What Constitutes an Ideal Two- Year College Library?
A Report of the
Two- Year College Library Association TaskForce
July 18, 2003
Prepared for
Dr. Roy Johnson, Chancellor Department of Postsecondary Education

 
Alabama Two- Year College Library Association Task Force Membership
Lucinda Beddow
Calhoun Community College
Zenobia Blackmon
Trenholm State Technical College
Jeffiey Faust, Report Editor Jefferson Davis Community College
Mary Beth Green
Lurleen B. Wallace Community College
Diane Gregg
Bessemer State Technical College
Debbie Grimes
Shelton State Community College
Sandra Henderson
Lawson State Community College
Angela Roberts
Alabama Southern Community College
Linda Stephens
Enterprise-Ozark Community Co lIege
Tyrone Webb, Chair
Bevill State Community College


What Constitutes an Ideal Two-Year College Library?
A Report of the Two-Year College Library Association Task Force
I. Introduction
In this document, the Alabama Two-Year College Library Association has not only reiterated standard library practice, but has also identified some key considerations and needs for the future. Emphasis has been given to certain areas in which there are fairly consistent deficiencies among libraries in the Alabama College System.
The Association for College and Research Libraries (A CRL) Standards for Community, Junior, and Technical College Learning Resource Programs were used as a benchmark against which the two-year college libraries might be measured. From a careful study ofthese standards, it is clear that, were they closely adhered to, the quality oftwo-year college libraries in Alabama would be vastly improved. The new SACS Principles of Accreditation, though a noteworthy consideration, are somewhat vague and do not explicitly defme measures of excellent compliance. It is certain that a library's conformity with the ACRL standards would enable it to meet or surpass the stipulations of the SACS Principles.
The single most significant factor influencing the quality of two-year college libraries is support from the administration at both the college and System levels. With good funding at the local level and library advocacy at the Department of Postsecondary Education, two-year college libraries would be able to meet the challenge of providing quality services as demanded by the various standards and accrediting agencies.
Among this very diverse group, the only elements two-year college libraries have in common are those which define an academic library, according to the IPEDS Academic Libraries Survey, i.e., an organized collection of materials, a trained staff, an established schedule, and a physical facility to support the collection, staff, and schedule. In terms of deficiencies, however, there are a few essential areas in which problems are often noted: budget, staffing, collections, and space. Michael Gorman, noted librarian and author, is an appropriate authority to quote in this regard:
Apart from the physical plant, libraries have three assets - their collections (tangible and intangible), their staff, and the architecture of bibliographic control. Good buildings, collections, and staff without bibliographic control are glorified mega-bookstores. A collection with bibliographic control but no staff is a glorified warehouse. The best staff and the best organization in the world cannot make up for inadequate collections. A Russian riddle asks, "Which is the most important leg on a three-legged stool?" thus emphasizing the interdependence of the three pillars of a good library. Our Enduring Values: Librarianship in the 21'1 Century (Chicago:
ALA, 2000.)
As evident from any comprehensive library mission statement, everything that academic libraries do is student-driven and student-focused. Additional funding and support will ultimately and always benefit the students of a given college in achieving
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their educational goals. In a college community, the potential benefit to the students of a well-funded library cannot be overestimated.
II. Budget
Mr. Gorman's stool seems to be missing a leg, however, since all of the items he mentioned are worthless in the long run without a stable budget upon which to maintain and improve quality library services. According to the ACRL Standards, a minimally decent library budget would be funded at 6% ofthe educational and general expenditures of a college or approximately $150 per FTE. In order to achieve an excellent budget, the percentage rises to 9% or approximately $360 per FTE.
An area of existing concern, in addition to insufficient budgets, relates to ACRL Standard 4.5 which mandates that all directly related revenues such as fines, payments for lost and damaged materials, sale of unneeded items, and student use fees should be used solely for the support ofthe collections, services, and activities oflearning resources programs. Ofthe twenty libraries polled by this committee, fourteen responded negatively when asked whether these revenues went to the library; typically, they go into the General Fund rather than into an account earmarked for library use.
One proposed solution to current budget problems is to designate, as a portion of tuition, a library enhancement fee (similar to the technology fee) which could be utilized exclusively by and for the library. These monies would not in any way offset existing library budgets; rather, in order that they might truly function to enhance the library, they would be supplemental to the regular budget.
Two-year college library administrators must aggressively pursue increased funding and support for library programs at all levels if they are to continue to provide quality library services.
III. Staffing
According to the ACRL Standards, sufficient and qualified professional and support staff should be available to implement the services for which the library is responsible. This is an area of the standards with which most of the libraries in the Alabama College System are not compliant and which can only be achieved with the support oflocal administrations. Only five of the twenty libraries polled answered affrrmatively that they had sufficient and qualified staff as defmed by Table A from the ACRL Standards.
TABLEA*
 
