May H. Baker Memorial Library
Located in the center of campus, the Library was built with generous
contribution from alumni, cadets, parents, faculty and devoted friends.
Built in 1977, it is named in honor of the wife of founder LT General
Milton G. Baker. May Hagenbuch Baker was intimately connected to the
founding, development and growth of VFMA&C. She bestowed warmth and
grace upon the campus community, as well as a positive influence and
inspiration to cadets.
Mission
The May H. Baker Memorial Library is a forum where students, teachers
and librarians collaborate to learn, teach, research and write.
Teachers and library faculty constantly emphasize reading as a critical
component in the quest for knowledge and as a source of life-long
personal satisfaction. Librarians and teachers coordinate the library
collection with the curriculum and the personal reading interests of
the students to incorporate the best information boos and fiction, both
classic and contemporary. The library collection contains over 80,000
print volumes, an extensive instructional video collection, 60 periodical
and newspaper subscriptions, and more than 30 online subscription
research databases. The library computer services are fully networked
to the web and include a lab containing 20 PCs for classes to receive
formal information, literacy and research skills instruction. The College
Writing Center has eight PCs and is professionally staffed in the evening
for individual college tutoring. Librarians provide information literacy
instruction for whole classes in coordination with teachers’ course projects,
as well as research project consultancy with individual students.
| Hours |
| Sunday |
Mon - Thurs |
Friday |
Saturday |
| 3:00 pm - 9:30 pm |
7:15 am - 9:30 pm |
7:15 am - 3:45 pm |
2:00 p.m. - 5:00 p.m. |
|
Staff
(all phone numbers are 610-989-xxxx) |
| Director of Library Services |
LTC Jean L. Smith, B.S.;, M.S.L.S. |
x1364 |
| Library Assistant |
Richard P. Middleton |
x1359 |
| Library Technician |
Mrs. Morris |
x1362 |
| Library Assistant |
Christine Ackerson |
x1438 |
|
Access to Library Resources
The Library Catalog
All cataloged library materials are accessed from the Online Library Catalog
using the Mandarin automated system. Library users may structure
searches by subject, author, title, keyword, publisher, date of publication,
series and other search criteria. Students receive instruction in use of the Online
Library Catalog related to their course-based research and reading assignments.
Faculty and librarians collaborate to develop bibliographies for students’
recommended and required reading.
Interlibrary Loan
VFMA&C is a member of the
Private School Resource Exchange Program (PREP) and
the
Tri-State College Library Cooperative (TCLC), which enable students, faculty
and staff to request items from other member schools in the Philadelphia area
through interlibrary loan. VFMAC community members may also borrow from the
collections of more than 3,000 libraries in the state through
ACCESS Pennsylvania.
The Collection
The Baker Library acquires library material in many formats: Book, Videotape and
Videodisc, Audiotape, Online Database Subscription, Magazine Subscription, Map,
Microform. All materials are processed into the collection in the Online Library
Catalog database using Dewey Decimal Classification and Library of Congress Subject
Heading Cataloging.
The General Collection contains approximately
80,000 volumes with collection depth in World and U.S. History, Military History
and Character Development.
Special Collections and Archives:
The May H. Baker Memorial Library has been the recipient of several
donations in the area of military history and character development.
Robin Lahiri generously donated funds to enhance our character development
collection. Through AMSCUS (Association of American Military Colleges
and Schools in the United States) the library received a large donation
of military books from the collection of Major General Stan R. Sheridan.
Dr. George P. Psihas also contributed his military collection as wee as
memorabilia. Closer to home, COL Thomas Balish ’81, generously donated
books from The Pentagon and The National War College. These collections
will be housed in the newly refurbished Psihas Sheridan classroom.
The Library also has an extensive Reference Collection in
both print and online formats. Access to more than two dozen
online research resources
includes general and subject-focused encyclopedias, full-text
magazine/journal retrieval, librarian-recommended scholarly websites,
research/writing tools, and reading promotion programs.
Acquisition of Library Resources
The librarians develop the library collection based upon the curricular
linkage of the collection to the educational programs of the Academy and the
College and the reading interests of the Corps of Cadets. Using a wide range
of professional reviewing resources from both librarianship and the professional
associations of other academic disciplines, we maintain a constantly updated
purchase list for both immediate acquisition as well as long-term consideration.
Suggest a title: We are always pleased to receive suggestions for
future acquisitions, whether a specific title/author or a general area of the
collection in which you would like to have new items. Please contact LTC
Smith with your suggestions: jsmith@vfmac.edu.
Donations to the Library
The cadets and faculty have benefited greatly from the support of friends
who have donated books and other materials to the library over the years.
We are frequently contacted by family, alumni and friends who wish to
donate new books. Sometimes it may be a specific title that has personal
significance to the donor in honor or in memory of someone. At other times,
supporters may wish to consider a set of titles of a timely nature.
Because the librarians maintain a "Wish List" for future acquisition,
we always welcome the opportunity to discuss the library’s specific needs
and interests with potential donors.
When donations in kind are made, the titles are evaluated to determine
their relevance to the informational and educational needs of the students
and faculty in relation to the curriculum and the personal reading interests
of the cadets. Please contact the Director if you wish to donate collections
of books or other media to the library.
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