Library SACS Accreditation 2015

San Antonio College provides facilities and learning/information resources that are appropriate to support its mission.  

SAC’s Mission is: “To empower our community for success by meeting the postsecondary learning needs of a diverse and globally-networked society. To help students achieve their full potential by preparing them to graduate, transfer, or enter the workforce with effective critical thinking skills, communication proficiency, leadership ability, personal and civic responsibility, empirical and quantitative understanding, performance proficiency, and the ability to work effectively in teams.” It is accompanied by a Purpose Statement listing SAC's offerings, including "Academic and student support services for all students, including those with special needs, that include "...high-quality learning resources... and information literacy.”

 

The learning and information resources provided at SAC address many portions of the mission, including "postsecondary learning needs," "effective critical thinking skills, communication proficiency," and "empirical and quantitative understanding."  The Purpose is addressed with "...high-quality learning resources... and information literacy.”

The following is the SAC Library's Philosophy and Mission:

 

"San Antonio College librarians support the college mission by actively participating in the teaching function of the college. Accessing information is a lifelong process requiring individuals to identify, locate, evaluate, and use resources pertinent to their needs. Our mission is to teach students the skills needed to successfully complete their library-related assignments. Librarians prepare students to apply critical thinking skills and become independent library researchers.

 

The Library's Goals are to:

 

1. Provide quality library instruction in formats designed to meet both class and individual needs.
2. Develop guides to assist students in the use of library materials.
3. Consult with faculty in designing and incorporating library-related assignments in their curriculum.
4. Assessment of instruction classes using ACRL standards to develop assignments and rubrics.”

 

Facilities appropriate to support SAC's Mission 

The complete renovation of the seven floors of the Moody Learning Center, which includes the three and one half floors that are devoted to the library,  have greatly improved the ability of the library to fulfill its mission, especially the Department's goal to provide equipment, furniture and an environment that promotes learning.

1.      The increase in space of approximately 40% provides adequate space for current collections and moderate growth, for student use computer stations, for library instruction computer classrooms, for student study, for storage, for service desks, for individual staff work stations, and for technical services work areas.   In early 2009, there were no group study rooms, no comfortable (upholstered) seating, and only a few badly marred individual study carrels.  Since October of 2013, there have been eighteen group study rooms with an average capacity of six each, comfortable upholstered seating for 157, and 112  individual study carrels.   If every single seat in the library was occupied, the total would be 972 -- 10% of the 9,290 student FTEs.  But more importantly (although sufficient statistics are not yet available), we can observe that better seating and lighting and a quieter, more spacious and more attractive atmosphere are drawing more students to the library and they are staying longer.

2.      Lighting has been improved to library standards.

3.      Improved entryways and other sound proofing have greatly diminished the noise.

4.      Two new classrooms for library instruction now include seating and PCs for the largest classes.

5.      Included in the renovation was replacement of outdated PCs and other equipment as well as new furniture.

6.      The new public areas now have Wi Fi as well as sufficient outlets for students to recharge their electronic devices.

7.      A new performance area, equipped with a stage, podium, projector, computer, sound equipment and screen now enables the library to schedule cultural events that seat an audience of up to 75.

8.      Placing most public services (Reference, Reserve and Classrooms) on the 2^nd Floor (the main entry floor of the building) is a more efficient grouping of most service functions.  However, the design of the building requires multiple entries/exits not only for public functions on the 2^nd Floor but also for Circulation on the 3^rd Floor and the study areas and special collections on the 4^th Floor. While this is not ideal for security, traffic flow or the efficient distribution of service staff, these shortcomings do not yet prevent the library from carrying out its mission.  

 

Library Collections

 

San Antonio College librarians develop and maintain a current and balanced collection of print, audiovisual and electronic resources that support San Antonio College's curricula. The SAC Library owns 173,000+ print volumes, subscribes to 47 electronic databases, and provides access to approximately 45,000 electronic books. 

The Federal Depository Library Program was established by Congress in 1813 to assure public access to government information.  San Antonio College was established as a partial depository in 1972, one of 1,250 depository libraries. There are many benefits to housing a depository collection. When new material is published through the depository, it is often the first time research is made available to the public, such as the first appearance of AIDs and of bird flu influenza research.  Reference material from the government would cost over $10,000 to purchase.  Most important, equity of access and free and unrestricted public use of these materials serves a vital link between the public and our government. Anyone can use this collection of federal documents, and many of the documents are available to be checked out.  The collection is slowly changing to online items, which are available to the public 24/7.  In addition to traditional higher education curriculum, SAC Library subscribes to documents which support curricula specific to SAC programs:  law enforcement, nursing and NASA materials, for example. 

