We’ve all had to visit the library at some point during our college career.
The imposing West Campus building houses classrooms, offices, and the only Starbucks within walking distance of our dorms. Aside from those necessities, the library also has more computers and printers than any other building on the West side of campus. So, when you need to print a paper but can’t figure out the residence halls’s new wireless printing network, or if your laptop suddenly self-destructs (like mine did a few weeks ago), the library is the place to be. Other than that, you probably don’t ever feel like you need to use the library, unless you have a class, right? Well, you might want to rethink that. The Maxwell Library is actually full of useful resources for the stressed-out college student in all of us, and I’m not just talking about the availability of a caramel latte.
Here are a few things you probably didn’t know about BSU’s library…
1.) You can “like” the Clement C. Maxwell Library on Facebook!
Follow this page and stay informed about everything going on at the library. From special events like readings and lectures, to surveys, to new additions to the facility, you’ll find posts about it all on here! You can even use Facebook’s “check-in” feature to let your friends know when you’re studying!
Just like we’re the blog for the Rondileau Campus Center, this blog is for everything to do with the library, research, and databases! It’s updated about once a week with a post about the library itself, or a link to a particularly interesting new scholarly article!
3.) If you have any questions, Ask a Librarian…online!
Using this form, you can ask one of the Maxwell’s librarians just about anything related to academics, research, or the use of the library’s collection. They can help you find information for a paper, point you in the direction of the right database for your topic, and help you sort through unreliable sources to help you find something to hinge your argument on. Just select a topic from the drop down menu (they have an option for every academic department!), type out your question in the box, and wait for help to arrive! You can even specify when you need the information by, just in case a crisis pops up at the last minute and you need speedy service!
4.) If they don’t have what you’re looking for….request it!
We all know that if you find a book or article you need in the catalog of another library, you can request it through inter-library loan and have it delivered right to the Maxwell. (They taught us how to do that in our first-year writing class, remember?) But, if you come across something that you really think the library ought to have on its shelves, a book, video, or anything else, then you can submit this form and request that the library acquire it.
5.) There’s more than just computers and printers!
You might know that there’s also a color printer on the first floor of the library…but did you know that there are scanners? Photocopiers? Media computers with Photoshop Elements? Your projects and presentations suddenly have the potential to be a lot cooler.
6.) BOOKS!
Yes, whether you’ve noticed it or not, the library contains a truly impressive number of BOOKS. In fact, back in the dark days before the Internet, that was the primary function of a college library, housing books for students to use in their studies. Today, you might think that there’s nothing you can’t find on the internet, and if it’s not on the internet it’s not worth knowing. But books, when you think about it, really do still have a place in our academics…or at least they should!
Need something to read on a snow day (or, you know, during a hurricane)? The library has everything from Harry Potter to Neil Gaiman to James Patterson and Nicholas Sparks. And you can borrow them for FREE with you BSU connect card. How’s that for a deal?
How often do YOU visit the Maxwell Library? Do you take advantage of any of these services?
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