Reflection

I had a great time meeting both Marilee and John. Some community college have very small or sad libraries. It's great seeing a community college really embrace the library and support it's role. They offer a lot to their students and faculty. I though it was very interesting to hear that students are not checking out eBooks. I was very surprised by that considering we are a on-demand culture. The blogging experience was fun and a good experience.

Circulation desk

This is a photo of the circulation desk where students check out materials.

This is the back of the circulation desk area. In the back on the shelves are where a lot of materials are kept for classroom instruction. 

Student Art

This isn't technology related but the library purchases student art and then decorates the library with it. I love that they support the art students and give them space to show their work.

Furniture and Lighting

Lots of tables for students to spread out and work.

Compfy chairs like these can be found tucked away in nook around the library

Lots of natural light comes in from high windows in the library.

Technology in the Library

Photo of the computer lab in the library

One of the adaptive computer stations. It has a larger screen, trackball, adjustable table, and adaptive keyboard.

One of two enlarging stations. Students put a book or magazine under the screen and it projects an enlarged image.

This is the scanner that will read materials to students after they have scanned it.

Copiers in the library.

This charging station for phones is one way the library is trying to address the demands on electrical sockets.

Picture of the viewing area

The viewing area has TVs, VCRs, and Blu-ray players for students.

Antique book collection in the library

Photo of the antique book collection in the library.

Interview with a Librarian

This is a photo of the reference desk area where Marilee Stach spends the majority of her time.
Marilee Stach is a full time academic librarian for the college. I asked Marilee the following questions.

-Is there an acceptable use policy?

They do not have a traditional acceptable use policy. They go by the campus policy and they have posted the ALA acceptable use computer policy by the computers.

-Are there eBook readers available for checkout?

No.

-Are there enough electrical outlets?

Yes, but just barely. They are getting close to not enough.

-Does the library sign out DVDs/CDs/Software?

Yes, some DVDs can be checked out out but some can only be viewed in the library or are reserved for classes. CDs can be checked out and some books can be borrowed that come with software.

-Are there downloads of eBooks, iFlicks, MP3s, and books on tape?

No MP3s and books on tape. There are downloads of eBooks but students are not checking them out. Students say it is too inconvenient for research and studying purposes. I have to agree with that, it is easier to flip open a book then try to load it onto a eReader. The librarians have had some problems with the eBook publishers. Because of rights issues and subscriptions books will disappear leaving the catalog with dead links. It's hard for the librarians to keep up with the dead links and track what is no longer available. What has been very popular with professors and students are the Alexander Street instructional videos. Students can watch videos covering a specific academic subject anytime from the libraries website. These videos have gone over really well with nursing and other medical program students. The library has been able to reduce the budget for DVDs and focus more on these streaming subject videos.

-Is there a need to educate students about technology at the college level?

Yes, there is a mix of technological knowledge in the student body. Some students need basic help  with things like email, others just database usage. Some students have questions about Word or Excel. The library staff have created videos to educate students on how to use some of the databases like Academic Search Premier.

-How much is proportionately from the budget is spent on tech/databases/CDs/DVDs/software/eBooks?

Marilee was not able to give exact amounts or numbers, but she was able to give me a brief rundown of the budget percentages.
36% Databases     15% eBooks     2.5% DVDs     46.5% physical books

-Who manages the social networking?

The librarians take turns on social media. Marilee usually handles Facebook posts but someone else handles Twitter.

-Is the staff trained to do basic troubleshooting?

They tend to pick it up on the job. Marilee said they would like more IT training from the IT department.

-Is there a wheelchair accessible computer or other adaptive technology?

Yes there are two wheelchair accessible computers in the library. These computers feature larger screens and special keyboards for individuals with visual impairment. The height of those computer desks can also be adjusted and there are trackballs instead of traditional mice.. The library also has two enlarging projectors. Students can enlarge a magazine or book and view it on the device's screen. For students with severe visual impairment they have a device that will scan a book or magazine and then read it to the student.

-Does the library have enough space for all the tech?

Enough for now. However, the library needs more computer stations and another lab for students. They would like to be able to offer computers for video editing.