The Library is a member of TexShare, a statewide consortium of academic, public, and medical libraries. TexShare libraries share staff expertise and library resources, pursue joint purchasing agreements and encourage cooperative development of information resources. Library faculty  have attended Texshare meetings, participated in and contributed to their programs, and present committee projects at Texas Library Association meetings. It is through TexShare that SAC offers Interlibrary Loan services in which library patrons can request books, recordings, DVDs, and photocopies of periodical articles from participating libraries. Benefits of this service are numerous:

 

• since no library can cover every subject, ILL allows the library to fill in gaps in the collection; 
• requests allow the library to see if there are subjects that should be ordered in the future; 
• fulfilling requests from other libraries gives this library credit with the OCLC world-wide Discovery. 

 

Most of all, this service establishes beneficial public relations with our patrons and with other participating libraries. SAC students can also check out library materials directly from any Alamo College Library or from any Texas library participating in TexShare. 

 

Throughout the year, SAC librarians and staff purchase, process, and Discovery materials for inclusion in the collection, and repair and withdraw materials as needed. Purchases are made to support the SAC curriculum and suggestions from faculty, students and staff are taken into consideration as they are received. Additionally, library patrons now have the opportunity to trigger the purchase of electronic books through the EBL, an electronic book database shared by the Alamo College Libraries.

Adequate services and other learning/information resources

The San Antonio College (SAC) Library provides a full range of library services and resources that promote student success and life-long learning, including the following:

• Librarians teach students, staff, and faculty how to access and evaluate information effectively and efficiently through classroom and online instruction, and through face-to-face and online reference assistance
• Librarians assist faculty in the design of effective library assignments
• Librarians serve as liaisons to academic departments, keeping faculty up-to-date on library services and materials and seeking input from faculty regarding the purchase of library materials
• Librarians identify curriculum and program requirements to ensure the purchase of appropriate library resources
• Librarians deliver library services and resources to all students, including Distance Education students

Student and faculty access and user privileges; Convenient, timely, and user-friendly access to learning resources

 

The San Antonio College Library is open to the community and SAC students, faculty and staff throughout the year:

Fall and Spring semester hours:
Monday - Thursday:	7:30 a.m. to 8:00 p.m.
Fridays:	7:30 a.m. to 4:00 p.m.
Saturdays:	9:30 a.m. to 5:00 p.m.
Maymester hours:
Monday-Friday:	8 a.m. to 4 p.m.
Summer hours:
Monday-Thursday:	7:30 a.m. to 6:00 p.m.

All of the Library’s online guides, electronic databases, and electronic books are available 24 hours per day, every day. Online library resources are available from the Library’s homepage. Databases and electronic books can be accessed by anyone on campus. Remote access is available to SAC students, faculty and staff through a login process which requires users to provide their ACES User Name and their Banner ID. 

The San Antonio College library provides easily accessible resources and services for all students, faculty, and staff.  Library users have access to the Library's webpage (2), including the Discovery and databases. Access to full-text books, journal and magazine articles, and instructional materials in LibGuides, is available 24/7.

Students have full access to the reference and reserve collections on the 2nd floor, the circulating collection on the 3rd floor, and the special collections on the 4th floor.  The reference area books are for in-house use only.  Photocopiers are available if users need to copy portions of the book.  Reserve items  on level 2 (primarily textbooks and course materials brought to the library by faculty and departments) can be checked out for 2 hours, and cannot be taken out of the reserve area.  Books, government documents, CDs, and DVDs in the circulating collection on the 3rd floor (139,000+ items) may checked out by students at up to 7 items at a time, and students may renew these items up to two additional times for a total circulating period of 6 weeks.  Alamo Colleges’ faculty and administrators may check out up to 15 items for 30 days, and staff may check out up to 10 items for two weeks, and renew items online. 

 

Electronic collections are available through the library's web page.  Nearly 45,000 ebooks are available online through the Discovery and are accessible 24/7.  Newspaper, magazine, and journal articles are available through our subscription databases, which provide full-text access to over 59,000 unique titles.

