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Franklin D. Schurz Library

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Campus Priorities and the Library

The six campus priorities for IU South Bend are (1) Fostering Student Learning, Access, and Success; (2)Encouraging and Maintaining Academic Excellence; (3) Enhancing Diversity in the Curriculum, Classroom, and Campus; (4) Reflecting and Expanding a Global Perspective; (5) Strengthening Partnerships with the Community; and (6) Heightening the Recognition of IU South Bend’s Resources and Achievements Beyond the Campus.

The Schurz Library, the Educational Resource Commons, and Instructional Media Services are committed to assisting the IU South Bend campus in meeting these goals. Our mission statement and the core values which guide the way we do our work, the policies we make, the collections we build, and the services we offer correspond closely to the campus priorities. Our mission is

  • ...to prepare and to support the members of the Indiana University South Bend community in successfully meeting their teaching, learning, and research goals, to foster intellectual discovery, and to encourage lifelong learning.

To achieve this mission, the faculty and staff of the IU South Bend Library and Media Services

  • develop and maintain a wide range of information services
  • select resources reflective of the curriculum and research of the IU South Bend community
  • teach research concepts and effective acquisition and evaluation of information
  • provide optimal access to information and services in environments conducive to research and study
  • provide appropriate services to the community and complement local information resources
  • assess and develop strategies that are responsive to our users' needs

We are guided by our ethical and professional values which are in accordance with the American Library Association Bill of Rights.

The faculty and staff of the Schurz Library and Learning Resource Center are committed to these Core Values:

Equity of access
Excellence in professional service to users
Fair use of copyrighted materials
An informed citizenry and lifelong learning
Intellectual freedom
Leadership and service to the library profession, university, and community
Open access to information
Preservation of the cultural record
Privacy for users and of user records
Professional neutrality
Respect for the individuality and diversity of all people
Responsible stewardship of resources

This document provides a more detailed summary of the ways in which the Library and Media Services support the campus priorities.

Priorities for Collegiate Attainment: Fostering Student Learning, Access, and Success and Encouraging and Maintaining Academic Excellence

