Thursday, February 12, 2015
The Library of the Month is a celebration of Wisconsin libraries compiled by the BadgerLink team.
The Western Library serves a small population of students but that doesn't mean that the library is quiet and empty. The Western Library collaborates with other organizations to promote collections and programs. Some of Western’s partners include Veteran’s Services, the Multicultural Center, Violence Prevention & Student Advocacy, Health Science Center (a partnership with UW-La Crosse), and Diesel & Heavy Equipment Center. The partnerships and outreach programs are paying off and during this Fall term the library had 40,000 people come to the library--which is an amazing number because enrollment at Western is about 5,000.
When students visit the library, they can and use technology like netbooks, digital cameras, and laptops. Providing these materials levels the playing field so all students have equal access to the tools needed to succeed. Also available are instruction sessions covering a variety of topics. Additionally, the Western baseball team players and their coaches have participated in a variety of team activities at the library. From library instruction sessions on doing research and developing time management skills, to weekly study halls, Western ball players continue to further their education. During the Fall term alone, Western Library hosted 50 library instruction sessions reaching about 1000 students, 1/5th of the student body.
Internally, Western staff use and promote BadgerLink resources through instruction sessions. Western staffs have created pathfinders to assist students use resources. Sam Wood, a reference librarian at Western, says “we are very happy with the selection of databases.” Students use search features, like the Super Search, to find recent articles for research projects, business plans, speeches, essays, and a variety of academic and personal purposes.