College and Research Libraries Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries: A Paradigm for Survival Lotsee Patterson and Rhonda Harris Taylor This study reports on the results of a mail survey instrument adminis- tered to tribally controlled college libraries during 1993, just before the colleges were granted federal land-grant college status. Data ob- tained from sixteen respondents, representing 66.66 percent of the twenty-four tribally controlled colleges, provided a baseline profile of the fundamental characteristics of tribally controlled college libraries. The report focuses on the data most comparable to nontribal college libraries: budget, personnel, service population, advisory committees, collections, facilities, services, networking, and computer utilization. The portrait that emerged is of small academic libraries. However, these libraries also reflect the broad-based missions of their parent institutions, combining academic library functions with public library services and elements of tribal culture. Driven by unmet educational needs and the will to retain and strengthen tribal heritages and to support traditional values, these college libraries represent a para- digm for survival. he evolution and growth of tribally controlled commu- nity colleges represent one of the most remarkable devel- opments in American higher education during the latter half of this century. These colleges, numbering twenty-four at the time of this study, are geographically clustered in thirteen states, with fifteen of the colleges located in Montana, North Dakota, and South Dakota. Table 1 illus- trates the geographic dispersal of the other nine colleges. Collectively, tribal col- leges enrolled more than 16,000 students in 1994.1 The paradigm that institutions of higher education traditionally share has been redefined in tribal colleges. Al- though there are many similarities be- tween tribal colleges and those owned and operated by a state government, there also are a number of striking differences. Perhaps the most obvious differences are the tribal institutions' philosophies, mis- sions, goals, and objectives, which reveal a mixture of the usual academic program- matic statements combined with an ar- ticulation of the necessity to promote preservation of traditional tribal culture. Driven by unmet educational needs and Lotsee Patterson is an Associate Professor and Rhonda Harris Taylor is an Assistant Professor at the School of Library and Information Studies , University of Oklahoma; e-mail: lpatterson@uoknor.edu and rtaylor@uoknor.edu. 316 Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries 317 TABLEt List of Tribally Controlled Colleges in the United States with Date of Charter and Name of Chartering Entity, 1994* Tribally Controlled College Charter Date Chartered By Bay Mills Cornm. College, MI 1984 Bay Mills Tribe Blackfeet Comm. College, MT 1974 Blackfeet Tribal Business Council Cheyenne River Comm. College, SD 1973 Cheynne River Sioux Tribe (1st charter) College of the Menominee Nation, WI 1993 Menominee Nation D-Q University, CA 1971 [Indian-controlled] Dull Knife Memorial College, MT 1975 Northern Cheyenne Tribal Council Fond du Lac Comm. College, MN 1987 Fond Du Lac Reservation Fort Belknap College, MT 1984 Fort Belknap CommunityCouncil Fort Berthold Comm. College, ND 1973 Three Affiliated Tribes of the Fort Berthold Reservation Fort Peck Comm. College, MT 1978 Fort Peck Assiniboine and Sioux Tribes (Tribal Executive Board) Lac Courte Oreilles Ojibwa College, WI 1982 Lac Courte Oreilles Leech Lake Comm. College, MN 1993 Little Big Horn College, MT 1980 Little Hoop Comm. College, ND 1974 Devils Lake Sioux Tribe Navajo Comm. College, AZ 1968 Navajo Nation Nebraska Indian Comm. College, NE 1979 Omaha, Santee Sioux, and, Winnebago Tribes of Nebraska Northwest Indian College, WA 1983 Lummi Indian Business Council (formerly Lummi Comm. College) Oglala Lakota College, SD 1971 Oglala Sioux Tribe Salish Kootenai College, MT 1976 Confederated Salish and Kootenai Tribes Sinte Gleska, SD 1971 Rosebud Sioux Tribe Sissteon Wahpeton Comm. College, SD 1979 Tribal Council of the Sissteon Wahpeton Sioux Tribe Standing Rock College, ND 1973 Standing Rock Sioux Tribal Council Stone Child College, MT 1984 Chippewa-Cree Business Committee Turtle Mountain Comm. College, ND 1972 Turtle Mountain Chippewa Tribe *Sources: American Indian Higher Education Consortium and current catalogs of individual colleges. Omitted from this table: Three vocational technical colleges (Crownpoint Institute of Technol- ogy, Southwest Polytechnic Institute, United Tribes Technical College), Haskell Indian Nations University (Bureau of Indian Affairs postsecondary institution), and the Southwestern Indian Polytechnic Institute. the need to maintain tribal traditions, these colleges exemplify, for their respec- tive tribes, a paradigm for survival. Most of the tribally controlled colleges have followed a pattern of development not unlike many state institutions. They began as two-year colleges and, over time, some progressed to four-year insti- tutions. Several of them now offer a lim- ited number of graduate programs. Al- most all have gained, or are candidates for, regional accreditation, the majority of them with the North Central Association of Colleges and Schools. They are ex- pected to make significant strides forward with the recent congressional action giv- ing them land-grant status. 