The College Library
The College library started in July 1999 with only a handful of books, and grew slowly at first. It now has approximately 35,000 books, is open about 40 hours a week and is staffed by a librarian, a cataloguer. and a library assistant.
This steep growth of the library has been largely due to the generosity of our donors, who enabled the library to purchase much needed books and equipment such as shelving, a book security system, furniture, student computers and electronic databases. In addition, the library received large donations of books from various American universities.
The library stock is concentrated on the subject fields taught at St Augustine College, namely, philosophy, theology, applied ethics, culture and education, and religious education and pastoral theology. The library has also grown in certain select subject fields such as leadership (especially business and political leadership), reconciliation, conflict resolution, democracy, Catholic social teaching, human rights, globalisation, land issues, poverty, black empowerment, job creation, economic justice and ethnography and more recently, the area of African studies.
The journal collection is small but relevant. The library receives 27 journals by way of exchange for the College's own journal, St Augustine Papers, thus expanding the journal collection from both local and international sources. In addition a further 30 titles are subscribed to.
Students make full use of the library during term times or postgraduate lecture weeks, and those living nearby use the library at other times as well. The library is open throughout the year apart from the break when the College is closed in December. Limited access to the library is also allowed to outside users.
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