Mission Statement

The staff at Chan Shun Centennial Library will provide comprehensive library services to Southwestern Adventist University's distance education students and faculty. SWAU's goal is to ensure that distance-learning and on-campus students receive equivalent and adequate library support for a high quality education.

Service Commitments

To ensure that distance-learning students and faculty receive parity of service, the Chan Shun Library staff makes these commitments:

• Orientation to library resources and services: When distance-learning students first arrive on campus, they will receive an orientation to library services and materials. This in-library session provides students with time to learn of the types of resources and services provided at Chan Shun as well as time to connect personally with library staff. Basic library instruction is included as well.

• Designated portal to library services for distance learning: Distance-learning students are directed to the library's main Web page, which serves as a portal to library resources and includes contact information for library staff should additional assistance be desired. A Web page designed specifically for distance- learning support assists this student population in identifying and accessing resources of potential interest.

• Reference assistance: All distance learning students are encouraged to contact the library's reference staff in person, by telephone, or by e-mail with questions about how to conduct research and where to locate needed resources. Students are provided with the library's main number, SWAU's toll-free number, and an e-mail link to the primary reference librarian.

• Access to physical resources: Books and media are available for check-out by distance-learning students. For those who live outside the local area, materials will be mailed to the students for an extended use time. Non-circulating materials from the Heritage Room and the Curriculum Library will be photocopied and mailed to students, if requested, or scanned and sent to their e-mail accounts. Journal articles can be delivered the same way. Students are encouraged to phone or e-mail their requests for these resources.

• Access to electronic resources: All students and faculty have equal access to electronic databases of journal articles, e-books, and other scholarly materials through the library's Web page.

• Interlibrary loan: Distance-learning students are encouraged to work with the Interlibrary Loan program at Chan Shun to acquire supplemental materials needed for research. Interlibrary loan requests may be submitted online through the library's Web page, via e-mail, or by fax, regular mail, in-person or telephone.

• Reciprocal borrowing privileges: Students who live within the TexShare system are provided with TexShare borrowers' cards, which give check out privileges at libraries across the state of Texas. Chan Shun staff will offer to arrange formal borrowing agreements with academic libraries close to the students' homes if they live outside the TexShare boundaries, and if students request this assistance.

• Assessment and evaluation of library services: The efficacy of library services for distance-learning students will be evaluated annually, using surveys for students and informal discussions with faculty. In addition, the library director will meet twice yearly with distance-learning administrative staff to ensure that library policies match SWAU's goals for excellence in distance education.