2 The relationship of the libraries within these colleges to the overall educational mission presented a management see- 318 College & Research Libraries nario worthy of investigation. The harsh realities imposed upon the operation of these libraries, situated in sparsely settled areas with extremely limited funding and faced with institutional mandates to help fulfill the special needs of the tribes they serve, raised interesting questions about tribal college library services, collections, facilities, budgets, and staffs. This study was undertaken to compile a baseline profile of the fundamental char- acteristics of tribally controlled college libraries . The resulting report also ex- plores the relationship of college library operations to the parent institutions' mis- sions, goals, and objectives. Historical Development Because community colleges are products of the twentieth century, tribally con- trolled colleges are a manifestation of the late twentieth century. Pursuant to the Navajo Community College Act, the Na- vajo tribe chartered the first tribally con- trolled community college in 1968.3 Oth- Third was the desire to strengthen the tribe through academic learning, vocational training, and cultural preservation. ers quickly followed: Sinte Gleska College in South Dakota, D-Q University in Cali- fornia, and Oglala Lakota College in South Dakota, in 1971; and Turtle Moun- tain College in North Dakota, in 1972. These are representative of a flurry of trib- ally controlled colleges established in the 1970s and 1980s. Most owe their existence to the Tribally Controlled Community College Assistance Act, passed by Con- gress in 1978, which provides annual ap- propriations based on the number of full- time students attending the college. 4 These funds are nominal contributions to the total operating budgets. Tuition and grants from government and private sources provide the rest of the revenue for what are always tight budgets. July 1996 Statements obtained from the colleges' catalogs reveal a uniqueness of purpose articulated in their missions, goals, and objectives. For example, Bay Mills Com- munity College, Michigan's only tribally controlled college, includes as one of its objectives: "To foster a spirit of pride in Native American language, culture and history through participation in classes and cultural activities." 5 The mission statement of Fort Belknap College, lo- cated in north central Montana, reads in part: "The College will strive to provide opportunities for individual self-im- provement for survival in a rapidly changing technological world and main- tain the cultural integrity of the Assiniboine and Gros Ventre Tribes." 6 The philosophy of Fort Berthold Community College inN orth Dakota is representative of the cultural sensitivity reflected in al- most all of the tribal colleges' mission statements: "The philosophy of the Fort Berthold Community College empha- sizes the interweaving of tribally distinc- tive cultural elements into the post-sec- ondary process." 7 These statements ar- ticulate the reasons why tribal colleges were formed . The results of a study conducted by James F. Hill, in which he examined the history of the establishment of tribal col- leges, found that: "The colleges began in response to the conditions experienced at off-reservation institutions."8 Sinte Gleska University President Lionel R. Bordeaux addressed some of these challenges. They centered on financial-aid limitations, cul- tural isolation, and family considerations. Second was the need for a local forum to discuss community and tribal issues, and third was the desire to strengthen the tribe through academic learning, vocational training, and cultural preservation.9 Almost all the colleges are commuter campuses. Main campuses lack residen- tial halls, but many of them offer other amenities such as food service. Several provide a college-sponsored transporta- tion system and child care. 10 The average Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries 319 student is thirty-one years old, is Native American, and comes from a home whose average income is far below the national average. 11 Two organizations have been estab- lished to support the tribal colleges: the American Indian Higher Education Con- sortium (AIHEC) and the American In- dian College Fund (AICF). AIHEC was founded in 1972 by six tribally controlled community colleges with a view toward mobilizing a concerted effort to address the developmental problems common to them all. Today, it is a cooperatively spon- sored effort on the part of thirty-one mem- ber institutions to provide a direct mecha- nism for facilitating access to resources needed for their continued develop- ment.12 The AICF, launched in 1989, mod- els the United Negro College Fund and has yet to fulfill its potential as an impor- tant source of financial support for tribal colleges. Tribal colleges represent a relatively new presence in American higher educa- tion. This report provides preliminary data gathered on the tribal college librar- ies and suggests directions for further inquiry. Terminology No study involving Native Americans can be presented without first clarifying terms. Some terms used throughout this report are described and defined below. Indian tribe means an Indian tribe, band, nation, or other organized group or community, including aN ative Village, Regional Corporation, or Village Corpo- ration (as those terms are defined in the Alaska Native Claims Settlement Act), which is recognized as eligible for the special programs and services provided by the United States to Indians because of their status as Indians. 