College Initiatives
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| Houston Cole Library | Dean John-Bauer Graham |
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An academic library is the heart of an institution of higher learning. In order for a university to grow, to prosper, and to fulfill its mission, it must have a strong, healthy and vibrant library at its core. No other unit on campus contributes so completely to the overall mission of the entire university. Every course taught at JSU and every student registered depends upon the curriculum support of bibliographic and information resources provided by the Houston Cole Library. Beyond the university, the Houston Cole Library also exists to serve the informational needs of the entire community.
Enhance the Collections
The library hopes to endow its collection development fund, which currently is supported solely with university E&G funds. The most recent accreditation visit in 2003 cited the library for not supporting graduate programs at the level required. Additionally, the university is attempting to offer doctoral degrees. Jacksonville State University has been a regional, comprehensive university for the over fifty years and the Houston Cole Library has collected resources to support this mission. With the addition of doctoral degrees the university's mission shifts and the library has to be prepared to support doctoral level research, both on campus and at a distance. These additional degrees will require a large amount of library support - support which cannot be met with current library budgets. A general collection endowment would permit library purchases of important books, journals, and electronic databases that are unobtainable under the present materials budget.