Library Information

Picture of the Houston Cole Library

Welcome to Jacksonville State University's Houston Cole Library!

The mission of the Houston Cole Library is to provide information services and resources to support the scholarly and informational needs of the University community. In doing so, the Library strives to reflect the curriculum first, with secondary emphasis on faculty research and statewide resource sharing. The online library catalog allows users to search the collections held at the Library. Additionally, the catalogs of other major Alabama academic libraries are available for online searching. The Library subscribes to numerous databases, offering users online access to magazines, newspapers, journal citations and journal articles. In addition to many public computer workstations, students also have access to a computer lab and group study spaces. Other services within the Library include interlibrary loan, self-service photocopying and printing, and conference rooms.

We are here to assist you with your research and information needs. You can contact our librarians via the Library website, phone, email, text, and in person. Use our Ask A Librarian option to connect with our librarians or submit a question. We invite you to visit the Library often (in both its physical and virtual locations) and to enjoy the wealth of resources, information, and services the Library offers.

  • Named for President Emeritus Dr. Houston Cole
  • The Houston Cole Library was built in 1972.
  • The Library's collection consists of more than 1,100,000 titles, which can be located through the Library Catalog (JaxCat).
  • The Library is staffed with 16 professional and 15 paraprofessional employees.
  • The facility is a 13-story building divided into 7 micro-libraries.
  • Floors 3-7 and 9-10 are divided into public subject areas managed by subject specialist librarians.
  • Each Public Services subject specialist is responsible for collection maintenance and development, reference/research assistance, instruction, and liaison activities.
  • Technical Services librarians, located on the ground floor, make the Library's resources accessible to users. They are responsible for the acquisition, cataloging, processing, and maintenance of Library resources in all formats.