"A program has access to physical resources and facilities that are sufficient to the accomplishment of its objectives. Physical facilities provide a functional learning environment for students and faculty; enhance the opportunities for research, teaching, service, consultation, and communication; and promote efficient and effective administratiion of the school's program, regardless of the forms or locations of delivery. "	Manning Hall contains a number of meeting rooms, offices, and project areas that together provide a functional learning and collaborative environment, although space is cramped and rapidly becoming less adequate. All full time faculty currently have individual offices, that provide quiet space for meetings with students and conducting individual research, but we are unable to provide such space for adjunct faculty, visiting professors, or doctoral students who are teaching classes. Seven classrooms are available; in practice, only four are extensively used. One is a very auditorium and scheduled by the registrar primarily for large undergraduate classes; another is our combination seminar/meeting room; a third is a very small room that is now scheduled by the registrar and so frequently occupied by classes from other departments. As we add more classes (and project even more with the planned undergraduate program), competition for classroom space becomes keen. Classrooms with computer facilities greatly expand the teaching options available to faculty, allowing instructors to present lectures that incorporate slides, web pages, and participative learning experiences. Most faculty now take advantage of these and other classroom resources to create class web pages and multimedia class presentations. They often assign multimedia projects. Two ATN permanently dedicated videoconferencing facilities also provide opportunities to collaborate in the classroom and on projects with students and colleagues at other universities. Doctoral students require larger facilities that are less removed from the rest of the School. They are currently located on the 6th floor of the library stacks. As many teach undergraduate students, it is important to provide accessible private spaces where they can consult with students as well as work on their research.
"Instructional and research facilities and services for meeting the needs of students and faculty include access to library and multimedia resources and services, computer and other information technologies, accommodations for independent study, and media production facilities."	SILS Information and Technology Resource Center includes state-of-the-art library and technology resources in one setting. The classroom and lab space support hands-on instruction, practice, and learning. Lab space contains more than 50 Dell PC's as well as printers and projection equipment. Two machines are set up as scanning stations and two as CD-R and video capture stations. The ITRC is open 82 hours a week and can be used by students for both independent work and for collaborative exercises. Lab space for students is minimally adequate if no class is being taught in the lab classroom. When it is, heavy competition for machines occurs. The addition of more undergraduate classes will add further burdens on the lab. The student lounge is tiny and cramped. A make-shift lounge area was created behind a busy workroom in the main office for staff. Faculty have no lounge area and often regret the lack of a place for easy exchange of ideas. The Interaction Design Laboratory (IDL) provides meeting space and computer facilities for students and faculty concentrating on research on human computer interaction. Located on the 4th floor of the SILS library stack area (an area without windows and with poor ventilation), the lab houses ten computers in two small labs suitable for independent research work and group research projects. Many faculty manage research projects -- some of substantial complexity. With the exception of the IDL, no research project space is available to faculty. When faculty direct a funded project that often involves the use of specialized equipment and the hiring of additional staff, there are no facilities to support their needs. Only one room is available for committee work, research project meetings, faculty meetings, meeting with alumni, practicitioners and employer groups. Occasionally the room is scheduled for a seminar class which means even less availability for meetings concerned with administrative, research, or service activities.
"The staff and the services provided for a program by libraries, media centers, and information technology facilities, as well as all other support facilities, are sufficient for the level of use required and specialized to the degree needed. These facilities are appropriately staffed, convenient, accessible to the disabled, and available when needed, regardless of forms or locations of delivery of the school's program."	The SILS library collection includes over 86,000 volumes. The reading room provides tables and study areas for 40 students to work in groups or individually. It also contains the Susan Steinfirst Children's Book collection, a reference collection, and six CS-ROM workstations. These resources provide faculty, staff, and students with access to the latest journals and monographs related to their research, teaching and professional interests. The librarian is well regarded by faculty. She makes every attempt to involve faculty in collection decisions. She also serves as a member of the Master's Committee and the Information Technology. The library is also supported by a second full time staff member and a varying number of student assistants. In addition to its collection space on four stack floors, it provides space for a workroom, the librarian's office, and workspace for the library technical assistant. Office space is adequate, but neither the collection space nor the workroom are adequate. Students and faculty have access to a wide variety of inline indexes/databases through the SILS library and the university library system. NC-LIVE provides a gateway to a rich array of electronic resources, many of which are full text. In addition, all the computers in the SILS library and faculty offices provide access to serial resources specific to library science, including Library Literature,LISA, and ERIC. Some of the advantages and shortcomings of the information technology laboratory are addressed above in relation to physical facilities. In terms of staff support, although the directors are knowledgeable and helpful, the scope of resource help required and the number of hours in which the lab is open mean that it is often staffed with student assistants who may not be able to answer student questions. The wide range of research interests of the faculty also make it difficult for the small support staff to be supportive of all their needs. A new elevator was installed a few years back to address access for the disabled (the older elevator was often out of service for periods of time). Wider doors for the library and lab were also installed as part of a major renovation to these facilties three years ago.
"The school's planning and evaluation process includes review of the adequacy of access to physical resources and facilities for the delivery of a program. Within applicable institutional policies, faculty, staff, students, and others are involved in the evaluation process."	The adequacy of access to physical materials and facilities has been included in recent SILS faculty, alumni, and student surveys. The faculty survey included questions concerning the adequacy of the space available for offices, graduate assistants, and research (see Appendix DD: Faculty Survey of Physical Resources and Technology). The student survey solicited comments on the strengths of SILS facilities and services (see Appendix L: Survey of Current Students). Results of these surveys have been analyzed and discussed by the Information Technology Committee and the faculty as whole. In addition to these activities, the new dean evaluated the current security system and had the building completely rekeyed. She also was instrumental in some refurbishing of the premises and the provision of new office furniture, and the new lounge area for the staff.

Revised 10/25/99