|
Big Sandy Community and Technical College (BSCTC) through its libraries provides facilities and learning/information
resources that are appropriate to support its teaching, research and service mission. The libraries are located on
the Prestonsburg, Pikeville and Mayo (Paintsville) campuses. Students on the Hager Hill campus are served by the
library at the Mayo Campus which is located 5.3 miles away. The BSCTC Library through its webpage provides links
to resources that are accessible to students on the Hager Hill campus and distance learning students as well as
those taking classes on another BSCTC campus
[1].
According to the mission of BSCTC, "Utilizing diverse methods of instructional delivery, the College provides
learning experiences for those preparing for immediate entry into the workforce upon graduation, for those transferring
to a baccalaureate institution, and for community members seeking to enhance their knowledge and skills
[2]
." This is supported by the mission of the library
[3]
.
The Prestonsburg Campus Library is located on the first floor of the Magoffin Learning Resource Center
[4]
. It houses the collections that were begun in 1964 for Prestonsburg Community College. The library moved to its current location
in 1989. The library occupies 11,900 square feet of the building
[5]
. The public areas of the library encompass 10,710
square feet. In order to provide an engaging environment for students, the library floor plan is organized into areas
for collaborative learning. The study area has both tables and carrels to accommodate individuals and groups.
Upholstered chairs are arranged into conversational groupings by the windows. Another section is set up for viewing
and listening to audiovisuals. Reference materials, circulating books, college archives and periodicals are housed
on open stacks. Eighteen laptop computers which utilize wireless technology are available for checkout.
The circulation and reference desks are strategically located for user and staff interaction. Students and other
library users are encouraged to "Ask A Librarian." A sign that bears this phrase hangs above the reference
desk, and mirrors a similar link that appears on the library's web pages
[1]
. Four computers are located near
the front of the library for quick access to the library's online catalog. An information kiosk is situated for
posting information of interest to the college community. Two coin-operated copiers are provided in the study area
for student use.
A computer lab with twenty-five workstations is located to the left of the circulation desk. These computers are
Internet accessible and have software applications that are required for student assignments. They may be used for
homework, online classes, research, and student access to college accounts. The lab is also available to provide
library instruction for individuals and groups. These computers are networked to two laser printers that are located
at the circulation desk.
The Special Collections Room holds the library's resources on Appalachian history and the library's print
resources containing genealogical information. It is also used by students for a quiet study room. The Bibliophiles
Reading Room is named for the library's reading and book discussion group. This group meets in the room several
times each semester. At other times, the room may be utilized for studying and working on projects. Another room
houses the library's microform reader/printers. The core of the library's microform collections consists
of newspapers and federal census records of state and local interest, and a complete collection of the New York
Times.
The Pikeville Campus library moved into the N. Clayton Little Building in July 2001
[6]
. Initially, the library
occupied 1350 square feet. At that time, a library staff member was assigned to work at the location. Shortly
thereafter, a part-time staff member was hired to provide extended library hours. It became necessary to convert
this position to full-time in the spring of 2004 due to the increasing number of library visits. One of the three
professional librarians employed by the College visits the Pikeville campus at least one-half day a week.
The library was expanded and reorganized in the summer of 2005. The expansion created a separate computer lab. This
allows the librarians to bring classes into the library for bibliographic instruction. The expansion was accomplished
by removing a section of wall which created an opening to an adjoining classroom. The lab occupies 625 square feet,
bringing the total footage for the library to 1975 square feet
[7]
. Seventeen computers and one laser printer were
relocated from the main library into this area. A coin-operated copier for student use was also moved to the new
lab along with the library's audiovisual playback equipment. The relocation of the computers freed space for
additional book shelving that doubled the size of the open stacks. Pikeville was the only library location without
a theft detection system, and one was purchased at this time. The study area was relocated away from the glass
partitioned hallway at the left of the library entrance to a quieter area between the circulation desk and the windows.
