Pierce’s library has resources and help available that students may not be aware of, alongside major improvements over the old library in many ways.
The new library opened April 10 of this year in the middle of a semester. It now has much more in the way of space, computers and study areas, along with staff who are happy to help and answer any questions students may have.
Associate Professor of Library Science Paula Paggi, who is also chair of the library department, encourages students to come in to ask for help with research and finding books, or even to relax during breaks between classes.
“We’re averaging 4,000 students a day using the library – double what the old library had,” Paggi said.
The new library holds a total of 8,000 books in the stacks, as well as 2,800 available for online reading on the new website.
“We revamped our website with the opening of the new library,” Paggi said.
The new website has a massive amount of resources available for students. Online books, subject guides, online versions of articles and various publications, as well as 24/7 help from trained library professionals are available for use.
Teachers seem to be appreciative of the new library’s space and resources as well. Denise Robb, professor of political science, says her students definitely use the library after an orientation they were given by the librarians.
“I love the new library; it’s beautiful,” Robb said. “It’s more of a meeting and social area.”
Students who haven’t had the orientation may not know of the depth and breadth of the resources available, as well as how receptive the staff are in the library, Robb said.
“I don’t think they’re aware of how much the librarians are there to help,” she said. “Almost every student raised their hand and said they had no idea about most of the stuff they learned in orientation.”
The librarians offer this orientation to all staff before the beginning of the semester, according to Robb. Professors just need to fill out some forms to sign up for it.
Students as a whole seem to have a positive view of the new library, even if there are varying amounts of students who take full advantage of the resources available.
Rafael Aguilar, a 17-year-old freshman at Pierce, has used the research aids and checked out textbooks for classes.
“The new library is nice,” Aguilar said.
The library is open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 9 a.m. to 3 p.m. on Fridays.
The Pierce College Library by the numbers:
approx. 100,000 books available online that students can access from any computer
75,000 books available in the stacks
4,000 students use the library daily
111 computers in a separate lab with Microsoft office 2010, Internet connection, printing in both black and white or color. SPSS, a statics software for students and Chem ST. for students taking chemistry.
26 steps on the staircase that lead to the LLC
20 reference computers with Microsoft office 2010, Internet connection, printing in both black and white or color
8 study rooms that students can rent out for two hours a time with their Pierce ID