  • The Schurz Library is open 98 hours per week during the academic year. This is longer than any other IU campus library outside of Bloomington. The Educational Resource Commons is open 59 hours per week and Instructional Media Services personnel are available 61 hours per week.
  • We opened the Hammes Information Commons located on the first floor of the Library in September, 2007. Reference librarians and IT consultants are always available at the Service Desk. Multimedia production assistance is available by appointment.
  • Reference service provided by library faculty is available 77 hours each week. Reference assistance is provided in-person, by phone, e-mail, Instant Messaging, or by appointment for students and faculty who need in-depth assistance for their research. Assistance to faculty often takes place in their offices.
  • We initiated the Library Prize for Undergraduate Research in 2007. This annual award gives a monetary prize of $500 to honor students who demonstrate sophisticated research skill by incorporating information found through the library's resources into original scholarship.
  • We send postcards to each newly admitted student inviting them to explore the Library before they enroll and letting them know that we are here to help them succeed.
  • We have profiles on MySpace and FaceBook to publicize the Library's willingness to help students with their research.
  • We invite each new full time faculty member to meet individually with librarians to discuss how the Library can support their teaching and research needs.
  • Our librarians teach every section of Q110, the one-credit hour information literacy class which is now required as part of the new General Education curriculum at IU South Bend. In addition to teaching how to effectively find information, we also teach evaluation and ethical use of information. We offer this class in both the traditional face-to-face format and a completely web-based format. Some sections are linked with W131 sections and the honors colloquium.
  • At the request of the MLS faculty, our librarians have developed Q510, a research course now required by all Master of Liberal Studies students.
  • In addition to the credit course, librarians taught 73 instruction sessions last year for IU South Bend classes. These sessions cover the literature of specific disciplines, effective searching techniques, and the evaluation of print and electronic sources. Additionally, the ERC provides instruction to Education students in the integration of multimedia into the curriculum as well as assisting others from other departments in the creation of visuals for presentations. IMS staff also provide instruction to classes on the use of media equipment to create multimedia projects.
  • Teaching faculty frequently request consultation with librarians in the design of research assignments and with media specialists in how to incorporate multimedia into their teaching.
  • IMS produced 20 media projects, including creating vodcasts of lab demonstrations for an organic chemistry course which was funded by a grant. This was highlighted at a national conference for chemistry educators. Additionally, the videos created for Information Literacy were featured at the American Library Association Conference and LOEX, the leading library instruction conference.
  • Our highest priority is to provide access to information to support the scholarly and teaching pursuits of the IU South Bend academic community as well as to support life-long learning of all our users. Working with the teaching faculty to help select titles, we added over 7,690 books to our collection this past year. We currently own over 314,000 volumes and provide value-added cataloging which enables users to find the most relevant material easier. We also completed a Disaster Response Plan which will guide us in saving our collection in case of natural disasters.
  • We have continued to build and improve our virtual library by continuing to add electronic resources and services, providing electronic reserves, enhancing our online catalog with new patron-empowerment features such as requesting materials from other campuses and renewing online, and continually adding links from our web pages to recommended sites. Our online databases now provide full-text access to over 39,000 journals and hundreds of e-books. Our electronic collection is accessible to faculty and students 24/7 whether they are on or off campus.
  • The Library maintains an active news blog and RSS feed as another way to disseminate information to our users.
  • Instructional Media Services, working with UCET, helps inform faculty on new teaching technologies, such as podcasting and video production.
  • Because the physical library also remains vitally important, we are committed to providing the facilities and equipment necessary to optimize access to information and services in an environment conducive to research and study. We offer a safe and comfortable space for individual study and reflection as well as spaces for group interaction.
  • Instructional Media Services provides mobile AV equipment to classrooms and checks out media equipment to students and faculty in support of their teaching and research.
  • We also promote the Library as a place of intellectual stimulation. One way in which we do this is by sponsoring a Speaker Series featuring scholars and authors discussing a wide variety of topics. In 2004, we initiated the first One Book, One Campus project with the goal of instilling a stronger sense of community for our students and to further our university's place in the local area through critical discussion of the issues raised in the book selected. The subject of the title is selected each year corresponds with the campus theme.
  • Instructional Media Services provides videoconferencing services in support of distance learning.
  • We hire approximately 25 student workers/year, providing them with the opportunity of earning money while working on campus. Through the Friends of the Library, we offer scholarships to student workers who meet defined requirements.
  • A librarian serves on every Honor student's thesis committee and assists with the student's research.
  • We borrowed over 10,000 research items not in our collection last year from other libraries for IU South Bend users. Our turnaround time averages less than one week which is much faster than the national average.
  • We circulated over 39,000 items to IU South Bend students, faculty, and community members during 2007-08.
  • Over 272,000 visits were made by users to the Libraries in 2007-08.
  • The Library houses the campus Archives which preserves campus records of a continuing historical value to support the work of administrators, faculty, and students. These records help to track the many achievements of our campus community and were particularly useful in preparation of the campus self-study for the Higher Learning Commission report for reaccreditation.
  • We extend our services to the classes held in Elkhart by providing on-site library instruction and delivery of Interlibrary Loan materials.
  • In order to assure the highest-quality services and resources, we have a program of continuous improvement, which, for example, has included focus groups, a user satisfaction survey, a complete program review, and on-going one-on-one conversations with our users about their needs.
  • Our Archives department has begun a Records Management program for the campus which preserves campus records of a continuing historical value to support the work of administrators, faculty, and students. These records help track the many achievements of our campus community.
  • We are members of the Academic Libraries of Indiana, a consortium established to work together to improve teaching, learning, and research on all of our campuses. Through this consortium and others, we also participate in cooperative purchasing of databases which result in our providing more resources to our students while saving substantial money.
  • To help give encouragement to our students, we offer free coffee to our students during the evenings of final exams weeks in the fall and spring semesters. This is paid for by the Friends of the Library.
  • We provide guidance to faculty and students on the interpretation of the copyright law and the ethical use of information.
  • Instructional Media Services provides media technology tutorials and in-class demonstrations to faculty and students.

Priorities for Societal Engagement: Enhancing Diversity in the Curriculum, Classroom, and Campus and Reflecting and Expanding a Global Perspective

