3.8 Library and Other Learning Resources
3.8.1 Learning/Information Resources
The institution provides facilities and learning/information resources that are appropriate to support its teaching, research, and service mission.
Judgement of Compliance:
Compliance
Narrative:
The University of Tennessee at Chattanooga (UTC) owns and operates the T. Cartter and Margaret Rawlings Lupton Memorial Library. Lupton Library ensures that students and faculty have appropriate facilities and resources to support UTC’s teaching, research, and service mission. Lupton Library provides computing access, group study rooms, collections, services, equipment, and other resources needed by the campus community and is the primary repository for UTC’s learning and information resources in all disciplines. UTC recently broke ground on a new $48 million library scheduled to open in January of 2012.
Current Facilities
Lupton Library is a three-story building of 116,000 usable square feet, comprised of three public floors and a half- basement. Lupton Library is easily accessible and located at the center of the UTC campus. The present library building was constructed in the early 1970s, opened in 1974, and is one of the most heavily-used buildings on campus, both physically and virtually. Last year’s gate count was the highest in the history of the building as the Library welcomed 375,713 patrons. Use of the building has seen significant increase in recent years. Lupton Library is open to the general public.
Library Hours
The Library is currently open 88.25 hours per week. All floors are open to patrons all hours the building is open. Twice a year, during Fall and Spring exams, the Library extends operation to 24 hours per day for the first three days of final exams. Only members of the UTC community may use the building during overnight exam hours. Regular semester operating hours are:
- Monday-Thursday - 7:45 am to midnight
- Friday - 7:45 am to 5:00 pm
- Saturday - 1:00 pm to 5:00 pm
- Sunday - 2:00 pm to midnight
Library Layout
The Lupton Library houses all library collections, student work spaces, and library staff offices (see floor plan for more detail). The entire building provides wireless internet connections, and outlets and public seating are available on all three floors. Food and beverages are permitted throughout the building as is cell phone use. Lupton Library’s loading dock and storage area are located in the basement and are accessible only to staff members.
Patrons enter on the 1st floor of the Lupton Library. The Circulation Desk is immediately on the left and handles all checkouts as well as building and security issues; for more information on Circulation and Reserve Services, see Core Requirement 2.9. The Reference and Information Desk is directly in front of patrons as they enter the building and handles all requests for research and information assistance; for more information on Reference and Instruction Services, see Comprehensive Standard 3.8.2. Copy Services is adjacent to the Circulation Desk and provides copying, printing, and faxing services. Copy Services is not administratively part of the Library. The Library’s Administrative Office is adjacent to Copy Services. The Materials Processing Department and work area, as well as the Interlibrary Loan Department and work area are on the non-public side of the 1st floor. The Reference Collection, Film Collection, Music Collection, Newspaper Collection, Popular Periodical Browsing Collection, and New Book Collection are all available on the 1st floor to provide easy access to the UTC community. Other 1st floor features include four-top table seating, individual comfortable seating, individual carrel seating, The Fellowship of Southern Writers Room (used as a classroom during the day and for additional quiet study space in the evening), a small eating area, vending machines, copy machines, a vend-a-card machine, 45 desktop PC computers, a black-white printer, ADA workstation, and two to three display units. Funding has been allocated to add Macintosh computers on the 1st floor.
An Information Desk, primarily staffed by student assistants, is directly in front of patrons as they arrive on the 2nd floor. Special Collections and University Archives are housed on the 2nd floor as is the Library’s Information Technology Department and work area. The Bound Periodicals (post 1950), Current Periodicals (interfiled with bound counterparts), Microfilm Collection, Textbook Collection, and Children’s Book Collection are all available on the 2nd floor. Other 2nd floor features include four-top table seating, individual comfortable seating, individual carrel seating, one University classroom, two Library classrooms, 25 desktop computers, a black-white printer, a color printer, copy machines, microfilm machines, and scanning stations.
An Information Desk, primarily staffed by student assistants, is directly in front of patrons as they arrive on the 3rd floor. The Circulating Book Collection and Bound Periodicals (pre 1950) Collection (interfiled with books) are available on the 3rd floor. Other 3rd floor features include four-top table seating, individual comfortable seating, individual carrel seating, two quick look-up stations, 12 small group study rooms, 1 large group study room, one University classroom, and 25 faculty carrels (currently used as temporary offices for faculty while the Grote Building Renovation is completed).
New Facilities
On January 29, 2010 UTC broke ground on a $48 million library facility. The new facility, located at the corner of Vine and Douglas, will be five stories and provide approximately 180,000 gross square feet. The facility is scheduled to be completed in January 2012. The new L-shaped Library will wrap around Chamberlain Field and enjoy lovely views on all side. The facility will be LEED-certified, making it the first green building on campus(LEED stands for Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design). Student services, new partnerships, and technology are front and center in the new UTC Library. In order to keep the community informed and archive the building process, library faculty have created and keep updated a webpage devoted to this exciting venture.
Collections
The physical holdings of Lupton Library include over 2 million books, current and bound periodicals, films, audio recordings, and microfilm. All materials are cataloged, arranged by Library of Congress call number, and located on open shelves. Of note is the fact that the Lupton Library is a depository of state-approved textbooks, a rotating collection (older titles replaced by newly approved books on an eight year cycle) of K-12 textbooks and other materials approved for use in Tennessee classrooms. Additional and detailed information on library collections is tracked as part of the Association of College and Research Libraries (ACRL) annual survey.
A detailed description of the Lupton Library’s physical, online, special, and satellite collections is provided in the narrative for Core Requirement 2.9.
Assessment
Satisfaction with the current Library facility is assessed as part of the Annual Library Survey. In 2008-2009, 87.9 % of students reported that the general environment in the Library is conducive to study and research. The results of the Annual Library Survey show steady increases in the levels of satisfaction with the facility.
In regards to the new building, extensive research was undertaken as was consultation with students and faculty in a variety of forums. Lupton Library faculty, along with members of the faculty and administration, visited 6 new or newly-renovated libraries; a 40 person committee that included 15 faculty and 10 students created the program statement, and questions were added to the Annual Library Survey related to new building programming.
Documentation:
- Building Use Gate Count Chart
- Floor Plan
- New Library Building Process Page
http://wiki.lib.utc.edu/index.php/Library_Building_Project - Library Catalog Access
http://www.lib.utc.edu/ - ACRL Annual Survey
http://wiki.lib.utc.edu/index.php/ACRL_Statistics - Annual Library Survey
- New Library Program Statement Committee
http://www.lib.utc.edu/ - New Library Program Statement
