Today’s college library isn’t all about the books
With so much
online, OSU-Cascades pared down its collection
There’s
private study rooms, access to online academic journals and a librarian on hand
to help you find what you need.
What’s
missing: The stacks and stacks of books.
When
OSU-Cascades asked students what they wanted out of their college library, they
said a quiet place to study or work in small groups. Less important to them
were the actual books.
So,
when the new OSU-Cascades campus on Chandler Avenue opens later this month, it
won’t have a traditional library. Instead there will be what’s dubbed the
“learning commons,” which will house tutoring services, computers, study space
and a small collection of books.
“Since
we are doing so much with this one building, Tykeson Hall, we had to be
incredibly efficient with the footprint,” said librarian Sara Thompson.
The
building has offices, classrooms, science labs and a computer lab. Next door,
the dining hall and student housing are still under construction.
While
it was on the campus of Central Oregon Community College, OSU-Cascades shared
COCC’s library. There OSU-Cascades had about 5,000 books, some that were
donated when the branch first opened, and some that were duplicates sent over
from the main Oregon State University campus in Corvallis.
But
not every book was being used. The ones that had been checked out at least five
times in the past few years made the move to the new campus; that was about 500
books. Ones that had not been checked out as often stayed behind.
The
learning commons also contains a collection of textbooks and materials that
will be used in courses this term. And OSU-Cascades students have access to
Oregon State’s online collection of ebooks, databases and academic journals.
They
can also request books be sent to Bend from The Valley Library on the Corvallis
campus and from dozens of other college libraries in the region thanks to an
interlibrary agreement. Thompson is looking into the possibility of a similar
agreement with the Deschutes Public Library system.
This
model — small collection on site, access to information online or materials off
site — is common, said Irene Herold, president of the Association of College
and Research Libraries and university librarian at the University of Hawaii at
Manoa.
“It’s
not a new trend, and it’s definitely something that many institutions do when
they open a branch campus, thinking deliberately how to maximize resources,”
she said.
It’s
not just new libraries thinking this way. The Valley Library has moved some of
its collection off site to make room for meeting and study spaces. University
Librarian Faye Chadwell estimates 90 percent of new materials the library buys
now are digital.
“I
would say students still need a library space; it just has a different purpose
now,” Chadwell said.
That
includes having a librarian on hand to help students find, verify and properly
cite information online.
“A
lot of what librarians, especially at small campuses, do is focus on
information literacy skills,” Herold said. “That’s the key. Without that I
think it would be a large study hall.”
Thompson,
the OSU-Cascades librarian, said the next phase of building on campus could add
more library space, but even then it might not include more books.
“So
much of library work is technology-driven. Do we need a maker space, a digital
lab?” she said, noting other libraries have cameras, tablets, even 3-D printers
for patrons to use. “It’s a little bit of hurry up and wait and see.”
Source | http://www.bendbulletin.com/localstate/4641770-151/todays-college-library-isnt-all-about-the-books
Regards
Pralhad Jadhav
Senior Manager @ Library
Khaitan & Co
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