There is more change in the library than what meets the eye.
Not only have the stairs gotten a makeover, but the media room will undergo future changes and there is a new search engine that has been installed exclusively for Sinclair Community College students.
The Library’s once glass stairs now are completely wooden. The glass steps had been around since early 2006 and lasted four years before any damage had been done to them.
Library Director Doug Kaylor explained that at some point something fell and broke a part of the previous glass stairs.
“We don’t really know how it happened, we just know that we came in one morning in October of 2010 after the weekend and saw that something had broken the glass,” said Kaylor.
Temporary fixes to cover the broken stairs had been taken before deciding to bring in the new wooden ones. “It would have cost $19,000 to replace the one damaged piece of the glass (landing),” said Kaylor. “[Replacing them] with new wooden stairs was an affordable, reasonable and good solution.”
The overall cost of the renovation to the Library’s stairs was approximately $150,000 according to Woody Woodruff, Director of facilities management.
One student weighed the pros and cons of the renovation.
“[I] Never considered the feeling of safety on the old stairs, I enjoyed the glass steps much more, but the wooden steps are certainly pleasing to the eye,” said Psychology major Frank Louis.
In addition, the media room in the library is a place that will eventually be undergoing some changes. Once used as a room to watch videotapes, they are now considering being changed into a study area; if needed, classes could meet and reserve the space.
Labeling of pillars in the upstairs balcony of the Library to a study zone is also a change that is hoping to make students study time easier than before.
“We will watch closely the ebb and flow that semesters will bring. It doesn’t change what we do, it adds educated guess work,” Kaylor said.
Another change in the library is the single point of search created for many different databases within the library. Libsearch, which is the main point of access for finding the information you need as a college student, can be compared to Google. It can be used to search images, articles, books, streaming video and even audio.
“Libsearch makes better use of all the content we have,” said Librarian Debra Oswald.
The successful component in Libsearch is that it brings 70 different databases that Sinclair has subscribed to one single place. “It’s a one stop single point of search for many different databases,” said Kaylor.
The trick to being able to use Libsearch to its full potential is in knowing exactly what a student is looking for. This new search engine adds a critical thinking component. The more specific a student is when searching for information, the better the results will be.
“You don’t have to decide where to search, just how to,” said Oswald.
Being more specific in the search benefits the student and causes them to really dig deep into what they are looking for. “The goal is not to drive them crazy, but make them successful as a student,” said Kaylor.
To use Libsearch or to get help, contact library personnel. For more information visit: http://www.sinclair.edu/facilities/library/ and start searching today.