Use your Catawba ID to check out items from the library or to copy and print.

Use your network username and password for off-campus access to the library's online resources.

Contact Amanda Bosch to learn how the library can help you with your research and teaching.

Our librarians are happy to meet with your classes. We will work with you in advance to create library classes that focus on the specific needs of your students. These active learning sessions typically cover topics such as, using the library catalog to find books, identifying and searching relevant databases, and evaluating materials. We also will create a Research Guide for your class. Usually we will meet with your class in the Wentz Instruction Area, but we also can come to your classroom.

For more information, please see Tips on Getting the Best Instruction Experience.

Please contact Amanda Bosch to discuss the possibilities.

The selection process for library materials is a cooperative effort of the faculty and the professional librarians to acquire materials that will support and enhance the goals and curriculum of the college. At present, faculty requests to support new and revised courses are the primary focus of acquisition. As always, the library maintains standing orders for a limited number of relevant titles.

We are always happy to discuss acquiring new materials to meet expanding needs. Please feel free to contact Constance Grant about your requests.

For research needs or for more specialized items, the library has an active interlibrary loan service. Please see our ILL instuctions or contact the Interlibrary Loan department at ill@catawba.edu (704-637-4783).

At this time, the library will no longer be accepting gifts of library materials. We will update this page when that service again becomes available. For monetary donations, please see the directions below.

The Library welcomes gifts of books, periodicals, and other library materials to add breadth and depth to its collection and gifts of money to purchase such materials. If you would like to make a monetary donation, you can now donate online (Be sure to select "Friends of the Library" from the drop-down list below Gift Designation). Great care must be exercised in accepting gifts, however, due to the hidden expense of processing and maintenance and because of limited space for collection expansion.

The establishment of endowments for the purchase of library materials is encouraged. Donors may specify subject areas in which materials are to be collected. The minimum gift to establish an endowment is $1,000. The Development Office and Business Office will handle all endowment monies for the Library.

With these considerations in mind, the following guidelines shall govern the acceptance of gifts:

• 1.  The Library retains unconditional ownership of the gift.
• 2.  The Library reserves the right to determine the housing and circulation policies of all gifts accepted for addition to the collection as well as the right to discard, sell, or exchange gifts which do not meet selection criteria outlined in the Selection Policy.
• 3.  In accordance with Internal Revenue Service (IRS) regulations, it is the responsibility of the donor to set a value for his/her gift and to make a list of items included in his/her gift. As a special courtesy, the Library will assist the donor in establishing the value of his/her gift by providing access to bibliographic sources of auction price information and/or recommending professional appraisers.
• 4.  The acceptance of a gift appraised by a third party does not in any way imply an endorsement of the appraisal by the Library.
• 5.  The Library will provide bookplates or other indications for special gifts or memorials if desired by the donor.
• 6.  The Library will write a letter to the donor expressing thanks for the gift. This letter will serve as a receipt.

The library has five available study rooms, as well as multiple study nooks throughout the building. All are on a first-come, first-serve basis. Additionally, we house eight computer stations in our information commons, and eight computers on the Mezzanine. These are also on a first-come, first-serve basis. Simply log on just as you would your college computer or Catlink. If you need help logging on or printing documents, please see a staff member.

If you would like to reserve space in the library (Wentz Instruction Area, Alcorn Digital Learning Lab, study room, etc.) for a class period or for a campus group, you may request a reservation by contacting Constance Grant.

The entrance to the Corriher-Linn-Black Library has a ramp to the right of the front door. There is an automatic door opener on the wall to the left.  Within the building there is an elevator.

Additional accommodations are provided on an as-needed basis to help patrons with using the facility and collections.  Our Help Desk staff members are always available to help. You may call the desk for additional information: 704-637-4448.

Build library instruction into your syllabus. Schedule your class for librarian instruction at about the point when they need to start their research. Students will be more alert and attentive when deadlines are looming in the near future.

Schedule early! Contact your librarian as early as possible. Our library classroom is in demand at certain times of the semester. Also, scheduling well in advance allows librarians the time to develop a thorough Research Guide as well as time for adequate consultation with the professor.

Provide us with assignment information. A copy of your syllabus or major assignment helps us prepare a lesson relevant to your students’ projects.

Attend the class with your students. Your participation in the library class ensures that your students focus, engage more deeply, and see the high value that faculty place on research in the library. It also allows for valuable interchange between faculty, students, and librarian.

Have your students meet with a librarian. As a follow-up to the class, we would love to guide students to resources appropriate to their specific project. We are more than happy to schedule appointments for individual students, particularly if they are having some trouble finding or deciphering information.

Keep in touch with your librarian. Let us know what worked and what didn’t, and share any success stories from your class.

Wikipedia, a free online encyclopedia that began in 2001, can be useful for finding a quick overview of a topic when the stakes are low. But is it appropriate for academic use? It depends.

