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Mission & Goals: Home

Abell Library | Mission Statement

The mission of Abell Library is to support the Mission of Austin College.

The Library helps Austin College students develop the skills needed for finding and evaluating information through collaboration with the classroom faculty on specific courses, by one-on-one consultations with a librarian, and with instructive print brochures and on-line guides;

The Library selects and organizes materials, both those on-site and those on-line, to meet the informational needs and interests of the Austin College community and uses interlibrary loan and document delivery to supplement our collections;

The Library anticipates and responds to emerging technologies, formats, and means of access;

And, the Library provides a variety of learning environments - comfortable places for individual study and reflection, rooms designed for small group collaboration and technology-equipped classrooms to facilitate teaching.

For further information, please see the Goals of Abell Library (below).

Approved by the Library Advisory Committee on November 28, 2007; Under review, May 2018.

Goals of Abell Library

I. Services to the Academic Community and General Public

A. Provide efficient and courteous assistance to all library patrons.

B. Provide access to library collections through policies and hours of service that reflect the needs of the Austin College Community.

C. Teach students the skills necessary to locate, evaluate, and use recorded knowledge effectively in its many formats, with a view towards the development of independent, lifelong learners.

D. Collaborate with the classroom faculty in the development of instructional programs that enable students to use the Abell Library and other libraries effectively.

E. Establish and maintain a dialogue with the Austin College community to both understand the community's needs and to keep the community informed of the Abell Library's policies, programs, and services.

F. Foster cultural awareness and appreciation of the book and other library materials through library exhibits, collections, and programs.


II. On-Site Collections

A. Identify, with the active participation of the classroom faculty, those materials that:

1. Support present and anticipated curricula.

2. Are necessary to develop and maintain outstanding undergraduate collections in subject fields emphasized at Austin College.

3. Are necessary to develop and maintain a general library collection suited to the needs and interests of the Austin College community.

Note: The scope and breadth of the collection should reflect the needs it serves (See Collection Development Policy - in progress).

B. Develop and maintain appropriate procedures for the acceptance and maintenance of materials donated to Austin College and the Abell Library.

C. Maintain on-site collections in an easily accessible, logical, and orderly arrangement that conforms to accepted standards and meets the needs of users of the Abell Library.

D. Provide for the availability and use of the on-site collections in a manner consistent with the Abell Library's responsibility to protect and preserve the collection for future use.

E. Respect legal restrictions on use of library materials.

F. Circulate materials according to policies and guidelines that reflect the needs of the Austin College community.


III. Information Access from Off-Site Sources

A. Cooperate with libraries, vendors, and others to maximize access to sources of information not owned by Austin College and housed in the Abell Library.

B. Respect legal restrictions on the use of borrowed and electronically accessible materials.


IV. Resources of the Library

A. Human Resources of the Abell Library

1. Attract, develop, and retain the best qualified staff possible.

2. Provide opportunities and incentives for professional development for all library staff.

3. Appropriately define the library positions.

4. Document clearly the expectations and performance of all library employees using a fair and efficient method.

5. Encourage high staff productivity and morale.

B. Facilities

1. Provide space, equipment, and technology to support the mission of the Abell Library and Austin College.

2. Provide facilities conducive to study and intellectual exchange.

3. Provide safe, clean facilities necessary for a positive work environment.

4. Provide access to all members of the Austin College community regardless of physical ability.

C. Finances

1. Manage the finances of the library according to both established principles of library management and Austin College policy, so as to optimize available resources.

2. Achieve and/or maintain a level of financial support comparable to that of other liberal arts colleges of the first rank.

3. Monitor on-going issues related to cost of library resources.


V. Administration

A. Promote the fulfillment of the "Mission of Abell Library" and the achievement of the "Goals of the Abell Library."

B. Promote cooperation and communication within and among all departments of the Abell Library.

C. Promote constructive relationships with the College's administration, academic departments, students, and the Abell Library's public in general.

D. Assess regularly and systematically the activities, programs, departments, and staff of Abell Library.

E. Coordinate the programs and resources of the Abell Library.

F. Plan, develop, and articulate strategies for the improvement of the Abell Library in its support of the "Mission of Austin College."


VI. Evaluation

A. Seek feedback from the service community as part of an ongoing effort to evaluate the success with which the Abell Library achieves its goals and fulfills its mission.

B. Improve existing programs and implement new programs based on the feedback and evaluation.

C. Review regularly the mission and goals of the Abell Library.


VII. Future

A. Plan and develop strategies for enhancing the programs and resources of the Abell Library to support the anticipated library-related needs of the Austin College community.

B. Monitor new trends and technologies in information access and delivery and keep members of the Austin College community informed of them.

C. Plan for the future in light of ongoing changes in technology, capital improvement plans, and educational pedagogy.

Approved by the Library Advisory Committee, February 6, 1997; Under review, May 2018.

Austin College



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