SPEC Kit 330: Library Contribution to Accreditation · 155
Texas A&M University
SACS Reaffirmation of Accreditation. Comprehensive Standard 3.8.1
Section 3: Comprehensive Standards Standard 3.8.1, Page 7
The instruction offered through the MSL outreach program is made possible through a contract
with the National Library of Medicine (NLM) through its Regional Medical Library Program.
The intended audience for this instruction is not only unaffiliated health care providers but also
the general public of this Central Texas region. The goals of this instruction program are to
promote the awareness of the biomedical information resources of the NLM and to improve
access to both the professional and consumer information resources available from the NLM.
The ultimate goal is to improve the quality of care provided to the citizens of Texas and to enable
Texas health care consumers to make informed decisions about their health and health care.
MSL faculty provide training on NLM databases and consumer health information to individual
health care providers, professional organizations and community groups. Instruction of library
use is more fully discussed in the report on Comprehensive Standard 3.8.2, Instruction of Library
Use [Comprehensive Standard 3.8.2, Instruction of Library Use].
Library Staff
The MSL staffing includes 14 tenure track faculty, 3 non-academic professionals and 9
paraprofessionals plus a number of part time student assistants whose collective work hours are
equivalent to 5 full-time workers. Each MSL tenure track faculty holds the terminal degree of
practice, a Master of Library Science, from an institution accredited by the American Library
Association. In addition, 43% of them also hold graduate degrees in academic or professional
fields such as nutrition, public health and information science and advanced certificates in
informatics. Five of the tenure track faculty also hold joint appointments within the professional
schools served by MSL. Staffing levels at MSL are stable, having only a 4% turnover rate for
each of the past three years. MSL staff are experienced and well-trained the composite years of
library experience represented by all MSL staff is over 230 years. MSL staff qualifications are
more fully discussed in the report on Comprehensive Standard 3.8.3, Qualified Staff
[Comprehensive Standard 3.8.3, Qualified Staff].
Alignment of Library Facilities and Resources with TAM HSC Educational and Research
Programs
Facilities are open extensive hours and some are available 24/7 to meet the needs of students.
Individual and collaborative group study space, computers and other appropriate equipment are
available for use in-house or for check-out. The emphasis on online information resources and
website development makes resources and services available whenever and wherever the TAM
HSC user needs them. Several MSL librarians are embedded in TAM HSC campus locations
rather than having offices in the College Station library. All MSL librarians offer point of need
instruction for TAM HSC users. Several MSL librarians teach within the TAM HSC curriculum.
The extensive collection coverage afforded by the Texas A&M University Libraries, along with
efficient document delivery and interlibrary lending networks, successfully supports the research
and educational programs of the TAM HSC.
Alignment of Library Facilities and Resources with TAM HSC Mission
The HSC mission, to advance the knowledge and technologies of our professions, and to bring
Texans the finest in health education, promotion and care is clearly supported in the MSL
mission, which is to “improve health by providing the finest information resources and
exceptional service to the Texas A&M worldwide community.” The MSL supports the TAM
HSC service mission through its facilities and programs available across TAM HSC locations,
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