Washington Street Campus – Lynn Library
Lynn Library and the Academic Computing Center are located on the 4th floor of the Ware Student Commons. They provide extensive resources and services for AC students and employees.
AC West Campus Library Services
The Library has a service area inside the Northwest Branch of Amarillo Public Library on the West Campus. It is available to people affiliated with AC. A trained AC employee is available to help with research, and four student computers are available. West Campus Library Services is closed on weekends and has hours that differ from those of Lynn Library.
A classroom with tables and a projector is available by reservation for research classes and group work. Individual AC students may study in the room when it has not been reserved by others. Call 806-356-3627 or toll-free at 866-371-5468 for more information.
A valid card is required to take material from any AC library, and any current AC student, faculty, or staff member may apply for an AC Library card. Proof of employment or current enrollment at AC MUST be presented to get a card. The card is good as long as the holder is associated with AC but must be renewed periodically.
The AC libraries also honor valid library cards from any institution that is a member of the Harrington Library Consortium. This group includes Amarillo Public Library and its branches as well as many other libraries in the Texas Panhandle. Delinquencies (card blocks for overdue materials or fines) from other HLC libraries will be honored by the AC Libraries, and a person may not check out material from AC until the problem is cleared up at the other library.
Materials in the Loan Collection at Lynn Library are available for 14-day check-out periods and may be renewed once by calling the Library. Faculty and staff members may obtain extended loans upon request. Faculty and staff will not be charged fines on AC material.
Contact: Jesse Starr, 806-371-5386 or 806-371-5400.
Circulation of Reference Materials
Reference materials are not usually circulated outside the Lynn Library building. However, reasonable requests to borrow less heavily used titles for brief periods of time will be granted to faculty and staff and to students who need these materials for classroom demonstrations or photography purposes. Fulfillment of such requests will be at the discretion of the Reference Services staff, and the materials will be subject to recall when other patrons need the items.
Contact: Jesse Starr, 806-371-5386 or 806-371-5400.
Collection development is the Library's program to identify, select, evaluate, and discard materials. Our goal is to make the Library collection easy to use while meeting our patrons' information needs. We primarily collect material that supports AC curriculum, accreditation standards, and enhancement of instruction. Usage is the primary consideration for selection and de-selection of materials.
All materials added to the collections should be appropriate for the general academic and casual edification of a student population enrolled in undergraduate and technical-level programs offered by the institution. The physical library collections at Lynn Library includes materials that will support students in the completion of general education course requirements. Additionally, physical collections aim to provide materials that are targeted to the unique programs that are housed at each site. Intercampus sharing of resources is highly recommended. Duplication of resources should be minimized. The collection should be reviewed and inventoried on a regular basis to ensure appropriate currency, depth, and usage of the collection.
Subject-Specific Collection Development Guidelines
Subject-specific collections should be developed and reviewed in collaboration with departmental faculty to ensure that these collections meet any specific accreditation standards needed. Nursing, Allied Health, and the paralegal programs often have stringent limitations on age of collection, and it is the intention of the Amarillo College Library to meet all program accreditation standards.
General Guidelines for Selection
The selection of materials is a collaborative process. Any student, faculty, or staff member may recommend materials be added to the collection by accessing and completing the online form. Final selection of materials is based on reviews, recommendations, listings of notable books, and subject bibliographies. Librarians use both qualitative (faculty response) and quantitative (size, age, potential use, and cost) data in the selection of materials. Cooperative sharing of resources is considered in both selection and retention of materials. The Amarillo College Library does not normally purchase textbooks or provide access to electronic textbooks for the library collection.
Criteria for Selection
Materials are selected based on the following criteria:
Being deemed appropriate and relevant to the college curriculum and to the strengthening of the collection
Meeting high standards of quality in content and format
Currency and having enduring value
Representing diverse viewpoints
De-selection
The collections are evaluated regularly using appropriate professional tools and techniques, among which are use and user studies based upon reference and circulation statistics. Removal of obsolete material is done periodically to maintain the integrity of the collections. Faculty representatives knowledgeable in specific subject categories may be consulted during this process. The Library Director determines the criteria for removal.
Shared Collection and Cooperative Agreements
In addition to maintaining circulating collections at the Lynn Library, the Amarillo College Library participates in reciprocal borrowing activities with all Harrington Library Consortium Libraries. Amarillo Public and Canyon Public are the most used, but an HLC member list can be found here. Additionally, the Amarillo College Library is part of the TexShare program and a card may be issued to any staff or student in good standing. There are over 500 participating libraries across the state of Texas - a member list can be found here.
Acquisitions
Library staff manage acquisitions processes. Faculty, students, and staff are encouraged to submit requests for materials to support the College’s curriculum and community. The online suggestion form is listed here.
All faculty requests will be considered based on the previous criteria and funding. Library staff also make subject selections in areas that are weak or outdated. The College Librarian is the final arbiter for deciding what may or may not be added to the collection.
Contact: Emily Gilbert, 806-371-5403
Gifts
Gifts are accepted at the discretion of the Assistant Library Director with the further stipulation that they may be disposed of according to the needs of the library.
Contact: Mindy Weathersbee, 806-371-5462
Lynn Library and West Campus Library services have copy machines that require prepaid copy cards. Copies are 10 cents each, and copy cards can be purchased for $1.00 to make 10 copies. Cards may be purchased at the Lynn Library Circulation Desk and from the AC Library staff at West Campus Library Services.
