1. Academic Libraries: Perspectives on the Information Organization
Inna Gogina (group presentation excerpt)
LIBR 200. Information and Society, Section 16
Professor Scott Walter
San José State University
April 18, 2013

2. Academic Library — Part of Larger Organization/Network
Impact on mission
Impact on operational library aspects

3. Academic Library = Heart of the University
“The academic library does not have an independent purpose; its functions are directly related to the larger academic institution in which it is embedded. Its primary purpose is to serve the students and faculty and to a lesser extent, the administration and staff, with perhaps limited service to the local community” (Rubin, 2010, p. 200).
17th-18th centuries
Peripheral to the college function and mission
19th - 21st centuries
More integral to the mission of the university
Full partner of American academic institutions
A Front View of Yale-College, and the College Chapel, New-Haven, printed by Daniel Bowen, 1786.
Yale University’s Beinecke Rare Book and Manuscript Library - New Haven, Connecticut. Photo by Lauren Manning

4. Part of Network / Shared Community of Users
California State University network is the largest and most diverse university system in the country:
The nation’s largest four-year public university system.
A leader in high-quality, accessible, student-focused higher education.
Has 23 campuses and eight off-campus centers.
Educates approximately 437,000 students.
Employs 44,000 faculty and staff.
Stretches from Humboldt in the north to San Diego in the south.
Is renowned for the quality of its teaching and preparing job-ready graduates.
CSU Network – Scope and Mission
The California State University strives to provide high-quality, affordable higher education to meet the changing workforce needs of California, making the CSU a driving force behind California’s prosperity and diverse communities.

5. Network Mission Alignment
The California State University network is the largest and the most diverse university system in the country.
SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library Mission
Advances the University mission of expanding knowledge through research, instruction, and scholarship. Through our partnership with the San José Public Library and other organizations, we provide students, faculty, and members of the community with information resources and life-long learning opportunities.
SJSU Mission
To enrich the lives of its students, to transmit knowledge to its students along with the necessary skills for applying it in the service of our society, and to expand the base of knowledge through research and scholarship.
CSU Mission
The California State University strives to provide high-quality, affordable higher education to meet the changing workforce needs of California, making the CSU a driving force behind California’s prosperity and diverse communities.

6. ACRL Study of California Academic Library Mission Statements (1995)
TABLE 2.1 Language Expressing Purpose in California University Library Mission Statements (N=16)
Language Used
 Number 
 Percent 
Supports Research 9 57
Supports Curriculum
Promotes Access 7 44
Serves as Gateway to Global Information
Improves Institutional Outcomes 6 38
Facilitates Learning 5 31
Provides Physical Environment
Teaches Information Skills
Develops Collections 4 25
Develops Partnerships in Resource Sharing 3 19
Integrates Print & Electronic Resources 2 13
Contributes to Quality of Campus Life
Provides Cost Effective Service for Institution
Source:

7. Externally-focused Response to a Larger Community
SJSU
CSU
Professional Associations
SJ Public Library
Community Partnerships

8. Academic Library Primary Functions
“Although the mission of academic libraries continues to evolve, the need to support the academic curriculum and provide research support for faculty remains the academic libraries’ primary function” (Rubin, 2010, p. 51).
SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library Strategic Directions
Digital Library Initiative
Knowledge Base
Inquiry Learning
Community Partnership
Organizational Capacity and Growth
Development
Evaluation

9. Academic Library Operational Aspects
The relationships between the library and the parent organization, or the library and its network of related institutions, directly influence the operational aspects of the library.
Academic libraries comply with University/Network policies in:
Administrative practices
Business practices
Employment and Workplace
Faculty issues (teaching, research, intellectual property, etc.)
Student issues (learning, library use, intellectual property, etc.)
Information technology (systems, data, access, security and record issues)
University health policies (e.g. conflict of interest in professional and business practices)
Government regulations

10. Academic Library Operational Aspects
SJSU Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library – 74 Policies & Procedures
Intellectual Freedom Policy
Intellectual freedom is the right of every individual to both seek and receive information from all points of view without restriction. It provides for free access to all expressions of ideas through which any and all sides of a question, cause, or movement may be explored.
American Library Association’s Library Bill of Rights
The American Library Association affirms that all libraries are forums for information and ideas
Internet Access and Use Policy
SJLibrary.org offers access to information resources over the Internet in order to be responsive to the information needs of our diverse community. The Dr. Martin Luther King Jr. Library and the San José Public Library system provide access to the Internet in accordance with their mission of providing public access to information of all types in a wide range of formats.

11. References
Association of College and Research Libraries. (2010). ACRL value of academic libraries. Chicago, IL: ACRL. Retrieved from
Bangert, S. R., & Association of College and Research Libraries. (1997). Thinking boldly! College and university library mission statements as roadsigns to the future. Retrieved from
Rubin, R. E. (2010). Foundations of Library and Information Science. New York: Neal-Schuman.
San José State University’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Library Strategic Plan. Retrieved on April 14, from
San José State University’s Dr. Martin Luther King, Jr. Library. Policies & Procedures. Retrieved on April 14, from