UMR library: it has more than just comfortable couches

By: Adam Hart

Posted: 11/3/05

"The average student doesn't know what all that the library has to offer," says Andy Stewart, director of UMR's library. He just returned from a 1-year stint in Iraq, and I think he is right, which is why I set out to find out exactly what the library has to offer to the students here at UMR.

I'll start by talking about some of the common things you can do at the library. They have multiple study rooms available on the third floor. They're quiet, cozy, and you can definitely catch a good nap if you need to up there. Additionally, they have rooms that can be reserved, which will accommodate 10-20 people. The library is open from 8 a.m. to midnight 7 days a week, save for 7 major holidays when they close. If you want, you can even have a pizza delivered to the library. They allow food and drink throughout the building, which is nice, considering most public libraries do not.

The multimedia area, which is to the left when you first enter the building, is something that I never see a lot of students using when I come in. I was surprised when it was described to me as better than Kinko's for what you can do with the machines. You can print posters up to 42 inches in width and then scan in that same poster with the high-resolution scanner. The scanner uses such a high resolution, I was told, that some of the larger items like maps could not even be opened in Photoshop due to the file size constraints. There are also laminating machines, microfilm readers, and printers. The library has an extensive collection of microfilm on hand, including the New York Times dating back to the 1850's, so if you wanted to you could find out what was the news for the day during the Civil War or maybe the Great Depression. Furthermore, the area is going through an extensive upgrading process. A new Mac G5 will be in place soon and installed with Adobe's Creative Suite, and the most widely used professional video editing software, Final Cut Pro. Don't get any ideas, you amateur porn stars...

Along those same lines, the library is also going through a reorganization process with its journals and magazines. Eventually, you will be able to find the magazines and journals right next to the books they are relevant to. So say you wanted to find something on the physical decay of a dead human body, for reasons not to be discussed here. You would be able to find all the journals and books on this matter in one place, saving you a great deal of time. In addition to the reorganization of the journals, the library has also managed to increase their popular fiction books to four full bookshelves' worth.

If you've ever been to the second floor, you have probably noticed the bank of computers. There are now quite a few more because they managed to double the amount available for student use. Sprint has also donated 4 computers for public use located on the first floor. When I asked about how many local residents make use of these and the rest of the library, I was told it was steady amount.

As for the actual available resources the library has for research and reading, they are almost limitless. If you aren't sure where to start, a good place to begin is at http://campus.umr.edu/library/tutorial/. This site will allow you to get an idea of how best to extract the information you need from the huge amount available to you. I did not know this, but you can also sign up for their Research Assistance Program (RAP), which allows you to enlist the help of a professional reference librarian. He or she will help you get started with your research by giving you a report on where best to start looking for the information you need.

As for some statistics, there are over 23,000 titles available on-line through the eBrary service, which is free and contains varied subjects from stock market analysis to the Iraq war. For those interested in computers, there are 1,800+ technical books online, which can be accessed through the library's home page. For upper-level students doing extensive research, there are over 50 different searchable journal databases online. These would normally cost an exorbitant amount of money, but through a university coalition with the other state universities, they are free to students.

The library does not only hold books, it is also home to KUMR, the university's public radio station, as well as the Missouri Western Historical Society and the University Archives. The Missouri Western Historical Society is where you would go if you need any genealogical information, while the Archives house all the documents concerning the history of the university.

There are many more facets to what the library has to offer, so I can't possibly cover everything in this article. I would simply suggest that you start online at the library homepage and if you ever have a question, come in and talk to one of the librarians; they would be more than happy to help you. That's what they are there for.

On a final note, I would like to thank Andy Stewart for taking time out his schedule to talk with me, Chris Jocius for his extensive overview of the library, and Jane Driber for the walk-around tour.