The library functions as a primary educational unit on the campus by providing and organizing resources and services for students in their academic course work at the university. It also assists the students, faculty, and administrative personnel who desire to satisfy their research, information, and leisure reading requirements.
As a public educational agency, the library provides all its clientele with a comprehensive collection of materials in a variety of media and formats that record man’s knowledge, ideas, and culture; organizes these materials for ready access and offers guidance and encouragement in their use; and serves the university community with reliable and easily available sources of information and reference. The library endeavors to serve the academic community by stimulating the cultural development of students and faculty, by motivating students to acquire life-long interest in good reading, and by keeping the faculty abreast of the progress of scholarship.
Goals:
To build and maintain a collection of Internet resources that are appropriate for the undergraduate curriculum and the selected graduate programs offered on campus, and to make such resources accessible to resident and distance-learning students.
To continue to perform and enhance traditional library services, and at the same time to investigate and develop new and easier access and delivery of library resources to a changing clientele.
To establish the library as the archival repository for official university records and to collect and conserve materials which contribute to knowledge of state and local history.
To develop print and digital collections adequate to support the curriculum based on the university objectives of teaching, research, and public service.
Development of library electronic, microform and print resource collections that parallel the academic curriculum at all points and in all schools/divisions and the implementation of a web-based catalog to link users directly to full-text documents.
Provision of reference service to all patrons, utilizing electronic databases and Internet web sites as well as traditional print media through one-on-one contact in the library and through e-mail and telephone.
Through interlibrary loan services, delivery of requested material not held by the library by the quickest and easiest method or as requested by the patron, whether by e-mail, FAX, the U.S. Postal Service or courier.
Instructional guidance in the use of library resources in all forms, explanation of criteria to be used in evaluating Internet websites, and presentation of elementary and advanced research techniques to responsive clientele. Planning for the implementation of online tutorials and online guides to electronic resources, research methods, and information literacy.
Availability of library faculty to teaching faculty for purposes of working with this group to integrate scholarly electronic resources into courses and course content. This would include collaborating with faculty to select and integrate the best resources based on any particular course or field.
Continued development of collection strengths in special programs, e.g. forest and wildlife sciences, criminal justice, and nursing, along with attention to the special collections of local and state materials.
An annual inventory of library book collections to document missing items, classification errors, and to identify subject areas for weeding.
An examination of the current periodical and serial subscription lists in both paper and electronic formats; to cancel those titles not germane to the curriculum or general interest; to withdraw titles because of cessation and/or age; and to evaluate new periodical titles for inclusion in the collection.
An evaluation of the use of current subscription databases available through the ARKLink consortium; receiving and acting upon proposals submitted by faculty for subscription access to new databases; and initiating trials for new databases for inclusion in library access capability.
Formulating recommendations for expanded digital collections in the form of e-books and journals, digitized images, and electronic reserves, and to bring to the attention of the university administration in the strongest possible manner that none of the above are possible and that library services to resident and distance students are severely hampered, curtailed, or unavailable by the lack of a state-of-the art delivery system, namely, a web based library system.
A continued diligent search of campus buildings for papers and other artifacts that should be preserved in the university archives repository.
Evaluation of the Assessment Plan of the Fred J. Taylor Library and Technology Center
Assessment plan evaluation is a continuous process throughout the year, conducted in regular library faculty meetings, staff meetings, and in impromptu reviews necessitated by policy and procedure changes. Twice each year, a comprehensive review of all library services and policies is conducted and an annual comprehensive review of all library collections, policies, and services is held, generally in May.