  • The Library co-sponsored a public reading of banned books with the American Democracy Project during the campus's celebration of Constitution Week to demonstrate the importance of First Amendment rights. We, as a profession and as members of the academic community, strongly support the principles of intellectual freedom and oppose all forms of censorship. This belief, translated into library policy, allows and encourages us to provide quality resources reflecting a wide range of perspectives.
  • Our print and online collections contain many foreign language materials, including newspapers and journals from a number of countries which help provide a global perspective. Our collections also reflect a broad range of issues related to diversity.
  • Our Interlibrary Loan services freely borrow and lend materials all over the United States and sometimes to other countries. In 2007-08, we sent videos to Denmark and articles to Turkey, South Africa, and Italy.
  • Meeting the Maasai: Cultural Understanding through Art and Artifacts is a joint project of the Library and the School of Education. In addition to a permanent display in the Library of Maasai art and artifacts, the LRC has curriculum kits containing less fragile artifacts from the Maasai along with related books, videotapes, and lesson plans which can be used in K-12 classrooms. These kits were featured in a January 2006 IU Home Pages article.
  • Our Library Speaker series has included topics that enhance diversity and reflect a global perspective. Some past subjects are Native American literature, a panel discussion on international librarianship, the digital divide, and an introduction to the Maasai collection, and a presentation about identity and raising a bicultural child.
  • Our One Book, One Campus selections each year offer diverse perspectives on topics related to the campus theme. Examples of titles include War Is a Force that Gives You Meaning by Chris Hedges, The Spirit Catches You and You Fall Down by Anne Fadiman, and On Origin of the Species by Charles Darwin.
  • We hire librarians, staff, and student workers from diverse backgrounds.
  • Our display cases are often used by campus groups to promote diversity. Examples include exhibits about Black history, Native American heritage, disability awareness, women's history, non-western philosophy resources, and Hispanic Americans.
  • Instructional Media Services assisted with the recording of telephone interviews with political leaders from Ethiopia and the US that were available as a podcast on a student-run website.
  • Instructional Media Services provides media support for events held by Campus Diversity and produces digital media, such as online videos for the Civil Rights Heritage Center.
  • Our Archives now houses documents from the Civil Rights Heritage Center, including the recordings of oral histories of local civil rights leaders.
  • We work with the South Bend English Institute to provide library instruction to their students.

Priorities for Campus-Community Interactions: Strengthening Partnerships with the Community and Heightening the Recognition of IU South Bend's Resources and Achievements Beyond the Campus

  • We have an active Public Relations and Outreach program, coordinated by one of our librarians. The main purpose is to increase awareness of the IU South Bend libraries, both on campus and in the broader community.
  • Any Indiana or Southwest Michigan resident can use our resources, ask reference questions, obtain a borrower's card, or request Interlibrary Loan services. This helps to support lifelong learning efforts of our alumni and other area residents.
  • Thirty staff members from the SBCSC's library media centers attended a workshop at the Schurz Library and the Learning Resource Commons highlighting our resources and services
  • Six area high school classes visited us last year to use the research materials at our Library. Most of the students were college-bound juniors or seniors. We hope that in addition to providing useful research information, the experience will encourage some to attend IU South Bend.
  • The Educational Resource Commons is the only textbook adoption site for the area. Teachers, parents, and education students can preview the approximately 1,000 textbooks that are being reviewed for the area school corporations. The Indiana Department of Education provides funding for this service.
  • We are the area's only federal government depository in a public setting. Government publications are used by many in the local business community. We also work cooperatively with the Government Publications Department at The University of Notre Dame to ensure full coverage of all federal documents in the area.
  • Researchers across the country and beyond have requested information found in our Archives and Special Collections.
  • The Educational Resource Commons conducts a workshop each year for the Early Childhood Educators Conference as well as jointly working with the School of Education to present mathematical workshops focusing on multiple learning styles offered to area K-12 teachers.
  • We participate in events that promote IU South Bend such as Alumni celebrations.
  • Instructional Media Services provides AV support for community events held on campus, including an 8 hour meeting of the Indiana Ways and Means Committee.
  • Because the Library is open 98 hours/week, we are often a community member's first stop on campus. We provide information and materials about the campus and help direct visitors to an appropriate office.
  • We work cooperatively with other libraries and library associations in the area and in the state in a variety of ways, including the consortial purchasing of electronic services and resources.
  • Our library faculty serve on a number of state and national professional committees and publish in important professional journals.
  • We have a partnership with the local chapter of the Association of Fundraising Professionals to acquire and provide housing for their affiliate AFP library.
  • Instructional Media Services offers streaming media services which allows the campus to broadcast live video and audio of events over the web.
  • We receive support every year from the local Audubon Society for resources.
  • We have provided workshops to a variety of community organizations such as the South Bend English Institute on how to find needed resources.
  • We lent over 9,100 items to other libraries in 2007-08. This is an 8% increase from the previous year.
  • We continue to host a public speaking series which we began in 1997 that is free and open to the public. We schedule speakers that are of interest to the broader community.
  • We sponsor "Food for Fines" twice a year when those with overdue materials can pay with non-perishable food items which we then donate to a local food bank.
  • The Library and Media Services faculty and staff are committed to participating in at least one community service project a year such as volunteering an afternoon at the Northern Indiana Food Bank.
  • We are a drop off point for community service projects the university participates in, such as "Pack-a-backpack" and "22 Ways of Giving," and "Project Safe."
  • Instructional Media Services records, manipulates, and makes available for distribution audio, video, and photographic images. Examples include the IU South Bend "HousingCam" and the digitization of oral histories for the Civil Rights Heritage Center.
  • We require that all Library and Media Services employees participate in a customer service training workshop in an effort to ensure consistent, high quality service throughout our organization.