About Library Services
AUSTIN COMMUNITY COLLEGE LIBRARY SERVICES
MISSION STATEMENT
ACC Library Services is a collaborative system of reference, research, and instructional and technical support, whose mission is to support student success, faculty, and staff and provide access to resources and services for the teaching and learning community through the design and delivery of instruction to promote information literacy, critical thinking and lifelong learning.
Library Services is committed to accessibility and recognizing the unique cultures, experiences, and identities of our community and in this pursuit provides outstanding library faculty and staff, services, and digital and print fiction, non-fiction, reference, reserves, periodicals, information, and media and research resources. By acquiring, organizing and making these resources accessible, Library Services supports general education, workforce (vocational and technical) curriculum, traditional and non-traditional/distance instruction programs, and technology and support services for students and their diverse learning needs and levels and for the achievement of their educational goals.
Library Services designs and delivers instruction to promote information literacy, critical thinking and lifelong learning to assist students in achieving their educational goals.
ACC Library Services supports the Austin Community College District vision and mission and the College's commitment to the community.
Library Services provides comprehensive library resources and services including libraries on each campus and one college-wide Library Services Technical Services department (online catalog and acquisitions and management of electronic and print materials) to support general education, transfer, and workforce courses, and programs. Libraries provide students with study space, research workstations, course reserves, laptop and e-device checkout services and expert assistance from faculty librarians.
Goals for Library Services include:
- Designs and maintains course-integrated research and information-seeking assignments to support ACC curriculum delivered in in-person, virtual and digital teaching and learning settings. Through these assignments - designed in partnership with classroom faculty - ACC students (including dual credit students) acquire critical thinking and information literacy skills (the ability to identify, retrieve, evaluate, and use information that is appropriate to need.)
- Provides resources and services including a sustainable and safe physical library designed to support instruction, diverse learning needs and access to all formats of general education and workforce materials. Campus libraries provide environments with access to resources for information seeking, research and information services, information literacy instruction, access to basic and complex technology in support of exploration, discovery; and college curriculum including competency-based content, distance learning and hybrid- delivered content, as well as content supporting ACC's Areas of Study and lifelong learning.
- Is committed to the recruitment and maintenance of outstanding faculty, staff, and administration with a commitment to and appreciation for cultural and individual differences. Supporting the development of library faculty and staff includes a commitment to and the design and delivery of a continuous learning program to support exemplary library, management and leadership practices and innovation.
- Identifies and maintains local, state and national partnerships with P-16, public library and higher education environments, collaborations and consortial memberships for the most effective use of ACC resources and services in support of ACC students, faculty and staff and the ACC community.
- Designs and maintains institutional partnerships with administration, classroom and student services faculty and staff and identifies and maintains - as appropriate - local, state and national partnerships. For the most effective and efficient use of resources and services in support of students, faculty and staff, Library Services partners with P-16 initiatives, public library, school library and higher education environments, collaborations and consortia. Designs, implements and maintains policies and procedures derived from relevant standards and principles of appropriate accrediting agencies and professional associations.
- Develops, implements and maintains consistent guidelines, policies and procedures for the provision and delivery of resources and services.
- Evaluates library resources and services with a focus on excellence, innovation and data-driven decision making in the support of teaching and learning. Evaluation focus is for support of ACC's Areas of Study and student success for ALL levels and types of learners including underprepared, differently-abled and mixed-ability learners.
- Maximizes visibility, awareness and use of ACC library programs, services and resources through the design and application of advertising and marketing techniques.
- Delivers excellent customer service to library constituents in all virtual, digital and in-person environments.
revised: December 2023
