Report
Back to sections

Section II: SACS Core Requirement

II-9.  The institution provides and supports student and faculty access and user privileges to adequate library collections as well as to other learning and information resources consistent with the degrees offered, and they are sufficient to support all educational, research, and public service programs.

JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

Yes, East Tennessee State University is able to provide a portfolio of evidence supporting compliance.

STATEMENT OF RATIONALE FOR JUDGMENT OF COMPLIANCE

The support for, and adequacy of, library collections and other learning and information resources at East Tennessee State University is consistent with our degree programs and sufficient to fulfill our mission (ETSU Mission Statement). The integration of training in technology and information resources into our curricula, both in general education and across academic disciplines, ensures that these resources are consistent with and appropriate to our degree programs(SACS Standard IV-16; SACS Standard IV-32).  Access to the library and information resource instructional services by students, faculty, and staff at ETSU are judged as better than sufficient (SACS Standard IV-33).  At ETSU, we broadly define other learning and information resources to include facilities and support services that sustain degree programs, special student populations, technical and training programs, research, and public service.  This definition embraces the principle that adequate training and use of current library and information technologies by our faculty and staff is essential to effective use by our students.  The following text provides documentation of the accessibility and adequacy of library holdings and of the learning and information resources provided and supported by the ETSU Libraries and the ETSU Office of Information Technology.  Documentation related to additional learning resources and instructional support services provided by the ETSU Division of Academic Affairs, Division of Student Affairs, and Quillen College of Medicine is located in SACS Standard II-10.

ETSU Libraries Collections

The East Tennessee State University Libraries include the central Sherrod Library on the main campus, the Quillen College of Medicine (COM) Library on the Veterans Administration campus, and facilities at extended campus sites in Greeneville, Kingsport, and Bristol (ETSU Libraries, Extended Campus Services). This narrative report addresses collection adequacy and support for educational and research programs, access and user privileges, and support for public service programs.

As with other program aspects, ETSU supports the principle that standards for adequacy should be based on best practices for each academic discipline.  At ETSU, these standards are evaluated by the program accreditation or program review processes.  The adequacy of ETSU library collections and of other learning and information resources are evaluated as a component of every accreditation review by an external agency or degree program review using external peer reviewers. There have been no recommendations or findings concerning the adequacy of library resources in any of the accreditation or program reviews completed in the past five years (ETSU Accreditation; ETSU Academic Program Review Summary Documents).

In order to ensure that library collections remain adequate in each discipline, library holdings are evaluated as part of the curriculum review process for all new and revised courses and degree programs at ETSU (ETSU Curriculum Process Manual).  Every curriculum request must include a section that reports on required and recommended library holdings (ETSU Curriculum Process Manual, Course Proposal and Course Revision Forms).  Library collections are judged adequate when 50% or more of the items in the resources section of the syllabus are in library collections.  If library resources are marginal or inadequate, faculty members are asked to request items to address deficiencies, and these requests are given the highest priority for library acquisition (Sherrod Library Acquisitions Policy).

Recent improvements in funding for library collections (President's Council Minutes) have come in response to a recommendation of the Library Continuous Improvement Team(Final Report).  In addition, consortial agreements with library organizations such as SOLINET (Tennessee SOLINET Members), Tennessee Academic Library Collaborative (TALC Universal Borrower's Card), TENN-SHARE, and the National Library of Medicine's DOCLINE (National Network of Libraries of Medicine)provide access to and delivery of materials that the ETSU Libraries do not own.  In order to support all advanced degree programs offered at the university, the ETSU Libraries have made a concerted effort over the past five years to provide access to research databases and electronic books and journals.  Although the number of electronic resources is in constant flux, the current number available to ETSU library patrons is approximately:

• Electronic databases-45 (ETSU Libraries, Databases, List by Subject);

• Electronic books-12,000 (ETSU Libraries, Check Out ETSU eBooks from Net Library), and

• Electronic journals-1,600 (JSTOR Arts and Sciences I Journal Collection), Tennessee Electronic Library; Sciencedirect Journals).

Student opinion also provides additional evidence of the adequacy of resources and services offered by the ETSU Libraries (ETSU 2000 Student Satisfaction Survey).  Students at both ETSU and its peer institutions (ETSU Fact Book, Peer Institutions) rated the importance of adequate library collections and services at the same level (6.25 and 6.26; respectively; seven-point scale, seven = highest satisfaction).  However, results showed that ETSU students are somewhat more satisfied with their library's collections and services than are their counterparts at peer institutions (ETSU mean, 5.34; peer mean, 5.03). 