13 Tribally controlled colleges refers to those institutions that are administered and operated by a federally recognized Indian tribe. In 1994, the U.S. Senate's Commit- tee on Indian Affairs identified twenty- four tribally controlled community col- leges and also listed two tribally con- trolled vocational colleges, two Bureau of Indian Affairs postsecondary institutions, and the Institute of American Indian Arts (IAIA). 14 For purposes of this study, the authors considered only the twenty-four Most of the colleges are located in the Western states where access to an accredited library school is extremely difficult. institutions listed in table 1 (omitting three technical-vocational colleges, one Bureau of Indian Affairs postsecondary institution, and the specialized IAIA). Land-grant colleges are those colleges es- tablished for the benefit of agriculture and the mechanic arts in accordance with the provisions of the Act of July 2, 1862, as amended in 12 Stat.503; 7U.S.C. 301-305, 307, and 308.15 Tribal College Libraries Undertaking a study of libraries in trib- ally controlled colleges is not an easy task, as they are often overlooked in the litera- ture addressing academic librarianship. Even obtaining their names and ad- dresses requires research. In fact, the many articles, reports, and studies on tribal colleges seldom mention the librar- ies. Also, Indian people and Native American institutions have been sub- jected to so many studies that there is a reluctance to be part of another one. It is assumed that many of the chal- lenges endemic to tribal colleges are also ones affecting tribal college libraries and their management. Critical factors in- clude recruiting and retaining staff from a limited pool of qualified personnel. Most of the colleges are located in the Western states where access to an accred- ited library school is extremely difficult. It would not be surprising, then, to find that only a few tribal librarians possess a graduate degree in library and informa- 320 College & Research Libraries TABLE2 Total Annual Budgets of Responding Libraries, with Estimated Percentage of Funding Received from LCSA Title IV, Special Grants, or Basic Grants* Total Annual Estimated % Funding Budgets in from LSCA Title IV, Ascending Rank Special Grants, Order** or Basic Grants $4,000 100% $10,000 50% $10,000 none indicated $10,000 none indicated $40,000 10% $42,400 9% $45,500 none indicated $50,000*** none indicated $60,000*** 80% $65 ,000 none indicated $106,200 none indicated $135,500 none indicated $172,300 2% $175,000 0.5% *Two respondents did not answer this question. **Rounded to nearest $100. ***Figure is the low end of a range provided by respondent. July 1996 community-based information needs is often woefully lacking for these young libraries. In some in- stances, LSCA (Library Services and Construction Act) funds have been used to supplement college budget appropriations to the libraries. A number of the tribal college li- braries function as both academic li- brary and public library for their res- ervations. This strategy, though rea- sonable, places additional burdens not only on budgets, but also on staff and collections. The diversity of services pro- vided, the unique status of the par- ent institutions of these libraries, and the general lack of information about them in the professional lit- erature prompted this study. The au- thors wanted to determine · the present status of tribal college librar- ies and to identify some of their unique characteristics. The timing of this study was sig- nificant because land-grant status was granted to tribally controlled colleges by the federal government in 1994. This status is expected to bring changes for the tribal colleges, tion studies. Low salaries and isolation from other library professionals would be expected to contribute to a high turnover rate of library employees. especially if funding for which the col- leges are now eligible is actually appro- priated. Inadequate facilities are another challenge confronting tribal colleges and their librar- . ies. Some tribal libraries can be found in quarters such as old tribal gymnasiums and temporary buildings; others are housed in new, beautifully designed spaces. Tribal college libraries share the necessity of over- coming budgetary constraints with nontribal college librar- ies. Money to purchase library materials to support both the curricula and all the other TABLE3 Terminal Degrees Held by Library Directors and Library Directors Identified As Native* Terminal Degree Held By Library Dir. No degree indicated (has college-level work) Bachelor's degree Bachelor's degree with additional hours Master's degree Doctorate No. of Dirs. No. of Native Holding This Dirs. Holding Degree This Degree 1 3 1 9 0 1 0 *One respondent did not answer this question. Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries 321 Methodology The authors attempted to gather baseline data on the libraries of the trib- ally controlled colleges by mailing a sur- vey questionnaire, accompanied by a cover letter, in 1993. They also requested and obtained current college catalogs from the institutions. Data Collection and Analysis Sixteen responses were eventually re- ceived, representing 66.66 percent of the twenty-four tribally controlled colleges (see table 1). This report focuses on the data most comparable to nontribal col- lege libraries: budget, personnel, service population, advisory committees, col- lections, facilities, services, networking, and computer utilization. Budget In response to a query requesting a fig- ure for the "library's total annual bud- get," fourteen of the sixteen respondents provided a total dollar amount, as indi- cated in table 2 (budgets have been rounded to the nearest $100). As table 2 shows, the fourteen libraries respond- ing to this question reported total bud- gets ranging from $4,000 per year to $175,000, with a mean of $66,135. Of the fourteen respondents replying to a check- list of funding sources, seven (SO%) iden- tified federal LSCA monies, whether spe- cial grants or basic grants, as one source of funding for the library (also shown in table 2). Personnel Data provided by respondents helped to profile the personnel staffing of tribally controlled college libraries. Table 3 lists terminal degrees held by the directors of these libraries at the time of the study (1993). Fifteen of the sixteen respondents completed the question about the educa- tional attainment level of the library di- rector. Ten (66.66%) of the fifteen respond- ing libraries completing this question had directors with master's or doctorate de- TABLE4 Number of Paid Full-Time and Part-Time Library Staff Members Identified As Native No. of Paid Full- and Part-Time Library Staff Including Director** 1 2 2 2 3 3 4 4 5 6 8 No. of Paid Full- and Part-Time Library Staff Identified As Native 0 0 0 0 0 1 2 2 2 3 4 4 * 7 *Respondent did not provide this information. **Ranked in ascending order. grees. However, of these fifteen respond- ing libraries, only three (20%) of the li- brary directors of the libraries respond- ing to a question about ethnicity were identified as being Native American. Re- spondents identified all three of those Native directors as being members of the tribe controlling the college. Out of the ten library directors identified as holding a master's degree or doctorate, only one (10% of this group holding graduate de- grees) was identified as being Native American. Also, it should be noted that respondents were not asked to identify the graduate degrees held by library di- rectors as being in library /information studies, so it is possible that the graduate degrees were in other discipline areas. Also worthy of note is the fact that for the sixteen responding libraries, twelve 322 College & Research Libraries July 1996 TABLES Use of Library Boards and Library Committees By Responding Libraries* whether paid full- and part- time staff members were Na- tive American. The thirty-nine full- and part-time positions reported by those fifteen librar- ies included twenty-seven (69.23%) that were held by Native Americans. This per- centage is in contrast to the ear- lier percentage of library direc- tors (20%) identified as Native American. Type of Library Board/Committee Number of Libraries Reporting Use Use of Library Board 4 Use of Library Committee 6 Use of Both Library Committee and Library Board Use of College Board *Four respondents did not answer this question. (75%) of the directors were female and four (25%) were male. Table 4 helps to profile the larger pic- ture of overall staffing for the tribal librar- ies. For the sixteen responding libraries, the number of paid staff positions (com- bining full-time and part-time staff mem- bers and including the directors) for those libraries ranged from one to eight, for a mean of 2.81 positions. Only three (18.75%) of the sixteen responding librar- ies reported using volunteers. As shown in table 4, fifteen of the six- teen responding libraries identified TABLE6 Percentage of Service Population Identified As Tribal Members* % of Service Pop- ulation Identified As Tribal Members** 45% 60 80 85 86 . 90 95 97 98 No. of Libraries Reporting This % 1 2 2 2 2 1 *Three respondents did not answer this question. **In ascending rank order. Advisory Committees Typically, college libraries have advisory committees, usually composed of faculty and student members. Re- · sponses in this study reflected a similar pattern. As seen in table 5, of the sixteen respon- dents in this study, twelve answered the survey question about use of library boards/committees. Four respondents indicated that the tribal college library used a library board, six indicated use of a library committee, and one indicated use of both. One response indicated use of a college board, presumably in lieu of a library board/ committee. It should be noted that respondents were not asked to describe the membership of these boards/ committees. Service Population Of the sixteen returned survey ques- tionnaires, thirteen answered the question about ethnicity of the popu- lation served by the library (see table 6). Eleven (84.61 %) of the thirteen li- braries answering this question in- dicatedthat at least 80 percent of their service populations were tribal members. Two of the thirteen librar- ies answering this question profiled service populations of tribal mem- bers at 45 and 60 percent. It is worth noting that in addition to tiibal members being served by these libraries, eleven of the thirteen responding libraries answering the Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries 323 question about the ethnicity of their service