Minimum and Excellent Staffing Requirements for Single-Campus Services**
 
FfE Students
Administrators
Professional
Technicians
Other Staff***
Total Staff
 
Min & Excel
Min
Excel
Min
Excel
Min
Excel
Min
Excel
under 1,000
1
2
4
2
4
2
3
7
12
1,000-2,999
1
3
5
3
6
3
6
10
18
3,000-4,999
1
5
7
5
8
4
8
15
24
5,000-6,999
1
7
9
7
12
6
11
21
33
* Does not include student assistants
** Additional Staffwill be needed if enrollment is 50% greater than FTE ** Secretaries, clerks, lab aides, etc.
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In terms of professional staff, librarians should have similar work hours, status and benefits as all other two-year college faculty members, which is not the case at all System libraries.
Another area of particular concern in terms of staffmg is that most support personnel in two-year college libraries are ranked as clerks, many at entry-level positions. Providing quality service in today's library requires a staffwith certain expertise beyond minimal clerical skills. The salary schedule for library employees should, therefore, be revised to more accurately reflect current trends in the profession.
IV. Collections
It is in the area of recommended collection size and the ratio of print to non-print resources that the two-year college libraries vary most with the recommended ACRL standard. Though the typical library in the System reported spending 70% on print resources as opposed to 30% on non-print items, the correct ratio must be determined according to local needs. Table B indicates library holdings necessary for minimal and excellent collection ratings according to ACRL Standards.
TABLEB
 
 
 
Size of Collection for a Sin21e Campus
 
Minimum Collection
 
 
 
 
FTE Students
Volumes
Current Serials Subs
Video & Film
Other Items*
Total Collection
under 1,000
30,000
230
140
2,500
32,870
1,000-2,999
40,000
300
400
5,100
45,800
3,000-4,999
60,000
500
750
8,000
69,250
5,000-6,999
80,000
700
1,250
10,000
91,950
Excellent Collection
 
 
 
