Nicholas Hong
The University of California Santa Barbara’s library provides a vast number of resources to help students succeed in their academics, but all of these resources would not be accessible if not for the librarians and staff employees who work meticulously to satisfy each student’s needs. Although quite a few students come to the library for the quietness in order to do work, the library has many services that visitors can utilize.
“I enjoy the library because of all of its resources it has to offer, and it also lets me be in the zone when I need to focus,” said Parviz Mansoori, a third-year transfer student who majors in economics and accounting.
The library has up to 20 working staff members that all have multiple jobs in order to keep the library maintained. In order to better complete these jobs, the librarians are sorted into several categories; a librarian in each category offers something a little different. There are subject librarians, who specialize in certain fields such as engineering, English or math. These librarians mostly help students who have questions specific to their major. Serial librarians work on up-to-date links and subscription changes for the UCSB library’s website, ensuring that all information is current and obtainable.
The UCSB’s library website is also a useful way to find more information pertaining to a specific major. Search under “subject and course guide,” and a full list of majors will be shown. For those students who come to the library to get research done through books and computers, librarian Kristen LaBonte teaches a course called Introduction to Library Research. This course helps students to evaluate information and use the right Internet sources. This class is recommended for freshmen who are inexperienced in finding the right sources.
Librarians are always willing to help students. If they are not teaching a class or helping out a student, the librarians can be found at the reference desk waiting for students to come ask questions. Librarians are not the only employees at the library; there are student staff members as well. If they are not cataloging books and journals, the students will gladly answer questions too. In the case of desperate times when a student needs to ask a librarian a question while the library is closed, librarians are still available for contact; librarians can always be reached at www.questionpoint.org. This website allows students to have online chats with librarians 24 hours a day and seven days a week. This service is in place to help students when a burning question needs to be answered promptly.
Librarians are here to help guide and attend to the students, and they want students to succeed.
“My job is ever-changing; I am constantly on my toes and have a sense of fulfillment with my involvement on campus,” LaBonte said. Utilizing the provided resources and facilities on campus can ease a student’s burden during a stressful quarter. The library is a student’s companion and a safe haven, and so are the employees who work there.
Photo Courtesy of gingerobot