populations iden- tified Native American non- tribal members. In addition to tribal members being served by these libraries, percentages of Native American nontribal members being served by these eleven libraries ranged from one to 13 percent, with a mean of five percent. Collections Table 7 illustrates the estimated size of collections held by the tribally controlled college li- braries in this study. It shows estimates for the number of print volumes, nonprint items, and periodical titles held by the sixteen responding libraries. Table 7 also displays a range of 4,000 to 46,000 volumes for TABLE7 Estimated Size of Library Collections of Responding Libraries Estimated No. Print Volumes* 4,000 5,000 7,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 8,000 9,000 10,000 10,000 10,000 16,000 20,000 28,000 35,000 46,000 Estimated No. Nonprint Items 200 100 500 200 300 250 450 250 500 600 1,000 150 350 750 2,000 750 Estimated No. Periodical Titles 50 50 170 110 130 150 135 48 120 75 160 90 75 750 240 95 print collections of these librar- *In ascending rank order. ies, with a mode of 8,000 vol- L-----------------------' umes and a mean of 14,500 volumes. The estimated number of non print titles 11eld by the sixteen responding libraries ranged from 100 to 2,000 titles, with a mean of 521.88 titles. The estimated number of pe- riodical titles held by the sixteen respond- ing libraries ranged from 48 to 750 titles, TABLES with a mean of 153 titles. As expected, 100 percent of the sixteen respondents indi- cated there was specialized collection de- velopment in the areas of Indian and/ or tribal materials for these tribal college li- braries. As with other academic libraries, re- sponses from the sixteen returned survey ques- Sources of Acquisitions for Responding Libraries tionnaires indicated that the tribally controlled col- lege libraries were using standard sources of ac- quisitions to build collec- tions: publishers, ve~­ dors, and gifts (see table 8). Respondents were al- lowed to indicate more than one source of acqui- sitions on the survey questionnaire. Fifteen of the sixteen responding li- Source of Acquisitions* Purchased directly from publishers Purchased from vendors Purchased from bookstores Gifts from individuals Gifts from other libraries Gifts from publishers Other Remainder houses No. of Libraries Reporting Use of This Source 13 15 8 15 12 6 *More than one source could be indicated by respondents. braries, or 93.75 percent of the respondents, indi- cated that they used ven- 324 College & Research Libraries July 1996 TABLE9 Organization of Materials Classification Schemes Used By Responding Libraries square footage estimate for their libraries' facili- ties. The estimates, as shown in table 10, ranged from 1,100 to 16,000 square feet, with a mode of 4,000 square feet and a mean of 5,141.81 square feet. Classification Schemes Number of Libraries Reporting Use of This Scheme Dewey Decimal Classification 12 Library of Congress Classification 2 Both Dewey Decimal and Library Services of Congress Classification 2 Table 11 illustrates the dors for purchasing materials, and the same percentage indicated that they re- ceived gifts from individuals. Close to the percentage of respondents using vendors was the percentage of respondents using direct purchase from publishers (81.25%) for acquisitions. The sixteen returned survey question- naires revealed that all sixteen tribal col- lege library collections were at least par- tially cataloged and classified (see table 9). Dewey Decimal Classification was the most popular classification scheme, be- ing cited by twelve (75%) of the sixteen responding tribal libraries. Use of the Li- brary of Congress Classification Scheme was cited by two (12.5%) of the sixteen responding tribal libraries. One tribal library indicated use of both Dewey Decimal and Library of Congress Classification Schemes in order to accommodate a juvenile col- lection. Facilities Fifteen of the sixteen responding li- braries indicated whether they had more than one facility. As seen in table 10, of the fifteen libraries responding to this question, two (13.33%) were housed in more than one facility, with one providing nine centers at off-site locations. number of hours per week that the responding libraries were open. The sixteen responding libraries re- ported being open for a mean of 49.12 hours per week, ranging from a low of 40 hours per week to a high of 69 hours per week. The mode was 42.5 hours per week. All sixteen responding libraries indi- cated that they provided interlibrary loan services. In addition, fifteen of the sixteen responding libraries responded in the af- firmative to a query about availability of "a copy machine for paper materials (books, magazines)" for library users. There also was some indication that the TABLElO Estimated Size of Facilities of Responding Libraries* Estimated Sq. No. of Libraries Footage of Reporting This Library Facility** Estimated Sq. Footage 1,100 1,500 1,560 2,400 2,500 4,000 7,000 7,500 9,000 16,000 1 2 Table 10 illustrates the estimated square footage of the library facilities for eleven of the sixteen respondents. These eleven respondents provided a *Five respondents did not answer this question. **Ranked in ascending order. Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries 325 service functions performed by these tribal college libraries resembled those of public library services. For instance, out of sixteen respondents, four (25%) answered in the affirmative to a ques- tion about delivery of library materi- als to patrons. The four indicated that they delivered materials to senior citi- zens, and three of the four also indi- cated delivery services to detention centers and to individuals with dis- abilities. TABLE 11 Weekly Number of Hours Responding Libraries Are Open for Service Weekly No. of Hours Library Is Open* 40.0 42.5 45.0 48.5 51.0 51.5 56.0 57.0 57.5 60.5 69.0 No. of Libraries Reporting This No. ofHours 3 4 Table 12 reports the results of a checklist question dealing with the preservation methods, records man- agement, and archival functions being performed by the tribal college librar- ies. Respondents could indicate more than one function on the survey ques- tionnaire. Of the sixteen respondents, ten (62.5%) reported engaging in pres- *Ranked in ascending order. ervation, records management, and/ or archival functions, with the archival function being performed least often. Networking The authors expected that given the broad-based service missions of the par- ent institutions, the tribal college librar- ies would be more likely to provide ser- vices usually considered to be in the pur- view of a public library. Several questions on the survey questionnaire addressed TABLE12 the question of whether these tribal librar- ies had a relationship with their state li- brary consultants. The survey question- naire asked responding librarians to name a state library consultant and to in- dicate the number of contacts within the past six months. Of the sixteen responses received, eight (50%) of the respondents named a state library consultant. Four of the eight (50%) reported consulting this individual one to five times over the past six months. Two of the . Preservation, Records Management, and Archival Functions Reported by Responding Libraries* eight respondents who named a state library con- sultant reported having eleven or more contacts over the past six months. Interestingly, two of the sixteen respondents did not name a state library consultant, but did report having contact with one within the past six months. Function** Number of Libraries Reporting This Function Preservation Activities 6 Records Management 5 Archival Functions 4 Preservation, Records Management, and Archival Functions Not Reported 6 *Six respondents did not answer this question. **More than one function could be indicated by respondents. Computer Resources Table 14 shows the tasks performed by library staff 326 College & Research Libraries TABLE13 Estimated Number of Contacts with State Library Consultant Over Last Six Months* Estimated No. of Contacts 0 1-5 11 or more No. of Libraries Reporting This No. of Contacts 2 4 2 *As reported by respondents who indicated the name of a consultant. using the computer resources of the tribal college libraries. More than one task could be indicated on the survey questionnaire by the respondents and all sixteen respon- dents answered this question. Five (31.25%) indicated that they performed circulation functions with computer re- sources. Four (25%) indicated that bud- geting and accounting functions were performed using automation, whereas five (31.25%) used computer resources for e-mail purposes. However, the highest percentage of responses regarding use of computer resources centered on catalog- ing and word processing, at 87.50 percent and 75 percent, respectively. Table 15 illustrates the breakdown of the kinds of computer resources used by library patrons, based on the sixteen respondents' survey July 1996 locate materials in other libraries, only eight (50%) of the respondents indicated that computer resources were being used by patrons to locate materials in the col- lege library. The use of computer re- sources by tribal college library patrons for educational purposes also was indi- cated, surprisingly, by only four (25%) of the sixteen respondents. A similar per- centage of respondents (31.25%) indi- cated that their patrons used library computer resources for computer games. The same percentage of respondents in- dicating patron use of computer re- sources for games (31.25%) also indi- cated that their patrons used library computer resources to find periodical ar- ticles. Summary Data from this study of tribally controlled college libraries provide insight into the status of the sixteen responding libraries. Significant to this study is the youth of the parent institutions. The oldest tribal college in the United States is not quite thirty years old; thus, the tribal college libraries are in their infancy. The colleges are small, with the largest enrollments hovering around 2,000 FTE (full-time en- rollment).16 The special emphasis on collecting tribal material, as well as information about Indian tribes in general, was clearly TABLE14 answers. The sixteen re- sponses indicated that the computer resources available for patrons were used most frequently for word process- ing (68.75% of respondents) and for locating books or au- diovisual materials in other libraries (62.50% of respon- dents). In contrast to the per- centage (62.50%) of respon- dents who indicated that li- Tasks Performed by Library Staff Using Computer Resources of Responding Libraries Task Utilizing Computer Resources* Circulation Cataloging Budgeting/accounting Word processing E-mail No. of Libraries Reporting Performance of This Task by Staff 5 14 4 12 