The Mayo Campus Library became a part of the BSCTC Library upon the merger of Mayo Technical College and BSCTC
[8]
. At the time of the merger, the library was staffed by one full-time paraprofessional. In the fall of 2005, an
additional part-time staff member was hired to facilitate extended hours. The library occupies 1275 square feet
and the computer lab occupies 780 square feet
[9]
. The circulation desk and open shelving are to the right of
the library while a computer lab with 21 computers is located to the left. The front of the library has an area
for recreational reading and tables for study. Two Online Public Access Catalog (OPAC) computers are available
in this area. Audiovisual playback equipment is located in study carrels. One of the three professional librarians
employed by the College visits the Mayo campus at least twice a month.
The BSCTC Library has three professional librarians with faculty status. The Director of Library Services, the
Reference Librarian and the Assistant Librarian each hold a Master's Degree from an American Library Association
(ALA) accredited institution. All three report to the Prestonsburg campus. These librarians are responsible for
resource allocation, collection development, acquisitions, technical processing and facilitation of library
services that meet the needs of all students enrolled in the College, regardless of location
[10]
[11]
[12]
. The librarians create an annual plan and implement policies that facilitate the plan
[13]
. They identify student learning outcomes for library use, and create and administer evaluation instruments designed to measure
the achievement of these outcomes
[14]
[15]
. The librarians review statistical data to determine usage of the library's facilities, resources and services
[16]
[17]
. The results of evaluation measures along with statistical data are used to revise the next year's annual plan.
Survey data from academic year 2005 - 2006 indicate that students' ability to find information increases by 15%
with assistance from a library staff member. Steps taken to address this need for additional assistance for students
included the following:
- hiring of additional personnel to increase availability of direct assistance for students and patrons
- adding more signage in the libraries
- providing an online direct link to a librarian from the College's webpage
- increasing the availability of professional librarians at the reference desk
- increasing the number of bibliographic instruction sessions for classes at all campuses and online.
The BSCTC Library's collections consist of over 55,000 volumes of print and audiovisual materials.
These collections include 200 periodical subscriptions on the Prestonsburg Campus, 38 on the Pikeville campus
and 20 on the Mayo campus
[18]
. Back issues are maintained. Each of the three libraries holds a current subscription to national, state and local newspapers
[19]
. Materials may be borrowed from other BSCTC Library locations via
intra-library loan. These are delivered to the libraries daily by college courier. BSCTC's library holdings
are accessible through the KCTCS online catalog
[20]
. A resource sharing agreement among all the KCTCS colleges gives holders of a valid library card interlibrary
loan privileges and this includes distance learning students
[21]
.
The College subscribes to 12 online databases containing full-text, individually or as part of the community
college system consortia. The library also owns over 34,500 electronic books through NetLibrary. Of these, 369
are reference titles. All of these resources can be accessed through any campus computer and are also available
off-campus and to distance learning students via the Internet. Passwords are required for off-campus access and
are provided by the library staff to all students, staff, and faculty upon request
[17]
[22].
The College is also a member of the Kentucky Virtual Library (KYVL) which gives students on-campus and
at-a-distance access to over 35 additional databases and the holdings of participating college, university
and public libraries
[23]
. Member institutions of the KYVL have interlibrary loan privileges and interlibrary loan materials travel between
libraries via courier service. Beginning in the fall semester of 2006, the library manages interlibrary loans through
Online Computer Library Center (OCLC) resource sharing
[24]
. By participating in this service, library patrons now have access to library resources throughout the United States.
The library ensures the relevance of these materials through participation by the professional librarians in user groups.
The Director of Library Services is a member of the KCTCS Library Work Group which creates and manages the KCTCS
resource sharing policy; provides input as a group to the KYVL; and previews, negotiates and provides feedback for
KCTCS consortia purchases including some databases and NetLibrary collections. Another librarian serves on the KYVL
Resource Sharing Work Group.
The currency of the BSCTC collections is maintained by adherence to collection development and weeding policies
[10]
. The three professional librarians who are responsible for all collection development and weeding have faculty status.