The adequacy of COM Library collections has been demonstrated through accreditation by the Liaison Committee on Medical Education (LCME) in 1998 and through a recent survey conducted by the library.  Standards on the adequacy of medical library collections is addressed by LCME standards (LCME Accreditation Standards, Library).  The 1998 LCME accreditation study identified some deficiencies related to journal management and computer resources (LCME Report).  In response, the library administration implemented a plan in consultation with the Learning Resources Advisory Committee to manage the journal collection based on reliable usage statistics (COM Library, Frequently Asked Questions, Recommendations for Purchase).  In addition, the library has added a computer lab with 14 workstations restricted to medical student use and nine workstations for general public use.  A survey conducted by COM Library staff in January 2001 showed that users are very satisfied with library resources and services (Infobit Usefulness Survey).

Access and User Privileges

Access and user privileges at ETSU Libraries are judged adequate because all ETSU students, faculty, and staff have full access to the physical collections, facilities, and services at all locations. The ETSU Libraries are open from 88 to 96 hours per week, and reference and circulation services are provided during all open hours (Sherrod Library Hours; Medical Library Hours).  The median open hours reported in a survey of academic libraries was 98 hours per week for institutions granting doctoral degrees, and 88 hours per week for institutions granting Master of Arts and professional degrees(Association of College and Research Libraries, 1999 Statistical Summaries).  Standards for services and management follow Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) Standards for University Libraries (Evaluation of Performance)and Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services (Resources Section).

Access to ETSU library holdings and services are greatly enhanced because library catalogs, online resources, and holdings and services of regional libraries are available via the web from both on- and off-campus locations.  All library collections (including government documents, media, licensed databases, and most microform sets) are indexed in the library online catalog ("Voyager") and available via the library web site (ETSU Libraries, Library Catalogs).  Further support for commuting students is provided by access to the ETSU library catalog from their local public libraries.  All ETSU students, faculty, and staff have full web access to licensed databases, electronic journals and books, research guides, and other online resources (ETSU Libraries, Databases; Database Access; Net Library; JSTOR; Research Guides; Reference).  A number of consortial agreements (see previous section) provide online access to holdings and services from over 34 regional public and academic libraries.  Circulation, interlibrary loan, literature search services (mediated searching), and collection development policies are available (ETSU Libraries, Facilities & Services).  Support for library services to extended campus, distance education, and off-campus programs follows ACRL Guidelines for Distance Learning Library Services, Resources Section and are coordinated by the extended campus services librarian (ETSU Libraries, Extended Campus Services; SACS Standard IV-32). 

In fall 2000, 48% of ETSU students lived in five counties served by the Watauga Regional Library (WRL) (ETSU Enrollment by Counties).  Through a contractual arrangement, seven public libraries in the WRL System share ETSU's Voyager library system hardware and software (Watauga Regional Library).  Students using their local libraries have access to a broader range of resources including the videotapes, juvenile books, current fiction, and local history that are available in these libraries.  ETSU's Sherrod Library currently is investigating courier and resource sharing arrangements with the WRL to deliver ETSU books and, in turn, provide WRL resources to ETSU students using WRL libraries.

Public Service Programs

The ETSU Libraries provide support to all ETSU public service programs with library or research components.  The COM Library provides document delivery, reference assistance, literature search services, and training to rural health care professionals in 11 Upper East Tennessee counties(COM Library, Frequently Asked Questions, Outreach Services).  Sherrod Library provides library instruction, reference assistance, and circulation services (ETSU Libraries, Loan Service to Short Term Groups) to a number of ETSU public service programs (e.g., Upward Bound, Veterans Upward Bound, Educational Talent Search, Ronald E. McNair Post-Baccalaureate Achievement Program, and the Governor's School for Tennessee Heritage).  A major public service is provided through our arrangements to share ETSU's Voyager system with seven public libraries in the WRL System.  Local residents now have improved access to the resources available at ETSU Libraries, are eligible to obtain community borrower's cards for library circulation privileges, and may use all collections, facilities, and most library services available in any ETSU Library(ETSU Libraries, Circulation/Reserve Services).

Other Learning and Information Resources

As mentioned previously, other learning and information resources is broadly defined at ETSU, but will be restricted in this standard to resources supported by the ETSU Office of Information Technology.  Documentation of the availability and accessibility of resources offered by the ETSU Office of Information Technology (OIT) can be found in SACS Standards IV-32 and IV-33.  Documentation of the adequacy and appropriateness of these resources to degree and educational programs at ETSU is included in SACS Standard IV-13.

A recent survey of student opinion (ETSU Student Satisfaction Survey 2000) found that ETSU students ranked the importance of student computer facilities very similarly (ETSU mean, 6.28; peer mean, 6.26; seven-point scale with seven = highest satisfaction).  However, ETSU student satisfaction with computer facilities (mean 5.16) ranked slightly higher than student satisfaction at peer institutions (mean 4.78).

DOCUMENTATION

	Report
Back to sections
Top of Page

reference room | pilot project | compliance audit | enhancement plan
search | contact | home

East Tennessee State University
alphabetical site index

A | B | C | D | E | F | G | H | I | J | K | L | M | N | O
P | Q | R | S | T | U | V | W | X | Y | Z

© 2001 East Tennessee State University
Johnson City, TN 37614