[Focus] 7
the telescope
Student Jon Campbell receives assistance on a book search from librarian Laurel Moran on Aug. 30 at the library (Joan Daugbjerg/The Telescope)
Library stacked with helpful resources The staff is eager and willing to help, the students just need to ask for it ANDREW TER VEEN THE TELESCOPE
Put simply, Palomar Librarian Katherine Gannett wants to help you. “We really want people to ask for help,” said Gannett, the Administrative Manager for the Palomar College Library. As the library’s manager, Gannet encourages students and faculty alike to re-examine how the school’s primary media resource center can help them with their academic work. New programs, resources and technology have helped the library to adapt to 21st Century standards, while also allowing the center to maintain its large collection of standard information systems, such as microfilm, periodicals, and of course, its large collection of both fiction and nonfiction texts. In order to promote and supply these varied technologies, though, Gannet said she wants students to know about the library’s less-publicized asset; the staff. Research over the past 25 years has discovered a phenomenon known as ‘Library Anxiety,’ first recognized by Constance Mellon in 1986. The phenomenon is not uncommon to college students across the globe; it’s described as a sense of fear, discomfort and shame regarding libraries and any interaction with those who work in them. Gannett said she is keenly aware of the concept, and wants to help alleviate the symptoms among Palomar’s students as the library continues to expand its available resources and offer new programs. Her efforts seem to have made an impact with at least one student; Sandra Mora, 20, is a Fire Technology major, with a hefty class load of 24 units. She’s only just begun using the library this semester, but last spring, “I would come one to three times a week,” Mora said. “The people here are always very helpful, very nice.” Melissa-Michele Laws, 18, is a more frequent patron of the library, and seems quite satisfied with Gannett’s work. “I’m here [at Palomar] four days
a week and I come here almost every day,” she said. Laws is an English major, and while she normally uses the library mainly for the free computer access, abundant shade, and copious air conditioning, when she did need a book, she had the following experience. “It took me 15 minutes to find a book, and a lady took me right to it, and I was like, ‘You’re dope!’” One of the most popular new programs to come to the library is the recent expansion of instructor reserved textbooks for students over the past two years. Thanks to a grant from the Palomar College Foundation President’s Associates and the Leichtag Family Foundation, the library has been able to purchase several extra copies of required texts for most classes. The textbooks are available for students to study from while in the library, rather than forcing students to purchase the expensive books themselves. While instructors and professors have been placing texts on reserve for their students for years, the extra funding has made it substantially easier for students to get affordable, easy access to the books they need. Other new or expanded programs can be found among the library’s five general areas: the ground floor is home to the Tutoring Center, which assists students with more than 100 different courses by enlisting the aid of students who have first-hand experience with those courses. The same floor houses the Academic Technology center, which assists students with computer and other technology issues. The second floor is where students can find the Reference desk, for help in locating research materials. It sits near the Circulation desk, which assists students with checking out books and other materials. The library’s third floor is occupied almost entirely by the StudyArea,where the intently studious can work in silence throughout the library’s hours of operation. Each of these five departments are fully staffed during the library’s
business hours, Monday through Thursday, 8 a.m. to 9 p.m., Friday 8 a.m. to 4 p.m., and on Saturdays from 9 a.m. to 1 p.m. Contact Andrew ter Veen, staff writer, at aterveen@the-telescope.com
Library Hours Monday- Thursday: 8 a.m.-9 p.m. Friday: 8 a.m. -4 p.m. Saturday: 9 a.m.- 1 p.m. Sunday: Closed