More Than Just A Quiet Place

“Knowledge Promotes More Questions.”
Stuart Rosselet, chair, of the department of the library and library services.

By Cheyenne Horien

Google. It’s a college student’s best friend. No matter the assignment, anything you need to know is just milliseconds away, thanks to the search engine’s increasingly fast key-word based hunts. However, with faster speed comes new problems. Reliability becomes an issue. Multiple sources become an issue. Advertisements become an issue. While the benefits of using the Internet as a resource may at first glance seem to be the more convenient option, are there benefits offered at our campus library that outweigh the Internet?

Perhaps.

One such benefit comes from the staff, who are there for “helping people sift through information,” according to Stuart Rosselet, the Chair of the Department of the Library and Library Services. Linda Sutherland, Government Publications and Processing Technician, agrees, adding, “The librarians’ main focus is on providing reference services to our students, either individually or in groups. They (librarians) have years of experience in this capacity.” And having a trained helping hand is just one of the features that will cut down your search time.

Sitting in the heart of campus, the A.C Clark Library offers a location where students can find peace and quiet, away from all the distractions a dorm room can have. “People like the space,” said Rosselet. “They like the convenience of where we’re located.” Besides study space, the library offers one of the most-used computer labs on campus. Rosselet added that since the library was supplied with brand new computers this past summer, there has recently been an increase in students' use of the library.

One of the most important benefits the library offers that the Internet does not, according to Sutherland, is “one-on-one research instruction, whether it involves printed material, microforms or on-line materials.” The hands-on, face-to-face approach is something that the Internet just cannot compete with.

If you’re still not convinced that the library is more convenient than search engines, simply sign onto the library’s homepage and begin your search using the online catalogs, research guides, online resources and more. As of Jan. 3, 2011, the library’s new Web site is available. According to the Web site, it has been redesigned with the hopes “that the new design will allow you to more quickly locate and access the resources you’ve grown accustomed to using." The library extends to more than just its physical location, allowing users to browse through a multitude of other universities libraries' online resources as well.

Besides having 14, 461 items checked out over the 2008-2009 school year, the library sees approximately 577 people in and out of it’s doors a day during the academic year. A busy campus staple, the A.C. Clark Library is available to help you on your educational journey. As Rosselet put it, “Knowledge promotes more questions.”


The A.C. Clark Library, located in the heart of campus.

      

The Reference Desk, home to faculty willing to help narrow your search.

Click here for a look at the library's new Web site: http://www.bemidjistate.edu/library/