-How has the library addressed ergonomics?

They have newer ergonomic chairs at the computer stations. There is lots of natural light coming in from the high widows as well.

-Can students or community members check out any technology?

Yes, there is a LCD projector and some flip cameras.

-Does the library provide a special service or unique collection?

Yes, there is an archive and archivist in the library. Alumni will sometimes come in looking for information. The library also has a special collection of plastic body parts and skeletons for the medical classes. They have the nervous system, skulls, eyeballs, and whole skeletons.  There is a small antique book collection in the library. They also have microscopes and slides of rocks for some of the science students.

Library Technology Coordinator

This is the back room of the library where the technology magic happens. John Wohlers is the library technology coordinator for the college and handles all the technology. His desk is in the far back area of the photo. As you can see there is a lot going on here, this area is really the backbone of technology at the library. John handles most of the maintenance, troubleshooting, and repair of technology at the library. He also manages the libraries website.

Here are the questions I asked him for the interview

-What types of tec are available to staff and students?

Multiple computers, scanners, photocopiers, printers, databases with remote access, Blu-ray players, VCRs, DVD players, TVs for viewing materials, live chat with librarians, social media, interlibrary loan, electronic delivery of articles, and microfilm readers.  They library is currently in the process of acquiring maker kits for 3-d printing classes.

-How many computers are there for staff and students?

There are 16 computers for staff and 34 computers for students.

-What kind of software is available to staff and students?

Staff and students both have Microsoft office software such as Word, Excel, Powerpoint, Chrome, and Firefox.  Staff have some software for cataloging, circulation, and interlibrary loan.

-Does the library use any cload based services?

Yes, all the research databases are cloud based. The libraries video technology is moving to cloud/Youtube. The library also uses Enterprise systems for their library catalog and the library is using Sirsidynix blue cloud suite. Students and staff also use Google Drive cloud services.

-What kind of security does the library use for materials?

The library uses magnetic tape from 3M. They are currently vetting vendors for the purchase of a RFID system to be implemented over the next 3-8 months.

-Security software or filters on library computers?

The college's IT department uses Sophos so that is on all computers. There is no filtering on the internet only computers in the library. There is a computer lab inside the library and those computers do have filtering as the software is installed by the IT department. Librarian Marilee Stach added that the library has little control over what goes on the computers as it is decided by the IT department. Blocked websites can be unblocked as they have had to do for some human sexuality classes that needed access to websites about sexual deviance.

-Does the library accept E-Funding?

No, but the library does belong to a consortium so they get discounts on database services.

-What type of automated circulation system does the library use?

They use Sirsidynix symphony. They are beta testers for the company and actually get to give input. Some of the things they have requested have been added as well.

-What are some of the technological issues at the library?

They have had some printing issues with students printing out vast amounts of paper and jamming the machines. They have also had database issues. Vendors will change the interface of the databases in the middle of the semester. Librarians are instructing students on how to use the databases and then without warning it changes. This creates a lot of confusion for students. Also, the IT department will make changes to the firewall without letting the library know. Sometimes half of the libraries services will go down because of that. Sometimes students cannot access databases from home as well. They have had some long talks with the IT department about how changes impact library services.

-John told that he and another employee the interlibrary loan specialist had created software for the library. The software automated the interlibrary loan process reducing errors and data issues. The software works with Worldcat and the libraries system. They have shared the software with Sirsidynix who are planing on integrating it into their circulation system. I asked John why they didn't want to market and sell the software themselves. They did not want the college to have to deal some legal issues that might come up. Also, the college would then have to support the software. They felt it was better for a company that has the resources to run with it.

Waubonsee Community College Academic Library

For my blog visit I am visiting a community college academic library. I interviewed two people for the blog John Wohlers, the library technology coordinator and academic librarian Marilee Stach. John was able to answer some of the more techy questions and Marilee provided the perspective of a librarian on technology. I interviewed John on 10/28 and Marilee on 11/4.

The location of the college on a map

Check out the college's location on a map. You can see the distance from Chicago and the Google reviews people have posted.

https://library.waubonsee.edu/  Check out the library website here.