Section III: Comprehensive Standards (Library and Other Learning Resources)

3.8.1.  The institution provides facilities, services, and learning/information resources that are appropriate to support its teaching, research, and service mission.

JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Compliance.

NARRATIVE/JUSTIFICATION FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

 Northeast Alabama Community College demonstrates compliance through the provision of facilities, services, and other learning/information resources to support the mission of the institution. The Northeast campus, situated on 113 acres in rural northeastern Alabama, has 14 buildings, 13 of which are used directly by students and faculty. A four-acre lake on the northern end of the campus has recently been developed into a nature and walking trail for all Northeast constituents and the community at large. A detailed description of the campus is included in Core Requirement 2.11 and Comprehensive Standard 3.10.7.

The Cecil B. Word Learning Resources Center (LRC) and the Tom Bevill Lyceum play an integral role in the fulfillment of the mission of Northeast Alabama Community College to “provide accessible quality educational opportunities, promote economic growth, and enhance the quality of life for the people of Alabama,” serving the students, faculty, staff, administration, and surrounding community. Although NACC is not considered a research institution, the learning/information resources adequately fulfill the requirements of faculty research indicative of a community college.

Teaching and Research Mission. Housed within the LRC are the library, a video/teleconferencing site, an audio/visual room with multimedia capabilities, 3 classrooms, 5 offices, and the library workroom. Library services available include, but are not limited to, circulation and reference collections, orientation to use of the LRC, interlibrary loan, 23 computers with Internet and research database accessibility, and 5 word processors. Plans for the 2003-2004 year include adding 5 more word processors.

According to the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Standards for Community, Junior, and Technical College Learning Resource Programs, the NACC library has a sufficient collection to support the circulation and reference needs of the college community. As of Fall semester 2003, NACC is in the Full Time Equivalent (FTE) range of 1,000-2,999 with an FTE of 1,402. The minimum requirement for volumes is 40,000; the library maintains a collection of 51,727 volumes (Library Management Network, 2003).

Other learning/information resources that support the teaching mission of NACC include, but are not limited to, course-specific periodicals, videos and films, and electronic resources.  The NACC library strives to maintain periodical holdings that support each area of academe (e.g. Phi Delta Kappan, Education Digest, Science News, The Explicator, etc.). Video and film collections, as well as all library collections, are developed in cooperation with the faculty.  Electronic resources such as Smartboards, laptop computers, and LCD projectors are faculty accessible.

Library orientations are conducted in individual and/or group settings. In the 2002-2003 academic year, professional librarians taught 72 formal orientation sessions to approximately 1,800 students. Orientations include general information about the library as well as bibliographic instruction.

Interlibrary loan services are provided through a consortial agreement with the Library Management Network (LMN). Although this allows access to over one million items, interlibrary loans may be obtained from sources other than LMN, if necessary (e.g. Alabama Public Library Service, Library of Congress, Online Computer Library Center, individual U.S. academic and public libraries).

In the main reading area of the LRC, computers are designated for student and other library patron use. These computers provide Internet access in addition to the following databases: Reader’s Guide, Humanities Index, and Infotrac products, specifically, Opposing Viewpoints, all of which are available online for off-campus access.  Four of these computers also provide access to a CD-ROM program, Twayne’s Women Authors.  Another resource, the Alabama Virtual Library (AVL), is a collection of databases made available for public and academic use. The AVL provides access to thousands of full-text journal articles. Students may obtain an AVL card and password from the library for off-campus use.

Through an agreement with Jacksonville State University, a video/teleconferencing site is provided in the LRC. The site is used primarily for 300-level and above classes offered by the university as well as for occasional conferences between industries. The LRC also houses an audio/visual room with multimedia capabilities: an LCD projection system with VCR, DVD, CD, audiocassette, computer, and Internet access. This multimedia system is often used for satellite conferences.

The three classrooms in the LRC are primarily used for Spanish, speech, and paralegal classes. The librarians’ offices as well as the secretary and work-study stations are located on the first floor. The Spanish, speech, and paralegal instructors’ offices are on the second floor.

A language lab and paralegal lab are also housed on the second floor. The language lab provides access to interactive online activities coordinated with course texts as well as software and movies. The paralegal lab offers students access to various legal databases and has an extensive law library.

The NACC library functions under the auspices of the Learning Resources Committee. Consisting of twelve faculty members, this committee’s purpose is to ensure that the library is accessible for maximum use by the students, the faculty, and the administration. The committee also develops and recommends guidelines for the operation of the LRC and encourages faculty participation in the development and use of the library.

Annual library surveys are distributed every spring semester to students, faculty, staff, administration, and community users. Data obtained from these surveys serve as a means for improvements in the library and as patron evaluations of library staff services.

Faculty responses from the most recent annual library survey demonstrate that 89% of respondents rated the representation of their area of study within the library’s collection as good to excellent.  These statistics, in addition to those acquired from the ACRL Standards and the Library Survey Concerning COC Comprehensive Standards, provide evidence that the library and other learning/information resources are appropriate to support the teaching and service mission of NACC.

Descriptions of additional learning resources, especially subject-specific laboratories, are  provided in Core Requirement 2.9 and in Comprehensive Standard 3.4.9.        

Service mission. Goal Nine of the college mission is to provide "Community services which support personal growth, cultural enrichment, and societal activities; provide access to college facilities for community activities; and promote community, social, and economic development.” In keeping with this philosophy, NACC welcomes the opportunity to serve the community, both by facilitating the requests of community organizations and by initiating and hosting events for various community entities as well as the community at large and providing equipment for events. The two most frequently used facilities are the LRC and the Tom Bevill Lyceum; the Small Auditorium in the Health and Fine Arts Building, the President’s Dining Room, and the Student Center common area are also used. Indeed, the college strives to accommodate the community’s needs for the use of any facility on campus.

Recent events hosted by the LRC include the following:

§         Senior Age Program

§         Police Academy Classes

§         LMN Board Meeting

§         Tennessee Valley Conservation Development

§         City of Bridgeport Housing Authority

§         Book Signings

§         Reception for Wootten Family Sacred Harp Singers

§         Delta Kappa Gamma Meeting

§         DeKalb County Realtors Association

§         Fort Payne High School Dual Enrollment Orientation

§         DeKalb County School System Professional Development

§         Jackson County School System Professional Development

§         Farmers Telephone Cooperative Career Days

§         Delta Kappa Gamma Regional Presidents Meeting

Moreover, the college's Tom Bevill Lyceum, a 724-seat theatre/auditorium, is used for numerous community functions, including the Northeast Alabama Community Theatre. The theatre department averages three productions per year, performing for an approximate total of 15,000 patrons. In addition, approximately 12,000 elementary and middle school students from the DeKalb and Jackson County School Systems annually attend productions of the Birmingham Children’s Theatre sponsored by the college. For community events the Lyceum provides an excellent sound and lighting system as well as a projection system with screens. Table 1 provides a list of community functions, excluding college theatrical productions, held in the Lyceum during the past three years.

Table 1