Learning Resource Center (Library) Policies and Procedures 

Central Alabama Community College has Learning Resource Center (library) facilities located in Alexander City and Childersburg to serve students, staff, faculty, and the community by providing access to a variety of resources and services that support and strengthen the instructional and community service programs of the College. Students at the Talladega Center are provided library services through a cooperative agreement with the Talladega Armstrong-Osbourne Public Library. Students at the Prattville Campus are provided services through the Millbrook Public Library and the Autauga-Prattville Public Library. CACC also has a cooperative agreement with the BB Comer Memorial Library in Sylacauga. 

To accomplish this mission, the libraries are committed to: 

• Maintaining a comprehensive collection to enhance teaching and learning. 

• Providing a well-equipped facility to support diverse learning styles and needs. 

• Offering professional services to facilitate the usage of resources. 

• Promoting information literacy and student success by conducting library instruction. 

Computer Usage in Library: All LRC locations have access to public computers. Students, faculty, and staff are free to use these computers at any time. Members of the public may use computers from 2pm-4:30pm Tuesday – Thursday.  

Laptop checkout: Students may check out a laptop for one semester. Laptops must be renewed each semester or fees will be accrued. See the chart below for laptop fines and fees. The library also has a limited number of laptops available for taking tests on campus. These laptops circulate for two hours or the duration of the test.  

Printing: Students, faculty, and staff may print or make copies free of charge. Please be mindful of what you are printing and make sure your file is correct before sending it to the printer. Members of the public do not have access to printing and are encouraged to use their local public library. 

Study Space: Students are welcome to use the study space and whiteboards at both locations for private study or group meetings.  

Print Books: See the chart below for print book circulation policies. Members of the public may not checkout books, but they may use them in-house. 

Databases: Students, faculty, and staff may access all online resources purchased by CACC by logging on with their A# and password. Please contact library@cacc.edu with any log-on issues.  

Interlibrary Loan: You may fill out the Interlibrary Loan form to request articles or book chapters. It may take 2-4 days to receive an article or book chapter. Requests submitted on Fridays after 11:30am will not be processed until Monday.  

Intralibrary Loans: If you are in Prattville, Talladega, or Childersburg, use this form for requesting materials from Alexander City. Items will be sent with the next available person traveling between campuses. 

Circulation Policies and Procedures 

All materials must be turned in before a faculty, staff, or student becomes unaffiliated with CACC (graduation, leaving employment, or un-enrollment from classes). If a student drops out of all classes, they must return all library materials immediately.  

General Guidelines

The Librarian will meet annually either via Teams or in-person with different disciplines to determine collection needs.

Materials selected for LRC purchase at any time should be those of the greatest use to Central Alabama Community College, its faculty, staff, and students. Judgment as to whether specific materials meet this criterion is exercised most frequently by consulting the opinions of knowledgeable people, either on the campus or in such publications as the standard bibliographies. Recommendations and requests from administrators, faculty, and students are strongly encouraged by the librarian. 

Process for Database Purchasing

1. Librarian will contact vendors to find out information about databases, trials, and pricing. The Dean of Academics will be informed of any new trials.

2. Librarian will send the trial of the database to all full-time faculty whose subject area is related. 

3. Faculty will have 2 weeks to trial the database and provide feedback to the librarian.

4. If faculty agree that the database is useful, it will be added to the collection.

5. The librarian will periodically survey faculty and students on whether the databases are properly serving the needs of the student body. 

Process for Book Purchasing

1. Any books purchased should be directly relevant to the courses taught at the institution. Selection of learning resource center materials will be made based on the merits of the material in relation to building the collection and to serving the instructional programs of the institution. 

2. Faculty may email the librarian with suggestions for materials or databases useful for their subject area /class. The library will not purchase textbooks. Faculty may email library@cacc.edu to inquire about purchasing.

3. The librarian will periodically solicit faculty for information on what their students might need for researching in classes.

Weeding Policy

The librarian will apply the MUSTIE method when weeding both ebooks and physical books from the collection. 

The MUSTIE method is a weeding methodology used in academic libraries to help decide which items to remove from a collection:

• M: Misleading: Does the book contain misinformation that may be outdated or otherwise inaccurate?
• U: Ugly: Is the book damaged beyond repair, molded, or mildewed?
• S: Superseded: Is there a more recent edition of the book? 
• T: Trivial: Is the book on important information that students need for their classes?
• I: Irrelevant: Is the book off topic to the subjects and degrees at the college?
• E: Obtained elsewhere: Can this information be easily obtained elsewhere, such as online or a public library?

Digital Databases & Weeding

Vendors regularly weed the databases that the library subscribes to. CACC library does not play a role in a vendor's choice of whether a material is deselected from their collection. If a resource is removed that students use for class, please contact the librarian to see if the material can be purchased separately from the database.