 

Students with questions about library services, or how to access our materials, can walk up to the reference desk during hours of operation and ask the faculty librarians, where they will receive friendly, professional assistance. The librarians are available at the reference desk for each of the 66 hours the library is open weekly.  From off campus, students may call the reference, and they will receive the same high quality assistance as if they were physically in the library. Students may also use the "Ask a Librarian" link from our webpage where they can ask questions and receive prompt replies from librarians. In addition, the library has a Facebook page and a Twitter account where library information is shared.  

Access to the Library's resources within the Moody Learning Center is made available by the 45 computers in the reference area, 5 computers in the reserve area, and additional computers on levels 3 & 4.  Wifi within the MLC allows students to use their own laptops or smart phones to access our library resources.

Librarians promote information literacy and how to access resources by teaching library instruction sessions tailored to the subject, topic, and assignment identified by the classroom instructor.  Achart of Library Instruction Statistics showing the number of library instruction classes taught and the number of student attending the library instruction sessions can be found online in the SAC LibGuides. 

In the event that the Library does not own an item that a student, faculty, or staff member needs, we will find and borrow that item through our interlibrary loan service.  Students may request items through the library's interlibrary loan website, at no cost. The Library also participates in the TexShare program (see above) allowing SAC students with a TexShare card (available upon request at the reserve desk), to borrow items from other participating libraries.  

The SAC Library is ADA compliant, providing ADA approved furniture, equipment and software to disabled users.  Librarians and staff are available to assist disabled students and refer them to appropriate resources and departments. 

Library faculty consistently publicize programs, services, and new acquisitions through SAC's award winning student newspaper, The Ranger. Approximately 20-25 articles have been published each year about the Library since 2006. The Library also supports a Facebook page with approximately 200 followers and a Twitter account with approximately 120 followers.

Traditionally, the SAC Library has been responsible for researching, initiating, and negotiating cooperative purchases of database subscriptions shared among the four participating Alamo Colleges libraries. This results in the acquisition of important library resources that individual Alamo Colleges’ libraries might otherwise not be able to afford.   

Determining appropriate facilities, and learning/information resources

The library's facilities were recently remodeled according to American Library Association guidelines for undergraduate library facilities. A committee of librarians worked with the architects and John Strybos, Alamo Colleges' Associate Vice-Chancellor of Facilities to create floor plans that foster collaborative study, research, and learning opportunities. 

Librarians create collections that provide ready access to information resources that meet the needs of our students and the college's curriculum. The value of our resources is measured by usage, academic relevance, and size. Electronic resources form a significant part of the collection.

 

Library survey - 2nd floor Reference

 

Access to collections and services provided for off-campus sites and distance learning courses

 

Online resources are available to all currently enrolled SAC students (including those attending classes at Northeast Lakeview College, the Greater Kerville Center and the Central Texas Technology Center), faculty, and staff via the Library’s website at: http://www.alamo.edu/sac/library.

 

San Antonio College students, staff, and faculty may access all e-books, databases and indexes off-campus through the library’s homepage. Also available through the library’s homepage is the Ask a Librarian service which provides assistance through email and instant messaging reference services. Remote access to e-books, databases, indexes and online reference assistance enhances learning opportunities for all library users and is vital for distance education students. Students who are off-campus and/or are taking courses online have 24/7 access to ebooks and databases. Students may also use a TexShare card to check out hard copy materials from participating libraries throughout the state of Texas. Reference services (Ask a Librarian) and Library Instruction services (LibGuides, Collaborate) are also provided for all students and online courses.

 

SAC Online instructors can request live, online research workshops and resource guides for their students. The virtual classroom software, Collaborate, allows librarians, students, and instructors to meet online from any internet location. With audio, chat, video, and whiteboard capability, Collaborate makes online instruction just as interactive as teaching in the traditional face-to-face classroom. Application sharing allows the librarian to show real time searches in the various databases, and also lets students take control of the database to try their own searches. A Quick Start Guide to prepare students for a Collaborate research workshop is available at: http://sacguide.libguides.com/quick.

 

Course research guides list specific resources and search examples for a course assignment or subject area. Instructors can easily link to these guides from their Instructure course pages or website to help students find quality sources and get help with their search strategies. Course research guides are available at: http://sacguide.libguides.com.

 

The Library maintains social media sites on both Facebook (http://www.facebook.com/saclib) and Twitter (http://www.twitter.com/saclibrary).