Editor’s note: To celebrate Community College Month, ACRL has asked Walter Butler (PhD, MLIS), Director of Library and Information Services at Santa Monica College and a Director-at-Large member of the ACRL Board of Directors, to share the value of libraries at community colleges.
It is so exciting to know that ACRL is celebrating Community College Month. To help celebrate this month, here are some quick facts about community colleges from the American Association of Community Colleges:
- There are 1,038 community colleges, which includes 35 tribal colleges and 71 independent colleges.
- Community colleges had a headcount of 10.2 million students in the Fall of 2021.
- In 2020-2021, Community colleges awarded 877,240 associate degrees, 592,863 certificates, and 25,023 baccalaureate degrees.
In addition to the traditional programming and classes, community colleges often work with their local school districts with dual enrollment programs to provide students general education credit to transfer directly into a 4-year institution. Many of them also provide non-credit programs, which typically provide workforce training and developmental education to support options for those needing to broaden their education without credit-bearing degree work. Noncredit programs might also be part of the Career and Technical Education (CTE) programs housed at community colleges, which according to Jobs for the Future (JFF), comprises nearly half of community college enrollment.
But what’s happening in the libraries of community colleges? To help us understand this, library leaders from community colleges in California shared some insight. California is home to the largest community college system consisting of 116 colleges. At the end of March, California community college library leaders from across their system gathered for their first in-person annual meeting since the pandemic. The annual meeting provided a space where these library leaders were able to strategize, prioritize, and set goals; identify and understand new opportunities and tools and philosophies for library management and professional development; and to network and to strengthen collaborative bonds and partnerships. Here is a summary of thoughts library leaders were able to share out about their libraries and community college libraries in general.
Some words that they used to describe their libraries:
Innovative, student success, inclusive, understaffed, welcoming, resilient, underfunded, strong, adaptable, awesome
What does your library do really well?
- Our library supports students on an individual level, which is a benefit of being small.
- We make efforts to engage in the overall campus through shared governance, Guided Pathways engagement, and other campus-wide platforms.
- Loan of textbooks, hotspots, Chromebooks, graphing calculators
What is your library’s biggest challenge?
- Visibility, marketing, and advocacy.
- Adequately staffing the library.
- Funding.
What do you like most about your community college library?
- The people who work in it prioritize students and work hard.
- Students! Collaborative! Beautiful buildings!
- We get things done with the resources we have.
- It serves as a beautiful home-like gathering space for our students
- Library faculty and classified are passionate about supporting students and ensuring a positive experience. At moments when I am feeling frustrated or jaded, talking to a colleague often re-energizes me.
What do you think is the most misunderstood thing about community college libraries?
- That we are not just for remedial students. A community college education is valid and important.
- That we are only a space/service for the “good” students. Students consistently hesitate to enter and ask if it is ok; they are consistently surprised at everything we offer for free to support them.
- That we are just a place to study.
- That we are merely a “building” with books for students, as opposed to a multifaceted resource with faculty and staff ready to engage and support students, and that we can collaborate with faculty to improve their student learning outcomes.
What advice would you give someone who is thinking about pursuing a career in community college librarianship/libraries?
- Students are so much fun! And your colleagues are going to be passionate about education
- Enjoy being a generalist and wearing a lot of hats.
- It’s never boring, no two days are the same, it’s a chance to be innovative and fun, you can make a difference in people’s lives
- Make sure you’re passionate about people and helping the historically marginalized. Be flexible about your expectations. Think outside the box. Also, it is competitive! Need marketable skills.
- The gratitude and appreciation many students convey when they realize they CAN find what they need and are on the road to completing research successfully is a daily gift.
- Pursue the career field, it is rewarding and life changing.
Special thanks to the Council of California Community College Chief Librarians for allowing me to gather this information. And thank you to everyone who shared their thoughts especially those from Shasta College, City College of San Francisco, Diablo Valley College, Laney College, Los Medanos College, Merritt College, Butte College, Yuba College, Feather River College, Fresno City College, West Hills Coalinga, and the “Desert Librarians”.