 
FTE Students
Volumes
Current Serials Subs
Video & Film
Other Items*
Total Collection
under 1,000
45,000
400
560
5,000
50,960
1,000-2,999
60,000
600
800
8,000
69,400
3,000-4,999
85,000
800
1,300
11,600
98,700
5,000-6,999
112,000
1,000
2,250
18,000
133,250
*Includes microforms, cartographic, graphic, audio, and machine-readable materials.
Collection development is program driven and must be geared to the greater community of patrons in a given library's service area: students, faculty, staff, and community users. It is essential that each library have a detailed collection development and weeding policy. Although materials are becoming increasingly available in digital formats, an important point to consider in this regard is that books are here to stay and libraries must plan accordingly. According to Andrew Albanese,
Circulation of books is likely getting a boost from what one librarian called a "post-Internet bounce." In the early days of the Internet, digital euphoria suggested that everything would soon be available at the click of a mouse, obviating the need for the traditional library. As the Internet has progressed, however, that has not happened. That realization is helping drive traffic back to the library. "Deserted no more." Library Journal, 15 Apr. 2003:34-36.
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The Alabama Virtual Library, although a vital tool upon which we have come to rely very heavily for online journal access, must not be allowed to entirely replace traditional print serials subscriptions. In the event that A VL were discontinued in the future, the information gap created by such a loss would be irreparable.
Audiovisual materials and other electronic resources must be included when developing a library's collection. The e-book and other recent digital innovations should be integrated into the two-year college library's services based on their potential use and availability of funding.
v. Space
From the American Association of Community Colleges (AACC) Position Statement on Library and Learning Resource Center Programs comes this pertinent statement about the future of libraries:
Community colleges [will] continue to need libraries as a physical space, as long as students need assistance to conquer the digital or information divide and there is a need to house and provide access to materials not available electronically.
According to ACRL Standard 7.1, student seating should approximate a minimum of 10% of the FTE enrollment. The space for user activities should accommodate a wide variety of learning styles and study situations, should be attractive, comfortable, and designed to encourage use. Different seating arrangements should be offered, including:
o        individual carrels, 25 sq ft per student;
o        tables for four, 25 sq ft per student;
o        lounge chairs, 30 sq ft per student;
o        computers and workstations, 40 sq ft per student;
o        microform reader stations, 35 sq ft per student;
o        small group study rooms, 25 sq ft per student.
In addition to seating, the library should include space for public access catalogs, current periodicals, indexes, reference and technology delivery areas, display and exhibit space, group bibliographic instruction, group viewing, study areas for faculty, a meeting room for staff, and storage areas.
The generally accepted formula for books and other bound collections is calculated at 10 bound volumes per assignable square foot. Anticipated growth ofthe collection should be factored into the calculation.
In terms of staff space, ARCL Standard 7.3 suggests that a minimum of 175 square feet per staff member to accommodate new technologies, equipment, and hardware is desirable. Individual offices for professional staff and administrators should be figured at 200 square feet per person.
ACRL Standard 7.5 asserts that space assigned to learning resources should be restricted to the functions for which it was designed. In this regard, of the twenty libraries surveyed, fourteen indicated use of library space for other institutional activities.
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Additionally, all new construction and remodeling projects must be in compliance with the Americans with Disabilities Act (ADA).
VI. Bibliographic InstructionlInformation Literacy
An ongoing library orientation program is now a component of the SACS Principles and should be a part of each library's service offerings. Since two-year college libraries serve students of varied backgrounds, including students from homes without a computer, remedial assistance is often required for them to function effectively as users of information resources. A computer lab with presentation capability would facilitate providing these orientation sessions. In addition to instruction on the use of the library's electronic catalog and A VL, library sessions should provide information on more traditional research skills as well, e.g., using the Readers' Guide to Periodical Literature. On a related note, an explanation of the dangers of academic plagiarism, especially electronic plagiarism, would not be out of place.
VII. Distance Learning
As a result of the distance learning market, two-year college libraries are being expected to provide equivalent levels of service to both on and off-campus students. According to the ACRL Guidelinesfor Distance Learning Library Services,
Traditional on-campus library services themselves cannot be stretched to meet the library needs of distance learning students and faculty who face distinct and different challenges involving library access and information delivery. Special funding arrangements, proactive planning, and promotion are necessary to deliver equivalent library services.
One idea which might alleviate some of the burden of providing library services to distance learners is the possibility of a shared, web-based reference service. Questions could be submitted via the Internet and channeled to one of a number of libraries for response. An agreed upon schedule for sharing this responsibility among willing libraries would allow for expert reference assistance throughout the state.
VIII. Usage
Among the libraries polled, in terms of specific disciplines whose students use library resources the most, English language and literature courses were at the top ofthe list, followed by nursing, history, and speech. As far as specific usage elements compared across the libraries, Alabama Virtual Library was rated the single most used resource, followed by non-A VL Internet searches, the print collection, and all other non­print resources, e.g., audiovisual materials and electronic databases. EBSCOHost Web, a group of seventeen online databases, was the most used A VL resource. The two least used A VL resources were LegalTrac and ERIC.
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IX. Support
1. Institutional
Two-year college librarians should be involved in every level of campus-wide planning, including serving on committees and involvement with curriculum and program development. Budget considerations related to the library should involve input from the library director. Library personnel should be included in college-wide faculty and staff meetings. Furthermore, any changes necessary for a library to come into compliance with accrediting bodies should be supported by the institution for its own benefit.
2. Department of Postsecondary Education
The two-year college libraries in our System need support at the Department of Postsecondary Education level to include a designated staff member to serve as an advocate for library related issues and concerns throughout the System. This individual would ensure that the needs of two-year college libraries, including but not limited to
A VL, are represented in the System's legislative agenda. This individual could also coordinate the purchase of automated library systems, databases, and web-based resources with the advantage of group buying power and associated discounts. In terms of such support at the System level, the ultimate goal of the Two- Year College Library Association is the creation of a System-wide consortium (along the lines ofNAAL) to provide advocacy and support for all two-year college libraries.
3. Technology
The rapidly changing technology environment has made a tremendous impact on the ways in which library services are provided at the two-year college level. In order to stay more technologically viable, library planning should include funding for purchase of equipment to accommodate new and emerging technologies, e.g., DVD players, CD-RW drives, and so forth.
All two-year college libraries should have access to campus networking and the Internet. They should also have a web page to serve as a portal to library services, for both on and off campus students. It is important that the library be allowed to maintain its own web page so that updates might be done in-house and in a timely fashion.
Another component of a good two-year college library is a state-of-the-art library automation system which supports full MARC records and is Z39.50 compliant. When considering a new automated system, technical support, additional staff, and existing staff training are three important factors to include in the planning.
Another technological element that should be included in all two-year college libraries is an effective security system. In light of proration, budget cuts, and other fiscal problems, our library resources are too important to lose through theft.
4. Professional Development
In order for two-year college libraries to provide quality services, funding is needed for library personnel to participate in conferences, workshops, and other professional development activities. Institutions should be willing to fund state or national association memberships as well. Professional development opportunities
Ideal Library 6


should not be limited to library specific topics but should include seminars on interPersonal skills and providing quality customer service.
5. Resource Sharing
Good two-year college libraries should participate in existing local library partnerships and regional consortia in order to enhance and supplement their own collections. Interlibrary loan is an essential service in this regard. Electronic resource sharing must also be a planning consideration for the two-year college library ofthe future.
x. Conclusionl
By no means is this document a complete picture of a good two-year college library and its various components or services. It does, however, provide information to encourage further discussion at the institutional and System levels. In order to provide quality library services to their constituents, two-year college libraries must comply as closely as possible with existing national standards. The library is only as good as its materials and services, and its materials and services are only as good as its budget. Since the library is one of the first places accrediting agencies look when scrutinizing an institution, it should be one of the first places considered in terms of an institution's budgetary priorities.
1 For further documentation, see the Task Force web site at: http://www.idcc.edu/librarv/tvcla/tvcla.htm.
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