About Us

NOVA Libraries provide high quality instruction services to our students, faculty and staff in support of the College's general education competencies. The Libraries work collaboratively with the NOVA community to ensure equity of instruction across all campuses and learning environments.

Our instruction program's continued development is based on:

• A commitment to helping students gain confidence in identifying, finding and using information effectively and ethically.
• Valuing and respecting our students, their goals and their previous experiences.
• Encouraging critical thinking skills and continuous learning beyond the academic setting.
• A commitment to ongoing assessment of the instruction program.
• Keeping current with changing curricular needs and technologies that affect teaching and learning.
• Recognition of the professional standards of the American Library Association(ALA) and the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL).

To request library instruction, see the Library Instruction section on the Faculty & Staff page.

NOVA Libraries support the mission of the College and is an integral part of the instructional program. The Libraries' goal is to provide well-organized access to materials in formats that enhance teaching and learning. The Libraries strives to build a collection that will support the development of critical thinking skills and is committed to educating library users to become capable researchers and effective users of the information resources we provide.

Materials will be collected in varied formats that support the mission and goals of the College, the curricula, teaching methods and professional development of the faculty, and special student needs.

Selection of materials is a cooperative responsibility, with participation and recommendations by library faculty, in consultation with the teaching faculty, on an ongoing basis. The Collection Development Librarian at each campus is responsible for the coordination of all collection development activities at their campus library. The final responsibility for the selection and quality of these materials across the colleges rests with the Dean of Libraries. The Libraries have established the following priorities for collection development:

• To provide students with resources supporting disciplines, programs and courses offered at the College

• To provide faculty and staff with resources supporting their teaching and professional development activities

• To provide the campus community with educational and informational resources of reference and general interest

Collection development activities (including selection, regular updating and weeding of materials) will be carried out to provide resources that meet the following criteria:

• Items are current and authoritative

• Items are in a variety of formats that can be accessed on campus or online

• Items support the varied academic levels of community college students

• Items present a wide range of viewpoints

• Items are available at a cost that is justified in terms of anticipated use

The Libraries do not acquire materials that are consumable or kept outside the Libraries. The format of the collection reflects the needs of the student population at each campus. NOVA libraries do not accept donations of materials.

Retention of materials is dependent upon specific curricular demands. For specific curricular requirements, contact the appropriate campus librarian.

Policy Number: 232

NOVA Libraries uphold the principles of the following documents by the American Library Association:

• Library Bill of Rights
• Interpretations of the Library Bill of Rights
• Intellectual Freedom Principles for Academic Libraries
• The Freedom to Read Statement

 The principles of these documents frame the NOVA Libraries’ views of intellectual freedom and censorship.

The Libraries select materials that represent diverse viewpoints in support of the College’s academic offerings and suit the varied backgrounds of NOVA students, faculty, and staff. Occasionally, objections to some materials will be voiced regardless of the care taken in the selection process and the qualifications of the persons selecting the materials. Patrons of NOVA Libraries who feel specific materials are inappropriate for inclusion in the collection or should be balanced by the addition of a resource(s) by providing alternate views are free to initiate a Request for Reconsideration of Library Resources.

Children and Visitors

Northern Virginia Community College is committed to creating a safe and welcoming environment for all members of its community. For more information on children and visitors in the library, please see the Children and Visitors on College Property policy.

Computer Use

Library computers are primarily for students enrolled in current classes. However, each library also has public use terminals available to anyone, providing internet access and access to library electronic resources. Guests can also connect their personal devices to the campus guest WiFi to access electronic resources while on-site, subject to licensing agreements. All computer users must follow the Acceptable Use of VCCS Information Technology (IT) Resources. For more information, contact a campus library.

Library Classrooms

Librarian-led instruction and research sessions have priority use of library classrooms. Please contact your campus library about classroom availability for other uses; no semester-length or regular use scheduling requests will be approved.

Off-Campus Access

Off-campus access to library resources is limited to current NOVA students, faculty, and staff due to licensing agreements with vendors. Users can connect by logging in through the Libraries’ website, signing in to myNOVA, or using the proxy server when prompted.

Patron Behavior

All library patrons are expected to behave respectfully and courteously toward fellow library patrons, library staff, and the library space.

Emergency Procedures

In the event of an emergency, all library patrons are expected to follow staff directions. For more information about emergency procedures, please see NOVA’s Emergency Preparedness page.

Signs and Flyers

Signs and flyers to be posted in a campus library must be approved by the Student Life and by campus library staff before being posted.

Unattended Items

Patrons should not leave their items unattended in the library. The campus libraries are not responsible for unattended items. Such items may be reported to NOVA Police.