5 brary computer resources *More than one task could be indicated by respondents. were being used by patrons to Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries 327 TABLEtS a pattern in all libraries re- sponding to the survey. Such an emphasis was to be expected of libraries where no less than 45 percent of their user populations are tribal members and the cur- Tasks Performed by Patrons Using Library Computer Resources of Responding Libraries Task Utilizing Library Computer Resources * Number of Libraries Reporting Performance of This Task by Patrons riculum is infused with tribal cultural elements. To find periodical articles 5 8 Services were perhaps the · To find books or audiovisual materials in this library To find books or audiovisual materials in other libraries To word process To use computer games To use computer educational packages 10 11 5 4 most at variance with tra- ditional academic libraries. The philosophy of these tribally controlled colleges reflects their integration with, and dedication to the improvement of, the tribal community at large. This inclusiveness extends to li- *More than one task could be indicated by respondents. brary services. Delivering materials directly to off-campus users and providing other public library services, managing tribal records, and serving as archival centers were some of the more common roles performed by the tribal col- lege libraries. However, given the empha- sis in college missions on preservation of culture and language, the authors antici- pated that archival functions would be performed by a larger percentage of re- spondents than was indicated by this study. However, the most likely explana- tion for this lack of involvement with ar- chives could lie in the small number of staff members, or could simply be that no tribal or college archives exist. It might also be attributed to the unavailability of dedicated funding, a need for grantsman- ship, a lack of staff training, or other limi- tations ubiquitous to small academic li- braries. It also is possible that archival and records management functions were be- ing performed by other entities within the academic or tribal institutions. At the time of this study, networking through computers was just beginning to appear in these tribally controlled college libraries, although this is expected to change rapidly given the format of avail- able information resources and the expan- sion of the "information highway." Tribal libraries in Montana, for example, have joined other college libraries in the state and formed a group called Outreach Montana Networked Information (OMNI), which seeks to share networks in order to link databases, college cata- logs, and other library resources. 17 It remains to be seen what overall ef- feet recent technological developments, such as the rapidly expanding use of the Internet, will have on tribal colleges and their library users. Its use and that of CD- Delivering materials directly to off- campus users and providing other public library services, managing tribal records, and serving as archival centers were some of the more common roles performed by the tribal college libraries. ROM technology can have a significant impact on sparse print collections by of- fering access to additional resources both on and off campus. Given the environments reported in the surveys, it is clear that most of the tribal college libraries will be struggling 328 College & Research Libraries for some time to match the collections, fa- cilities, and staffing levels made possible by annual budgets provided by state leg- islatures to their sister institutions. Tribes that must rely on often unpredictable fed- eral funding and grantsmanship are at a distinct disadvantage in planning for fur- ther development of their campuses, in- cluding library facilities and services. It is evident that tribal college admin- istrators are determined to overcome the circumstances that impede their institu- tions' progress, and are succeeding in their efforts to provide postsecondary educational opportunities for their own people. Also clear to the authors of this study is the fact that these colleges will continue to shape their own paradigm for survival, melding classic educational pro- grams with tribal culture. This study provided some preliminary data describing the tribally controlled college libraries. As with most studies, however, it raised almost as many ques- tions as it answered. Questions yet to be explored include, but are not limited to: • How many of the graduate-degree- holding directors have degrees from. ALA-accredited programs? Of those who do not, what degrees do they hold, and where have they obtained library and in- formation studies courses? Can the trend toward offering distance education pro- grams by many library schools positively affect library personnel likely to be em- ployed in these colleges? • Who serves on the advisory commit- tees/library boards of these libraries? Given the broad-based academic missions of the colleges, it is expected that member- ship is more inclusive than faculty and stu- dents. What role do tribal members or ad- ministrators play in library operations? • Other than Indian and tribal mate- rials, are there other areas of collection strengths in these academic libraries? How are newer technologies being uti- lized in collection development? • How much interest do these librar- ies have in performing