Concorde Staff
This week, across the country, communities, primary schools and colleges celebrate National Library Week!
It's a time to reflect on how the libraries have helped us transform in more educated, well-read folks and offer space for those same outlets to spotlight new resources and happenings they have to offer.
At Concorde, we call our libraries "Learning Resource Centers (LRC)." Offering more than just books, our LRCs are a mecca that our students use from day one of their time with us.
"There is so much information available in the library," said Jean Thornblom, Learning Resource Center Coordinator at our Concorde-San Antonio campus. "The library was writer Ray Bradbury's favorite place. I love that Albert Einstein said, 'Never memorize something that you can look up.' He would have gone wild online."
Have you taken advantage of these resources at Concorde?
1. Inter-library Loan Program (IIL) - Looking for a title that would seal the deal on a project or research paper but bummed to find that it isn't on campus? We've got you covered!
If our own campus LRC collection doesn't have a particular book title, the LRC Coordinator can borrow it from another library for a student or faculty member to use. Say you can only find an abstract of a journal article in the databases. We can have the complete article sent to us through this service-either as a photocopy or an emailed PDF.
Obviously, we don't have a drone system quite yet, so if you are interested in finding a book or article, give yourself plenty of time to allow materials to travel between the two locations.
2. Gale/Cengage Databases - "Students have access to 10 online databases full of up-to-date trustworthy information through GALE/Cengage online," points out Concorde - Orlando LRC coordinator Sherida Wagner.
"The key there being trustworthy information! When doing research students should definitely use the Gale databases more often instead of going to Google and Yahoo," Thornblom encourages, "Using Gale, one is searching from among professionally-written, reliable sources, such as reference books, journals, and fact-sheets."
3. Your LRC Coordinators - It might seem obvious that a resource in the LRC would be those that are there day-in and day-out, but you may be surprised all that they can offer!
"I emphasize to our students that they are my number one priority," said Thornblom. "I'm interrupt-able; I want them to let me know if there's any way I might help them. I can help them with doing research, making PowerPoint presentations, writing resumes & cover letters, overcoming CSS, Canvas, and TG difficulties, troubleshooting computer problems, and more."
More than just a resource room
"The LRC is not just a place to find books or resources. It's also a place to focus," Barry Parks, Concorde-Memphis' LRC reminds students, "We provide a quiet environment with computer access where students can work on their class projects without being distracted by the world outside."
"Additionally, we're open when students are on campus, so our services are available both day and evening. Benefiting from what the LRC offers relies simply on the student's willingness to take advantage of what's available. Concorde's Learning Resources Centers can truly offer almost everything a traditional library can offer-just steps away, right here on our campus," said Parks.
We'd love to hear from you! What's been your favorite find at our LRC?
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