Faculty and staff who want to make copies and charge them to their department should check at the Lynn Library Circulation Desk to ensure the correct account is charged. If more than 30 copies are to be made at once, alternative copy machines or services should be used.
Nearly all media, including computer software, purchased or rented, is protected by U.S. copyright laws. Copyright attaches as soon as a work is created, and registration by the creator is not necessary. Specific regulations govern our right to reproduce or change formats of most media, including video materials recorded off air. Also, use limitations usually apply to recorded video materials. See the copyright section on the Library's help page for more information.
Interlibrary Loan is the process by which a library requests materials from, or supplies them to, another library to make resources available that are not in the user's local library. It is provided to AC faculty and staff only. To request an item, contact Melissa Eder via email or by phone at 806-345-5582. Hard-copy items may be delivered through intercampus mail and electronic materials via e-mail.
Academic resources for students are provided through the Library's physical and digital collections.
Contact: Melissa Eder, 806-345-5582
The Library provides easy 24-hour-a-day access to many online databases containing high-quality information on a variety of topics. These databases contain articles from thousands of magazines, newspapers, and peer-reviewed journals as well as full-text books and other sources. To gain access, the user logs in with a personal AC Connect ID and password. The full list of databases as well as tutorials in database operation and searching techniques are available on the Library's help page, and Library reference staff can help with database searching.
A red telephone that can be used to call the librarian on duty is located just inside the security gates on the 4th floor of Lynn Library. Just pick up the receiver to speak with the librarian. It is not necessary to dial a number.
Contact: Research Help Desk at 806-371-5468 or toll-free 866-371-5468, library-help@actx.edu
An instructor or staff member who is working with a group that needs an orientation to the Library and an overview of services may schedule a tour of Lynn Library and the Academic Computing Center. Requests may be made by phone or in writing. A library staff member will consult with the instructor to adapt the tours to meet the needs of each group. Research classes with library database demonstrations are also available. See the next section on research/Information literacy classes.
Contact: Research Help Desk at 806-371-5468 or toll-free at 866-371-5468, library-help@actx.edu.
Research/Information Literacy Classes
Faculty can schedule library research instruction for their classes in the Lynn Library, West Campus Library Services classroom, or their own classroom or lab (if appropriate technology is available). The library instructor will coordinate with the faculty member to focus on the specific research assignment or goals for the class. Research skills training and information sources appropriate to the assignment will be used.
Contact: Research Help Desk at 806-371-5468 or toll-free at 866-371-5468, library-help@actx.edu.
Individual research help by a library instructor is available by appointment for individuals or small groups of AC students who need special help with research for class assignments. The librarian helps the student(s) develop a research strategy and find the appropriate sources of information for the assignment.
Contact: Research Help Desk, 806-371-5468 or toll-free at 866-371-5468, library-help@actx.edu
Research for Faculty, Administrators, or Staff
Topics may be submitted by faculty, administrators, and staff for research by library staff. Requests should be as specific as possible and may be submitted in person, by telephone, or by email. Submitting requests early enhances the quality of the results.
Contact: Research Help Desk, 806-371-5468 or toll-free at 866-371-5468, library-help@actx.edu
Research Training for Faculty & Staff (Customized)
The Library offers customized one-on-one training focused on research needs identified via consultation between a library instructor and the faculty member, administrator, or classified staff member. The training is designed to enhance productivity, minimize frustration, and improve research results.
Learn about high-quality library sources (including specialized databases in a particular discipline when available), advanced online search techniques, methods to include research assignments in your curriculum, and more. Librarians can also check to see if a particular journal is available online. Professional development credit is available.
Schedule at your convenience in your office or lab or in the Lynn Library or West Campus Library.
Contact: Emily Gilbert, 806-371-5403
Materials can be placed on reserve with conditions that differ from the general circulation policy, such as in-house use or reduced loan period. Due to limited space, high-circulation items and those that require only short-term use are appropriate items for reserve. Any format of material may be placed on reserve by any instructor, staff member, or department to be checked out by any group for any length of time.
A valid card must be presented to check items out from the Reserve Desk, even if the material is to stay in the building. No reserve materials may be taken from the Library by patrons with delinquencies, whether the fines are at the AC Library or at another HLC library.
To place an item on reserve, bring it to the Circulation/Reserve Desk of the Lynn Library. A Reserve Material Form will be available there. The information on this form will determine the length of each circulation and any other restrictions to be placed on the material. This form should be filled out and given, along with the material to be placed on reserve, to the person on duty. The material will be available for check-out in approximately 24 hours.
Any photocopies or other reproductions placed on reserve must have appropriate permission from the publisher to produce copies. The Copyright Act of 1976 will be strictly adhered to as interpreted by the American Library Association's Copyright Guidelines for photocopies and educational material.
The Reserve Desk area has equipment available to assist patrons in viewing some of the formats available on reserve. This equipment may not be checked out to leave the building, but it is available for use any time the Library is open.
Contact: Jesse Starr, 806-371-5386 or 806-371-5400
Materials are ordered and processed by the Technical Services library staff. All materials are cataloged on the Harrington Library Consortium system to provide universal access to holdings information for these materials. Information regarding requests for new materials for the Library collection may be directed to this department.
Contact: Mindy Weathersbee, 806-371-5462
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