They collaborate with faculty to provide resources that support and enlarge the learning opportunities presented in the classroom
[25]
[26]
. The Director of Library Services is a member of the Provost's Team. As a result of this participation, librarians
are kept abreast of programs currently offered and changes in curricula that drive collection development decisions.
Faculty members are encouraged to submit requests for collection materials that support their specific curricula and are
consulted when appropriate during the process of weeding
[27]
[10]
. A portion of the libraries budget is set aside for audiovisual requests from teaching faculty
[28]
. There is a process in place for allocating this money according to academic discipline. The library has a leased
collection of best selling fiction which is housed on the Prestonsburg campus
[29]
. Another fiction collection, the Sayre Collection consists of over 1600 volumes of recent fiction that rotate
among the three campus locations
[30]
. All of the materials in this collection have been donated by employees and friends of the College.
The primary purpose of the leased collection and the Sayre Collection is to support the needs of students
enrolled in developmental reading classes, but these collections also support the community focus of the College's mission
[2]
. The library also maintains a collection of quality children's literature to support education
classes which includes each year's major award winners
[31]
.
In addition to the collections, the library staff is a learning resource that facilitates the access of information
through assistance and instruction. Course reserves are maintained for student check out on all campuses
[32]
. Audiovisual tutorials that complement the mathematics curriculum are also available for check-out. Librarians
and paraprofessionals are available to assist patrons using the computer labs. Bibliographic instruction and
information literacy instruction is provided by the professional librarians to classes and individuals upon
request. All English 101 students must complete a bibliographic instruction unit and test that incorporates
hands on learning
[33]
[34]
[35]
. Orientation materials on library resources and services are available and library tours are conducted for
individuals and groups
[36]
. The librarians participate in GE100 classes by offering instructional sessions on specialized topics.
Library guides are available on the library's webpage for self-directed learning
[33]
[25]
. Help sheets are available for accessing databases, student email, electronic books, and the online catalog
[37]
[38]
[39]
[40]
.
In addition to providing services to students, paraprofessionals at the Prestonsburg Campus purchase and process
collection materials and supplies for the three campus libraries. Paraprofessionals at all campuses index their
respective local newspapers, and these indexes are shared among campuses
[41]
.
The library sponsors programming throughout the fall and spring semesters that complements the mission and goals
of BSCTC and KCTCS. The Bibliophiles Reading and book discussion group meets 3 to 4 times during each semester
[42]
[43]
. The members consist of faculty, staff and students. The purpose of the Bibliophiles is to stimulate an
appreciation for reading and lifelong learning and to motivate challenged readers. The library also hosts
the Great American Read Aloud in the spring as a celebration of reading and information literacy
[44]
.
The library also sponsors The Library Seminar Series during the spring semester. The Seminar Series is now in
its tenth year. January is Appalachian History Month, February is Black History Month and March is Women's
History Month
[45]
[46]
[47]
. Special programming is held during each of these months to promote an atmosphere that embraces diversity
and cultural awareness.
The 3 library computer labs bring the total number of computer labs spread among the campuses to 38. There is
wireless computer access available in the libraries and at access points on each campus. These computers are
Internet accessible giving students and faculty access to the information resources provided by the College
from any campus computer.
The library is an important resource for students and others in the community who wish to read, study,
improve computer skills or ask a question. Librarians and paraprofessionals are available during all
hours of operation to provide assistance with reference questions, and Internet and online course access.
They can be reached by visiting the library; calling the library using a local or toll-free number or online.
Each library is open all year round with varying hours between terms, during holidays and in the summer months.
The Prestonsburg Campus Library is open 66 hours per week, the Pikeville Campus Library is open 52.5 hours
per week and the Mayo Campus Library is open 45.5 hours per week during the fall and spring semesters
[48]
. The library website is a resource for users at all locations that is available at all times
[1]
. It serves as a gateway to all of the library's collections and resources. Users also have access to
instructional materials and assistance from a librarian.
|
Section Home
