It has been a great pleasure to serve our community since the Fall of 2005. In that time, the library has experienced some dramatics shifts and I would like to honor those across campus - students, faculty, administrators, staff - who have supported us and have been an advocate for our services. In particular, the faculty who bring their classes to the library and/or send students our direction. It is an exciting time and it is my opinion that the current library staff is of the highest caliber and in the Fall we will welcome another new librarian.
So, a big THANK YOU goes out to all those supporters and advocates.
If you have not visited us lately, you may be surprised by the changed environment and energy. In addition, the library web site has become a portal for us to interact with students, faculty, and staff through blogging, wikis, and instant messaging. We have hosted poetry readings, Diversity Dialogues, and the Day of the Dead exhibit. Despite the high demand for electronic resources, other changes include the dramatic increase in physical library visitors. The numbers below represent the counter on one of our two entrances.
February 2006 - 29,613
February 2007 - 51,599
February 2008 - 64,307
We've gone from an average of 1,480 per day to an average of 3,062 per day. Some may think it is simply because we have a coffee shop in the library, but according to Food Services, they sell only 100 drinks per day. The math just does not reflect this assumption! In fact, a recent non-scientific survey found 59% of students stated the number one reason for coming to the library was for study/research; computer access taking another 28%. We are stunned and thrilled by this change in culture.
Come by. Tell us what you need, even if you think it is impossible.
With sincere gratitude.
Comments (1)
I love the library!! It would be great if the cafe was open on Sunday!
Posted by Allie | April 14, 2008 2:38 PM
Posted on April 14, 2008 14:38