Five College Library Repository Collection (formerly Five College Library Depository)

The Five College Library Repository Collection (FCLRC) is a set of lesser-used materials drawn from the libraries of Amherst College, Hampshire College, Mount Holyoke College, Smith College, and the University of Massachusetts Amherst for which the libraries have adopted a long-term shared retention agreement. The FCLRC also serves needs of Affiliate Members and may accept contributions to enhance the collection from them (the FCLRC is not presently accepting offers of unbound materials from Affliate Members). All materials in the FCLRC are listed in the Joint Online Library Catalog.

• Faculty members, staff members, students and community users with a valid Five College library card may request journal articles via an online article request form.
• Faculty members, staff members and students affiliated with a Five College library may request books directly through the "Request Item" function of the Joint Online Library Catalog.
• Anyone else may request items via the Interlibrary Loan services of the person's primary library.  Journals and serials from the FCLRC may circulate only to Five College libraries or the libraries of Affiliate members.

On-site access to materials FCLRC is also possible at the FCLRC facilities by appointment. Please use the contact information below to make arrangements.

For more detailed access information, please consult our access instructions.

For more information about the policies of FCLRC refer to links on the left side of this page.
For more information about the FCLRC Affiliates program, including how to join as an Affiliate or details of policies governing Affliates, contact Neal Abraham, Executive Director, Five Colleges, Incorporated nabraham@fivecolleges.edu.
Hours
Operating hours of the current FCLRC facility: 8:30 a.m. to 4:30 p.m. weekdays, observing Five Colleges, Incorporated holidays (e.g., New Year's Day, MLK Birthday, Memorial Day, July 4th, Labor Day, Thanksgiving, and Christmas -- for details see the Five College Holiday Calendar elswhere on the FCI website).
Location
Current location of the FCLRC facility:  west end of Military Road, off Route 116 at The Notch, South Amherst, MA. Click here for map and directions.  Materials are stored in compact shelving in a climate controlled area of a former Strategic Air Command Bunker currently owned by Amherst College.
Contact Information 
bunker@fivecolleges.edu, (413) 542-2865; or view the directory.

Can non-student/non-staff use the "Request Item" function from the other 5-Colleges?

No, only UMass affiliated people (student, staff, faculty) can use the "Request Item" function. 

But below lists the other institutions in the 5-Colleges and if they allow area residents to get a card and check out materials from their collection.

Amherst College (AC) - Some Area Residents can get a borrowers card and check out materials.  They would need to go to Amherst to get a card and to borrow materials.  Click HERE for more details.

Hampshire College (HC) - They also have a Visitor Policy where area residents can get a card and borrow materials.  They would need to go to Hampshire to get a card and to borrow materials.  Click HERE for more details.

Mount Holyoke College (MC) - South Hadley Residents 18+ can get a card at Mount Holyoke College Library.  They would need to go to Mount Holyoke to get a card and to borrow materials.  Click HERE for more details.

Smith College (SC) - Residents of Hampshire, Hampden, and Franklin Counties over 18+ years of age can purchase a limited borrowing privledges card for $30 a year.  They would need to go to Smith to get a card and to borrow materials.  Click HERE for more details.

DVDs/Videos from the other 5 College Librarues

UMass Faculty, Staff and Students can now request videos from the other 5 Colleges online. They will be sent over like the books and can be picked up at the Circulation/Reserves Desk on the Lower Level when they arrive. They can request up to 3 DVDs/Videos at a time and they go out for 5 days.

Does reserves have "popular" current DVDs or just items for classes?

The Video and DVD collection on the 6th floor does have more popular items, they are not just items for classes. For example I know the library does carry some HBO television series.

You can also request items from the other 5-Colleges DVD collections.

How do you reserve a DVD from one of the other 5-Colleges? -Jackie

As long as the DVD is not on Reserve at the other school you can request the DVD just like you would a book using the request item feature in the item record.

How long can a student from another of the 5-Colleges take a book out for? If it is the normal time, what is the normal time? -Jackie

All 5-College students get 90 day loans with our books. That is the "normal" time a UMass undergraduate gets with a UMass book. There are other borrowing categories though.

Can you get movies from the other 5 College Libraries?

You can request movies and films from the other 5-College Libraries. As with our school, if the movie is on Reserve for a class it will not be able to leave their library. You use the same request feature you would for a book. They pick up the item when it comes in from the LC hold shelf on the Lower Level.