archival, preser- July 1996 vation, and records management func- tions? And, if the interest is there, how might implementation of these functions be facilitated? What staffing and training needs are unmet in these areas? • Given that there is evidence of working relationships already in exist- ence between some state libraries and the tribal college libraries, what roles are the state libraries filling for these libraries? • What effect will changes in federal legislation have on tribal access to mon- ies formerly·earmarked for them through the LSCA, Title IV? In the future, it is likely that any such money will be di- rected to state libraries, and tribes will have to compete with other public librar- ies for funds. In the past, tribes have not fared well in similar situations, and are viewed as a "federal responsibility" by some state library administrators, which absolves any perception of responsibility · for serving tribal libraries. • What impact will the the new land- grant status have on the development of library resources and services? Will this status result in a more stable funding base? Obviously, many questions have yet to be answered. However, the data cannot be divorced from the contextual realities of tribal people designing . their own in- stitutions to address their educational needs. This vision is best summarized in the Cheyenne River Community College catalog, which states: "The college truly believes that the reservation is the cam- pus .... " 18 This statement reflects a holis- tic philosophy of integration deeply en- trenched within Native American com- munities. Not only are they perpetuating cherished legacies, they are fostering an intellectual climate reflective of Indian values and providing opportunities for tribal members to acquire skills necessary for ensuring the viability of Native Ameri- can people in the twenty-first century. As a vital part of both their college and tribal communities, tribal college libraries are a paradigm for educational and cultural survival. Tribally Controlled Community College Libraries 329 Notes 1. American Indian Higher Education Consortium brochure (Washington, D.C.: American Indian Higher Education Consortium, 1995). 2. Scott Jaschik, "President Clinton Signs Law Making 29 Tribal Colleges Land-Grant Institu- tions," Chronicle of Higher Education (Nov. 9, 1994): A32. 3. NACIE Newsletter 11 (Dec. 1994): 4. 4. Ibid. 5. Bay Mills Community Col]ege Catalog (Brimley, Mich.: Bay Mills Community College, 1994- 96), 2. 6. Fort Belknap College Catalog (Harlem, Mont.: Fort Belknap College, 1994-95), 4. 7. Fort Berthold Community College Catalog (New Town, N .D.: Fort Berthold Community Col- lege, 1994-95), 7. 8. James F. Hill, Tribal Colleges: A Success Story, 1994, ERIC doc. no. ED 370-623, 2. 9. Lionel R. Bordeaux, "This Is the Way It Must Be," Tribal College 2 (fall1990): 8; quoted in James F. Hill, Tribal Colleges: A Success Story, 2. 10. Wayne Stein, "Tribal Colleges: A Success Story," New Directions for Community Colleges 20 (winter 1992): 91. 11. Hill, Tribal Colleges, 6. 12. AIHEC brochure. 13. Federal Register 40, no. 172 (Sept. 4, 1995): 40983. 14. Senate, Report 103-104: Land Grant Status for Certain Indian Colleges (Nov. 9, 1995), 3. 15. Senate Committee on Indian Affairs, Equity in Educational Land Grand Status Act of 1993, 103rd Cong., 1st session, Nov. 18, 1993. S1345 Hearing, 73. 16. Hill, Tribal Colleges, 13. · 17. Montana Indian Tribal Libraries Group Newsletter 1 (summer 1994): 7. 18. Cheyenne River Community College Catalog (Eagle Butte, S.D.: Cheyenne River Community College, 1993-95): 4. Join ACRL in Nashville! April11-14, 1997 Be a presenter Presenters needed for poster sessions and roundtable discussions. Choose from Attend preconferences Practical workshops for creating skills to these five theme tracks: partnerships ~~~~~/{f and competition; changing work, ' roles, and organizations; so- cial responsibility, equity, and diversity; funding; "choose your future" on topics sucb as fundraising, buildings, and electronic collections; case studies on how librar- learning. Get the complete "Call for Participation" in the Janu- ary 1996 C&RL News or at http:/ /www.ala.org/acrl.html. Share ideas Stimulating discussions on topics of critical importance to the future of academic librarianshi p. ians are creating their futures. Meet colleagues Networking opportunities and roundtable discussions. Get state-of-the-art information on J> new products and services. Local tours See the Grand Ole Opry-and more. Keep up with the latest on ACRL's conference plans! Participate in the dialogue of the future of academic librarians via the Web. Point your Web browser to: http://www.ala.org/acrl.html. Registration materials will be mailed to ACRL members in September 1996. To be added to the mailing list contact Darlena Davis at (800) 545-2433, ext. 2519 or ddavis@ala.org Reality Blackwell's unified US & UK buying provides comprehensive approval coverage of English language scholarly publications. Reality Blackwell's professional bibliographers deliver a consistently higher level of bibliographic control for the entire range ofEnglish language titles. Reality Blackwell pioneered coordinated US & UK Internet/Web accessible tools providing better resources to meet the needs of modern libraries. Blackwell's Preferred Edition provides the REALITY of complete English language approval services. Second in a series from BLACKWELL