Quiet as a Tomb? Not a chance!

An October 9 article in LBCC’s Viking, “New Library Offers Earful,” reviewed the challenges facing students seeking a quiet place to study on campus. Traditionally, that has been the library. Students who had a home or roommate situation that was distracting or disruptive, making it hard for them to focus on research, have depended upon the library for respite and refuge. As acknowledged in the Viking article, this situation has changed.

Today’s academic library no longer is a place of total quiet. The tomblike atmosphere the prevailed at college and university libraries during most of the last century no longer is the expectation, nor is it practical. Modern library buildings are designed to accommodate a broad range of research activity and a variety of study styles.

• Computer workstations have a prominent role in the research and study, and their numbers and visibility have increased steadily over the years.

• Students need and expect to work together collaboratively, to be able to carry on conversations with one another or in groups as they prepare for a presentation or project while using library information resources.

• Reference librarians need to be able to confer with students at the reference desk or at their workstation to provide advice and assistance, facilitating the research process.

But besides being places where conversation and collaboration are welcome, libraries need to continue to offer spaces that respect and accommodate individual student needs for quiet and concentration. As LBCC builds its new library, and as CSULB completes its building renovation, there has been extensive planning to insure adequate space for both group and individual study.

During construction of the new library building, when the library has been temporarily relocated to building E, with other services housed in trailers, space is very limited. There are 27 seats for those not using computer workstations in the temporary library site. In the foyer and corridor outside this space there are 34 additional seats at tables and cubicles.

In building E there really is no place where absolute quiet can be provided. The library, with its service desks and many computer workstations, is a place where foot traffic, conversation, and noise from keyboards, copiers, and printers will occur. The foyer and corridor area of the building E basement, though still a thoroughfare for students entering and leaving the library, is somewhat shielded from other sources of distraction, and for now offers the best chance of satisfying a student’s desire for quiet study conditions.

We apologize for this temporary period of disruption and inconvenience, the inevitable consequence of embarking upon a major building project. We want to assure the campus community that today’s less than ideal conditions will be displaced by a beautiful and functional library facility in 2009.

For more information contact: Kim Barclay, LBCC Libraries Department Head kbarclay@lbcc.edu

Library Update #47

Need Help with Research… RIGHT NOW ?

The library’s ready when you are.

As they balance work, study, and family responsibilities today’s students often find that there’s no convenient time to go to the library as they prepare for a paper or presentation. An LBCC librarian can provide expert advice about:

• The best sources of information on a research topic
• A plan for conducting a search for information, evaluating the information that’s retrieved, and organizing and synthesizing it
• How to choose and use research databases available through the library website

Great, you say, but my paper’s due Monday, and I don’t get off work Saturday until 5. Not to worry. The library’s got you covered. Just point your browser to the “Ask a Librarian” page. You’ll find five different options there for getting the help you need at any time of the day or night: from e-mail, to live chat, to instant messaging.

Find the answers you need when you need them, thanks to LBCC library.

For more information contact: Monica White, mwhite@lbcc.edu

Library Update #46

New Content and Features for African-American History Online

The Library’s African-American History Online database has just become a richer, more functional tool for scholarly research. Many new records and powerful features were added, including 70 historical videos, more than 60 new images, 70 new or updated maps, graphs, and tables, plus helpful new search and page options. The introduction of video into the database promises to make the study of history more visual and accessible for all learning levels. The African American Video Gallery includes footage of civil rights protests and marches, as well as historic videos of Martin Luther King, Jr. and Malcolm X. In another sequence, Marian Anderson is seen in performance at the Lincoln Memorial.

New graphic enhancements include a Tuskeegee Airman War Bonds Poster (1943) and data on the proportions of white, black, and Hispanic populations that are incarcerated (2006). And now search results can be sorted into two categories: “Biographies” and “Events and Topics” to make it easier to locate desired citations.


For more information contact: Nenita Buenaventura at nbuenaventura@lbcc.edu

Library Update #45

Where are they?

Many people are asking about the current whereabouts of programs and departments formerly located in Building L. A list of current locations follows:

• Career and Job Placement Center - Building E (College Center), First Floor
• Faculty Professional Development - W107 and W104
• Faculty Resource Center - Trailer TV
• Instructional Technology Student Center - Trailer TT
• Learning Assistance Services - Basement of Building E (College Center)
• Library - Basement of Building E (College Center )
• Library Media and Periodicals - Trailer TU
• Multimedia Equipment Services - Building B, Room 103
• Open Access Computer Lab. - Basement of Building E (College Center)
• Reading Classrooms - Building B, Rooms 301A and 301B
• Reading Program - Trailer TS

Note: Trailers TS, TT, TU, and TV are located in the quad in front of (east of) Building L.

New Computers in our Temporary Location

On Monday, June 4th, 2007 the library will be relocating to the basement of the E building. We are happy to inform you that we will have all brand new computers in our research center area for student use. Be sure to stop by our new location and visit the library!

Relocation of Videos and Periodicals

Look for instructional videos and print periodicals in Trailer TU, located in front of Building L in the LAC quad. While Building L is remodeled, a project which is slated to be completed in December, 2009, some instructional videos and periodicals from 2006-7 will be relocated to Trailer TU.

May 31, 2007—LAC Library moves to Building E

On Thursday, May 31, 2007, the LAC Library will temporarily relocate to the basement of Building E during the remodeling of Building L. This project is expected to be completed by December, 2009.

Both the LAC and PCC Libraries will re-open on June 4 for the summer session.