LINCOLN – Those who are on the lookout for a good book sale should keep an eye on the Lincoln Learning Resource Center.
The Lincoln LRC will be purging its stacks of approximately 80 percent of its books and other printed materials.
The learning resource centers on all three campuses have been adding digital content and Internet databases for many years, but the weeding out of printed materials in the Lincoln LRC is a significant step.
The digital LRC will include a library with its content stored and distributed predominantly in digital format instead of traditional print media, providing some obvious conveniences in storage and access.
Lincoln campus LRC Director Jo Shimmin commented, “It provides good possibilities for our resources…providing e-books as well as other electronic resources.”
More than a year ago a committee of SCC administrators, faculty and library staff met to discuss changes to the LRC.
The decision to make this move follows more than a year of discussion and trips SCC to Iowa Western Community College, where this setup is currently in place.
President Jack Huck and members of the committee felt that a digital LRC should be the direction SCC should move towards.
The SCC Challenge had an opportunity to speak to Iowa Western’s Resource Librarian, Ellen Van Waart, who elaborated on the finer points of a digital library.
“Both the digital and the traditional library provide access to information resources,” she began.
“The digital library has the advantage of providing many more resources and being available 24/7 wherever a student can access the Internet.”
She continued, noting that Iowa Western’s international students do not have to be present to obtain the material in question.
Van Waart commented on the excitement and advantages of the digital library.
“We have more remote access to our online databases than on-campus use,” she observed, “so I believe students are using our resources and find the accessibility helpful.”
She continued, “The digital library allows us to level the playing field for all the students we serve in a 13 county district with one main campus and four regional centers,” noting that the feasibility of five traditional libraries in each location was financially unattainable.
Shimmin concurred with Van Waart, noting that it was more accessible. “We’re currently looking for new digital materials to replace older print materials,” Shimmin said.
One database for nursing has already been added, and more will be added after the beginning of July.
While the change has met with positive feedback, there have been some challenges as well.
“A disadvantage of the digital library is that users may not have a fast Internet connection or may not have good navigation skills online,” Van Waart noted.
Shimmin also noted that there is a “change in thinking.” She commented that her staff will have to re-learn the location of text that they had become so familiar with. “You know the book, what you’re looking for…it’s kind of hard to go to the computer to find it,” she said.
“Some faculty and very few students yearn for the look and feel of print materials,” Van Waart suggested. “It is an emotional attachment we all have to the idea of a traditional library and print materials,” she finished.
This change might also affect the LRC’s employees as well. Van Waart noted that her job has made some changes, citing that she has to “make sure all students and faculty feel comfortable with the new way to access information.”
In the past, the Lincoln LRC disposed of older books by selling them for ten cents to students or faculty interested in them. “Students get first pick,” Shimmin noted.
A larger book sale is scheduled for after the summer break.
As for a planned completion date, “There isn’t an exact timeline,” Shimmin noted. “We’re still having problems working out the technology and bugs.”