its new search tool in December.
The San Mateo County Community College District (SMCCCD) announced that its libraries will be moving to a new statewide online catalog December 20, 2019. The state catalog, called OneSearch, will be shared by 112 of the state’s 114 community colleges.
“This is a game changer for the students we serve, providing greater access to resources to support their educational journey,” said Dr. Aaron McVean, Vice Chancellor of Educational Services and Planning for the San Mateo County Community College District. “At the same time, we value and will continue our membership in the Peninsula Library System and are excited to bring this new resource to the community.”
The change affects the three community college libraries in San Mateo County: Cañada College Library, College of San Mateo Library, and Skyline College Library. The community college libraries will continue to be part of the Peninsula Library System, meaning that community members will have full privileges at the three community college libraries and will be able to use library services, physical collections, and select electronic collections. SMCCCD students will continue to have full privileges at PLS libraries. Only the catalog will change.
Carol Frost, the Executive Director of the Peninsula Library System, is supportive of this change. “Since 1988, the public libraries in San Mateo County have been sharing collections with the three libraries of SMCCCD. This strong collaboration will not change. We support the colleges joining the others in the state and we know that our relationship will continue to bring value to all residents in San Mateo County. Our staff will continue to help patrons find the resources they need, no matter if they are from the public libraries or the college libraries,” said Frost.
OneSearch is a robust catalog of resources for academic study and research. It is the same catalog platform used by the California State University system and some University of California campuses, meaning that students transferring from community college to the CSU or UC will already be accustomed to this powerful statewide research and learning tool.
OneSearch integrates library services and collections into a single search for books, audio, media, databases, electronic resources, and open education resources. It also has the ability to manage online educational resources, which are increasingly necessary to offset the high cost of higher education textbooks.
SMCCCD and PLS libraries will continue to share resources and delivery between the colleges and public libraries.
Community members who have a Peninsula Library System library card will need to come to one of the community college libraries for a new SMCCCD library account. The account is free and will provide uninterrupted access to SMCCCD library resources.
For community members, the college libraries’ catalog will be a separate search from the PLS catalog. The college library websites will provide a link for community members to conduct searches in both catalogs.
The three SMCCCD libraries will provide instructions on their websites about how to get help with your account, how to search the new catalog, and how to contact reference desks.
For more information, visit:
https://canadacollege.edu/library/
https://collegeofsanmateo.edu/library/
