2008 Woodie Awards
Library at BC is not being used by students, says staff
Eli Calderon
Issue date: 2/7/07 Section: Features
- Page 1 of 1
The Grace Van Dyke Library houses over 70,000 books, subscribes to several different online periodicals, and offers a wide collection of microfilm and fiche magazines.
However, a number of students on campus have never been in the library.
"I've never actually used the facilities in there," says business major Zach Pittser.
There are also several students who are not aware of the services offered at the library. "Well, I've used the couches to take a nap on," offers Eddie Gonzales, also a business major.
When asked about the major problem students encounter when conducting research, librarian Marci Lingo said students sometimes make the assumption they can find everything on the internet as well as not having the skills to use other forms of research.
"Students have trouble adapting to different databases available," added Lingo.
Another mistake students make, Lingo said, is often times students perceive the library as a public library and are disappointed not to find popular works. "Our purpose is not the same; it's specifically for BC curriculum. We target our population,"according to Lingo.
Lingo, who has been at Bakersfield College since 1983 and a librarian since 2003, also teaches English 34, a one unit, eight-week course. Although it is not a requirement, English 34 covers the basics of using the library for college level research.
"I gained a lot of useful information," says nursing student Laura Nobella, about the class. Nobella also said since taking the class she has been better able to use the services offered at the library.
In addition to the one unit course, there are eight one-hour workshops offered at the library to help students familiarize themselves with college research tools. The workshops began this February and go through March 30.
The subjects covered range from finding books at the library, effective internet searching, research strategies, and others like examining the ethical issues of using information such as plagiarism.
One of the new additions to the Grace Van Dyke Library will be the congressional papers of former U.S. Congressman Bill Thomas.
Also, in October, thanks to a generous donation from Delores Serro, the Library will be able to host bestselling author Luis Rodriguez.
However, a number of students on campus have never been in the library.
"I've never actually used the facilities in there," says business major Zach Pittser.
There are also several students who are not aware of the services offered at the library. "Well, I've used the couches to take a nap on," offers Eddie Gonzales, also a business major.
When asked about the major problem students encounter when conducting research, librarian Marci Lingo said students sometimes make the assumption they can find everything on the internet as well as not having the skills to use other forms of research.
"Students have trouble adapting to different databases available," added Lingo.
Another mistake students make, Lingo said, is often times students perceive the library as a public library and are disappointed not to find popular works. "Our purpose is not the same; it's specifically for BC curriculum. We target our population,"according to Lingo.
Lingo, who has been at Bakersfield College since 1983 and a librarian since 2003, also teaches English 34, a one unit, eight-week course. Although it is not a requirement, English 34 covers the basics of using the library for college level research.
"I gained a lot of useful information," says nursing student Laura Nobella, about the class. Nobella also said since taking the class she has been better able to use the services offered at the library.
In addition to the one unit course, there are eight one-hour workshops offered at the library to help students familiarize themselves with college research tools. The workshops began this February and go through March 30.
The subjects covered range from finding books at the library, effective internet searching, research strategies, and others like examining the ethical issues of using information such as plagiarism.
One of the new additions to the Grace Van Dyke Library will be the congressional papers of former U.S. Congressman Bill Thomas.
Also, in October, thanks to a generous donation from Delores Serro, the Library will be able to host bestselling author Luis Rodriguez.
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