The libraries collect monographs, serials, government publications and maps in print, electronic and microform format, as well as audio and video resources. Electronic journals and licensed subscription databases (indices and full-text) comprise a large part of the library collection. These resources have become central to the collection as we make every effort to support learning wherever it occurs.
The collections are housed in a variety of locations including the Shaw Historical Library, the Portland East and West campus libraries and the main campus library.
Located on the second floor of the Learning Resources Center (LRC), the Shaw Historical Library is a special collection specializing in Western Americana as well as the cultural and natural history of the West, the Pacific Northwest and the Land of the Lakes, southern Oregon, northeastern California and Northwestern Nevada. The majority of the Librarys collections are monographs, manuscript collections and image collections. The Library has its own collection development policy. The readings rooms and archive space which house the collections occupy approximately 1100 square feet. The work activities of the half-time librarian, other workers and volunteers occur in the reading rooms and archives spaces. The Shaw Historical Library is funded through an endowment and additional funds.
The East Portland campus library has 45 square feet dedicated to print collections with a focus on Manufacturing, Mechanical and Electronics Engineering, as well as Management, Renewable Energy Systems and Reference. 80% of the collection space at the East Campus library is being utilized.
The library facility at the Portland West campus houses a small print collection of mostly reference material. Electronics Engineering and Computer Software Technology print titles are emphasized in main collection. 21 square feet are dedicated to collections, of which approximately 50% are utilized.
The main library is housed on the ground floor of the LRC with 8,000 sq. feet dedicated to collections. Due to space limitations, lesser used materials are housed in an off-site storage annex of approximately 1200 sq. feet.
In 2004, Oregon Tech employed a library consultant to conduct a comprehensive assessment of the main librarys space and services. The assessment highlighted the concern that collection shelving is at 100%+ capacity, even though the library has moved thousands of volumes to storage. The study recommendations call for a library that doubles the size of the existing space available to the Oregon Tech library to transform the critically overcrowded and dated facility into a revitalized center of academic life, and bring the library up to national and regional standards for collection and user space (from Drews study)
As the University continues to revise and create new degree programs the libraries have been adept at responding appropriately within the arena of collection development; however space limitations often restrict this process. Space considerations will need to be addressed as the University continues to build and add programs. In the mean time we remain focused on the demands of these curricular developments, and the broader intellectual and cultural development of the Oregon Tech community, with the careful selection of new materials and a continuing review of the collection's effectiveness.