OCC Learning Resource Centers Records
Collection
Identifier: OCCR0009
Scope and Contents
This collection consists of LRC Committee and Council meeting minutes, correspondence and memos, reports, strategic planning and goals, articles, library style guides, and other records relating to the establishment and growth of OCC's Learning Resources Centers.
Dates
- 1968 - 2011
Creator
- Oakland Community College. Learning Resource Centers (Organization)
Conditions Governing Access
Collection is open for research.
Conditions Governing Use
Refer to the Oakland Community College Archives Rules for Use of Archival Materials.
Biographical / Historical
The Oakland Community College Learning Resource Centers, known also as the College Libraries, can be found on each of the five campuses. From the inception of the College in 1964, the LRCs were central to its initial vision. They were charged to supply information to those who needed it, in any medium, to any location. Mirroring the establishment of the individual campuses, the Auburn Hills and Highland Lakes LRCs came first in 1965, followed by Orchard Ridge in 1967, and the Southeast Campus System in Oak Park and Royal Oak in 1973.
As the College grew and each campus became more established, temporary buildings gave way to newly renovated structures that were better equipped to handle the burgeoning student population. Construction of building K on the Orchard Ridge Campus was completed in the Fall of 1968 allowing the LRC to move from its temporary location into its new home. The library was dedicated in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on October 6, 1968. In August of 1970, phase one of new construction at the Highland Lakes Campus was completed which included space for their new library, and in 1977 Auburn Hills followed with a new library dedicated in honor of one of OCC’s Founders, George R. Mosher. The 1980s brought change in what was the Southeast Campus System. In 1980, the new Southfield Campus was established and two years later the new Royal Oak Campus opened in 1982.
The 1980s also saw a rejuvenation of the College’s LRCs. Under the direction of OCC’s fourth President Dr. R. Stephen Nicholson the LRCs formed a library task force committee. Together they impressed upon the Board of Trustees the real need to overhaul the LRCs and modernize the library system. When the college was established, its library records were recorded in machine-readable form in keeping with the initial forward-looking institutional commitment to automation. In 1987, the LRCs had updated automated cataloging systems, public access to the catalog, and circulation. As of 2018, the Oakland Community College Libraries have more than 240,000 volumes, 36,000 digital books, as well as thousands of periodicals, databases, and offers virtual reference twenty-four hours a day.
As the College grew and each campus became more established, temporary buildings gave way to newly renovated structures that were better equipped to handle the burgeoning student population. Construction of building K on the Orchard Ridge Campus was completed in the Fall of 1968 allowing the LRC to move from its temporary location into its new home. The library was dedicated in honor of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. on October 6, 1968. In August of 1970, phase one of new construction at the Highland Lakes Campus was completed which included space for their new library, and in 1977 Auburn Hills followed with a new library dedicated in honor of one of OCC’s Founders, George R. Mosher. The 1980s brought change in what was the Southeast Campus System. In 1980, the new Southfield Campus was established and two years later the new Royal Oak Campus opened in 1982.
The 1980s also saw a rejuvenation of the College’s LRCs. Under the direction of OCC’s fourth President Dr. R. Stephen Nicholson the LRCs formed a library task force committee. Together they impressed upon the Board of Trustees the real need to overhaul the LRCs and modernize the library system. When the college was established, its library records were recorded in machine-readable form in keeping with the initial forward-looking institutional commitment to automation. In 1987, the LRCs had updated automated cataloging systems, public access to the catalog, and circulation. As of 2018, the Oakland Community College Libraries have more than 240,000 volumes, 36,000 digital books, as well as thousands of periodicals, databases, and offers virtual reference twenty-four hours a day.
Extent
2 Linear Feet (2 SB)
Language of Materials
English
Abstract
The OCC Learning Resource Centers Records reflect the growth and operation of Oakland Community College’s Learning Resource Centers. In 2000, the name was changed from the Learning Resource Centers to the OCC Libraries. The collection contains material dating from 1968 to 2011 and consists of: LRC Committee and Council meeting minutes, correspondence and memos, reports, strategic planning and goals, articles, and library style guides.
Arrangement
This collection is arranged alphabetically by subject.
Immediate Source of Acquisition
Records were accrued from 2016-2019 from the Auburn Hills Library by the College Archivist.
Processing Information
Processed and finding aid written by Elizabeth Nicholson on July 12, 2019.
Creator
- Oakland Community College. Learning Resource Centers (Organization)
- Title
- Guide to the OCC Learning Resource Centers Records
- Status
- Completed
- Author
- Processed by Elizabeth Nicholson.
- Date
- 2019-07-12
- Description rules
- Describing Archives: A Content Standard
- Language of description
- English
- Script of description
- Latin
Repository Details
Part of the Oakland Community College Archives Repository