Collection Development Policy

Mission

The mission of the Montana Water Center (MWC) Library is to develop a collection of water-related materials to meet the research needs of Montana's water-resource professionals, university faculty, and the public. The MWC Library is utilized by the community as well as government agencies, lawyers, water centers, corporate professionals, and the public.

Our collection consists of more than 300 cataloged articles, books, reference guides, brochures, case studies, directories, curriculum, fact sheets, manuals, software, and videos generated by federal, state, and county agencies, water centers, and higher education institutions. Collection topics include:

• Surface water
• Groundwater
• Fisheries
• Public and industrial water uses and problems
• Wastewater management
• Water sampling methodologies
• Wetlands and wetland reclamation/restoration
• Water quality and pollution
• Water resource management
• Water rules and regulations

The MWC Library collection concentrates on materials relating to Montana and the West, although there are national and international materials in the collection as well. The research supported by the MWC is also included in the MWC Library.

Format

Materials are accepted in a variety of formats, including audiovisual, printed hard-copy, and electronically linked (HTML, PDF, web sites) from educational, governmental, and non-governmental agencies if they are of high quality and offer up-to-date information.

Service

The mission of the MWC Library is achieved by careful management of the collection, and by maintaining a high level of service. The MWC staff is available to the public to:

1. Provide information on available materials in the library.
2. Dispense hard copy materials.

If you are interested in borrowing an item from our library, please read the Library Policies.