St. Thomas of Villanova Libraries |  San Sebastian College-Recoletos de Cavite  | Mla.-Cavite Road, Sta. Cruz, Cavite City, Philippines 4100

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The St. Thomas of Villanova Libraries consist of a Main Library, High School Library, Grade School Library, Graduate School Library and Instructional Media Centers which provides resources, facilities and services for the whole academic community.

History

In April 1966, the Augustinian Recollect Fathers of San Sebastian College- Manila founded San Sebastian Junior College-Recoletos, later known as San Sebastian  College-Recoletos de Cavite, Incorporated. A school library was established with a substantial number of books. Later, books were purchased and others were donated.

The Libraries

The Libraries >>   Main Library   |  High School Library    | Grade School Library   | Instructional Media Centers  

The year 1968 saw a big change in management of the school library. A third floor room was assigned for the library in the three-storey building. The enrollment kept on growing and so with the buildings, the library was then transferred to the first floor occupying two big rooms. A big number of books have since been acquired. More improvements were made like the installation of air-conditioning units and additions of more furniture and equipments.

In the year 1989, with a marked increase in its book collection due to bigger enrollment and frequent purchases and donations received, the library has to undergone a major change that is the separation of the High School Library from the College Library. The High School Library was then transferred to the third floor and full renovation of the College Library was made creating different sections like technical, periodicals, reference, Filipiniana, general circulating books area. Also, in that year, the Instructional Media Center was also organized.

As the college population redoubled and the offering of new programs necessitated for the construction of a five-storey building in order to accommodate the increasing student populations. On October 1996, the High School Library was transferred then to the Saint Ezekiel Moreno Building and on the same month, the school provided a new and separate High School Audio Visual Room (AVR). Then, on, January 1998 the College Library was also transferred at the 2nd Floor of the newly constructed Sts. Ezequiel and Monica Buildings and the Instructional Media Center at the 3rd Floor of Sta. Monica Building with a separate audio-visual room.  

In 2003, the Library purchased library automation software called Athena. Thus give way to full automation of all library transactions: automated circulation; bar-coded collection, on-line cataloging; On-line Public Access Catalog (OPAC); automated inventory system and making research activities easier and more challenging. This technological innovation made a great impact in the operation of the Library and changing thereby its direction, which is geared towards excellence in service provision and of providing timely and updated information in diverse formats to the academic community.

Then in 2004, SSC-R de Cavite made another landmark in the City of Cavite by constructing the SSC-R de Cavite-Cañacao Campus building for its basic education program. With this, the High School Library was then transferred in the Second Floor (Central Area) while the Grade School Library is strategically located on the Ground Floor (Left Wing) and the Instructional Media Center (Right Wing) at the Third Floor of the Cañacao Campus building.

On May 2006, the Main Library has undergone a series of renovation and expansion which now can accommodate about 400 clients at a time with over 25,000 volumes of books and bound periodicals on record, 460 theses, feasibility studies and position papers, and almost 500 items of audiovisual materials and a good collection of non-book/supplementary materials such as pamphlets, brochures and clippings.

On August 31, 2007 the School Board unanimously approved the proposal of renaming the Recoletos de Cavite Libraries to St. Thomas of Villanova Libraries and was inaugurated on November 26, 2007. The renaming of Library is a fitting tribute to St. Thomas for his promotion of studies and missions in the Order of Saint Augustine, and for his love and care for the poor.

The Library continuously made available a collection across traditional formats such as books and periodicals, to multi-media and on-line tools and information sources, with all necessary equipment to use them. The Libraries is also accessible in the world-wide-web and maintains a directory of web resources through its Cyberlibrary, which provides links to hundreds of websites chosen, and organized by librarians.

Photo Credits: L. Arenas, R. Doneza & SSCRdC Public Relations Office