Is Wikipedia an objective, peer-reviewed resource?

According to a statement on the “Wikipedia: About” page, Wikipedia is written by anonymous volunteers who can remain anonymous, use a pseudonym, or use their real name. It states that, “What is contributed is more important than the expertise or qualifications of the contributor.” Since its authors are not necessarily experts, their writings may include errors and/or biases. See for example, the following information from the Wikipedia site:

Please be advised that nothing found here has necessarily been reviewed by people with the expertise required to provide you with complete, accurate or reliable information. . . . Wikipedia cannot guarantee the validity of the information found here.  [Emphasis in the original.] The content of any given article may recently have been changed, vandalized or altered by someone whose opinion does not correspond with the state of knowledge in the relevant fields.

. . . . Wikipedia is not uniformly peer reviewed; while readers may correct errors or engage in casual peer review, they have no legal duty to do so and thus all information read here is without any implied warranty of fitness for any purpose or use whatsoever. Even articles that have been vetted by informal peer review or featured article processes may later have been edited inappropriately, just before you view them.”

In addition, the online encyclopedia covers some topics thoroughly, yet pays little attention to others. Contributors are 85% male, with an average age in the mid-twenties.

Appropriateness as a Source
You may decide that it’s fine for your students to use Wikipedia to get an overview of a topic before moving on to scholarly or subject-specific resources. Suggested starting points for student research can be found in the library's Subject Research Guides. We encourage students to evaluate all sources, both print and electronic. They should ask if a source is reliable, objective, current, and authoritative. They also should ask themselves (and you) if an encyclopedia, print or online, is an appropriate source for their project.

Wikipedia as a Curricular Tool
Sometimes instructors use Wikipedia as an educational tool. They have their students write Wikipedia entries, either individually or as a group exercise. See for example:

“The Syllabus: A 12-week Assignment to Write a Wikipedia Article.” Wikimedia Foundation.
   https://upload.wikimedia.org/wikipedia/commons/e/ef/Sample_Syllabus_for_Wikipedia_assignment.pdf

“Wikipedia Makes No Guarantee of Validity,”
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:General_disclaimer

“Wikipedia: Student Assignment.”
   https://en.wikipedia.org/wiki/Wikipedia:Student_assignments#Examples_of_best_practices

“Sample Wikipedia Assignments.” FemTechNet.
   http://femtechnet.newschool.edu/teaching-learning-resources/teaching-with-wikipedia/wikipedia-sample-assignments/

Eryk Salvaggio , Eryk. “Five Challenges of Wikipedia Assignments, with Solutions.” WikiEdu.
   https://wikiedu.org/blog/2015/01/29/5-challenges-wikipedia-assignments/ (January 29, 2015.)

For further information, see the following articles

"7 Things You Should Know About Wikipedia." The EDUCAUSE Learning Initiative.
   https://library.educause.edu/resources/2007/6/7-things-you-should-know-about-wikipedia(June 7, 2007).

Adams, Julia, and Hannah Bruckner. “Wikipedia, Sociology, and the Promise and Pitfalls of Big Data.” Big Data & Society.
   http://bds.sagepub.com/content/spbds/2/2/2053951715614332.full.pdf (July–December 2015).

Boboltz, Sara. “Editors Are Trying To Fix Wikipedia's Gender And Racial Bias Problem”
   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/04/15/wikipedia-gender-racial-bias_n_7054550.html (April 15, 2015).

McCormack, Simon. “Wikipedia Edits To Pages On New York Police Killings Traced To NYPD Headquarters”
   http://www.huffingtonpost.com/2015/03/13/wikipedia-edits-police-killings-nypd_n_6863542.html (March 13, 2015).

Oliver, Amy. “Iffy-pedia: Up to six in ten articles on Wikipedia contain factual errors.”
   http://www.dailymail.co.uk/sciencetech/article-2131458/Up-articles-Wikipedia-contain-factual-errors.html DailyMail.com (18 April 2012).

Simonite, Tom. “The Decline of Wikipedia”
   https://www.technologyreview.com/s/520446/the-decline-of-wikipedia/ MIT Technology Review (October 22, 2013).

Paling, Emma “Wikipedia's Hostility to Women.”
   http://www.theatlantic.com/technology/archive/2015/10/how-wikipedia-is-hostile-to-women/411619/ (October 21, 2015).

Pinsker, Joe. “The Covert World of People Trying to Edit Wikipedia--for Pay”
   http://www.theatlantic.com/business/archive/2015/08/wikipedia-editors-for-pay/393926/(August 11, 2015).

Tobak, Steve. “Just How Accurate Is Wikipedia?”
   http://www.foxbusiness.com/features/2015/09/02/just-how-accurate-is-wikipedia.html  (September 02, 2015).