Departments

Special Collections at Asa H. Gordon Library has been established to collect, organize, describe, preserve, and make available University materials of permanent institutional and historical value. Special Collections will further encourage the dissemination of knowledge pertaining to the origins of programs and goals of the University by providing facilities for the retention, preservation, servicing, and research of Savannah State University documents. In addition, Special Collections will serve as a research source for the study of the University’s history by members of the University community and the scholarly community at large.

Special Collections at Asa H. Gordon Library serves as a repository for materials documenting the history of Savannah State University.

The collections include documents, manuscripts, photographs, campus publications, and books by Savannah State faculty, staff, and alumni. Special Collections also presents exhibits and forums for lectures, presentation and academic discussions.

Everything we do at the Asa H Gordon Library is focused on promoting the success of our students, and the Library is committed to meeting the needs of students at all levels and across the disciplines. The student success & outreach department exists to foster strong connections between the student body and the Library, and to promote awareness of Library services and programs in meaningful and innovative ways.

Mobile Librarian
SSO runs the Mobile Librarian program, in which librarians deploy to different campus locations outside the Library most weeks of the academic year. We visit academic buildings, the dining hall and Union, as well as dormitories and open spaces in order to meet students, offer on-the-spot, point-of-need academic services, and make students aware of new and ongoing Library initiatives and events.

Special Events
SSO plans and executes special events at the Library throughout the year, at different point of each semester. Some of these events are purely recreational, like barbecues, movie nights, and exam-week relaxation activities. Some are oriented toward fostering civic engagement, like the voter registration drive and associated Scholar-in-Residence lectures. Still others are intended to coincide with nationally-observed intellectual events, such as Banned Books Week or National Library Week. Finally, SSO also plans workshops with different academic departments, campus programs (such as the Tiger Academy), and on its own, focused on an array of information-literacy topics and skills.

Standard Services
As part of our ongoing efforts to foster student success, SSO also manages the Course Reserves systems and Inter-Library Loan/GIL Express service. Both services enable students to access a wide variety of research materials from within our own collection and from many other schools in the University System of Georgia. More information about these services can be found at the links below.

For more information contact:
Elle Davis
Student Success & Outreach Librarian
Phone: 912.358.4333
[email protected]

The mission of the Access Services Department at the Asa H. Gordon Library (including Circulation, Gil Express, and Interlibrary Loan services) is to support the research and teaching needs of the Savannah State University’s academic community, by expanding the range of materials available for scholarship beyond the physical and electronic collections of the Gordon Library. The department provides article and book delivery from a network of libraries and document suppliers on a local, statewide, and national basis. We are committed to serving our patrons in a friendly, courteous, efficient, and effective manner.

Checking Out Material
SSU students, faculty, or staff wishing to borrow library materials must present a valid SSU campus ID or an official picture (e.g., driver’s license, military ID, or passport) at the Circulation Service Desk on the first floor of the Asa H. Gordon Library.

Students (undergraduate/graduate) and staff are allowed to borrow up to 30 items. Faculty may borrow unlimited items. Materials may be borrowed for 28 days and may be renewed two times. All patrons are encouraged to renew materials before they become 1 day overdue.

Audio Visuals: DVDs, CDs, and Videos
Patrons must have a current SSU, or official picture ID. Only seven A/V items can be charged out at a time. Videos may not be copied without the permission of the copyright holder. Videos on course reserve must be viewed in the library and should be returned to the library’s Circulation Desk. Patrons are responsible for any damages to materials. A/V items circulate for 7 days to students without renewals, and 7 days to faculty and staff, with one 7-day renewal. A/V items are considered LOST when they become 30 days overdue.

Fees
There are no daily fines for overdue books; however, all fees for lost items at least 56 days overdue must be paid in full in order for students to register, receive grades, borrow library/audiovisual materials, and graduate. If an item is lost a $15.00 processing fee (per item) is charged in addition to the replacement cost. The replacement cost for lost materials, along with the processing fee is nonrefundable.

Circulation Desk
All services at the Circulation Desk (including periodicals and reserves) end 15 minutes before the library closes. All materials should be charged out 30 minutes before closing.

Renewing Materials
A patron may renew materials in the following ways:

• In person at the Circulation Desk
• By calling 912-358-4324 during library hours
• By logging into your Library Account (Login using your Tigerworld credentials. Contact the Circulation Desk at 912-358-4324 if you need assistance.)
• The renew option becomes unavailable if the material becomes 1 day overdue.

All library gifts which are made to the Savannah State University (SSU) Library are accepted with the understanding that upon receipt the materials become the property of the SSU Library. The library staff is responsible for determining the retention, location, cataloging treatmen, and other considerations relating to the use or disposition of such gift materials.

Gifts accepted by the library may serve a variety of purposes. Some are added to the collections as first or replacement copies. Those not added to the ibrary’s holdings may be offered to another library, sent to a state facility, donated to a worthy cause, sold or discarded.

The SSU Library makes written acknowledgements of all gifts accepted. The letter of acknowledgment notes the number of volumes received and includes a list of items but not an estimate of the value of the gift.

Information Literacy is the ability to know when information is needed, and to find, evaluate, and use the appropriate information ethically.

The mission of the Information Literacy Program is to help students master information skills that will enrich their academic and personal lives and enable them to become independent lifelong learners.These skills contribute to the ability to think critically and they are vital life-skills for all individuals in our society, forming the basis for lifelong learning.

The mission of the systems and database department is to provide support for and management of the many areas of technology throughout the library. The systems department is responsible for designing the library web site, maintaining existing databases, and providing support for systems used in library operations. The systems staff also provides hardware and software support for computer users throughout the library.

The Technical Services department of the Asa H. Gordon Library supports the mission of Savannah State University by assuming primary responsibility for the organization of materials in the library’s collection and catalog. The Technical Services department is committed to providing quality service to the faculty, staff and students that use the Asa H. Gordon Library catalog. This is accomplished by creating, maintaining and making available to the University library catalog users quality bibliographic holdings and authority records according to established local and national standards in a timely manner. This department also strives to build and maintain a cohesive, current, and balanced library collection that supports the curriculum and educational mission of Savannah State University. We are responsible for the ordering and receiving of library materials and for maintaining the relevancy of the collection.

Asa H. Gordon library’s Reference staff is committed to providing the best possible traditional and automated library service to fulfill the library’s mission of maximum access to resources by guiding users, at the point of need, in the effective identification, navigation, evaluation and interpretation of information resources.

We will support this mission by:

• Providing a knowledgeable, skilled and diversified staff of professionals who are client-focused, team oriented and committed to excellence. Library staff receive ongoing training to maintain and improve skills so that we are able to meet the changing needs of information services.
• Making Reference Services easily accessible by offering a variety of access points, including in-person, telephone and online formats.
• Teaching information retrieval and evaluation skills to our users through library instruction and information literacy programs.
• Guiding our users to the appropriate resources that best address their library needs.
• Developing the library’s print and non-print collections so that they are responsive to the research and curricula needs of Savannah State University.
• Providing prompt, courteous, patient, timely and unbiased assistance for all questions, and upholding the principles of privacy and confidentiality.

Asa H. Gordon Library’s Serials Department’s mission is to provide access to various journals in support of the academic programs of Savannah State University. The Serials Department is responsible for current journals in print, online, and microfilm format.