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Comprehensive Standard 3.8.3

The institution provides a sufficient number of qualified staff – with appropriate education or experiences in library and/or other learning/information resources – accomplish the mission of the institution. (Qualified staff)

Narrative:

Lawson State Community College provides a sufficient number of qualified staff (Library Staff and Credentials) in the Library/Learning Resources Center to accomplish the mission (Mission Statement) of the institution. The Library/Learning Resource Centers are organizationally under the Dean of Academics Affairs who reports to the Vice President of Instructional Services. The Library/Learning Resources Center staff works diligently to ensure that students are provided “accessible quality educational” materials and are “provided with affordable and accessible lifelong learning opportunities in order to prepare for employment or career advancement, and/or transfer to senior colleges and universities.” The Library/Learning Resources Center staff includes three full-time Professional Librarians including a Director and two Reference Librarians and three part-time Professional Librarians. Other support personnel include an Automation Specialist, an Audio-Visual Technician, an Administrative Assistant, laboratory assistants and work study students.

To ensure that both campuses are staffed by a qualified Librarian, one of the Reference Librarians is full-time on the Bessemer Campus and one on the Birmingham Campus. The Director maintains an office on both campuses. The following chart delineates the work schedule of the staff:

· (Librarians Work Schedule for Bessemer) (Librarians Work Schedule for Birmingham)

According to the National Center for Statistics, (NCES Statistics) Lawson State Community College compares favorably with many of the other institutions within the Alabama Community College System where staff is concerned.

Library staff is encouraged to participate in professional development activities to stay current. These include development opportunities on and off campus. . (Library Staff Development; Library Staff Professional Leadership Conference) Library staff members participate in regularly scheduled staff meetings. Staff members have attended library symposia, conferences on differentiated instruction, library automation, and collection analysis/technology, how to integrate discipline specific topics into curricula, database instruction classes, ethics seminars, literacy leadership institutes and varied computer training sessions. They are also actively involved in various professional organizations including the American Library Association, the Community and Junior College Library Association, the Association of College and Research Libraries, the Alabama Library Association, the HBCU Library Initiative, and the Alabama 2-Year College Library Association

According to the annual survey administered to students, 65% of the 2006 respondents indicated that the Library/Learning Resources Center was adequately staffed. More than 90% of the 2007 respondents indicated the same. In 2006, 59% of respondents believed that the staff was competent and able to answer questions. In 2007, 88% of respondents indicated staff was competent.

Documentation:

Documentation	Location
LSCC Library Staff Roster with Credentials	Library Staff and Credentials
LSCC Mission Statement	Mission Statement
Work schedules	Librarians Work Schedule for Bessemer; Librarians Work Schedule for Birmingham
NCES staff statistics	NCES Statistics
Library survey results	Survey
Professional Development	Library Staff Development; Library Staff Professional Leadership Conference