Going to the Library Has New Meaning

Kalamazoo Valley libraries have adapted to the changing needs of college students. There is no doubt that the advancement of technology has changed a library’s purpose and use.

Kalamazoo Valley libraries aim to:
• Provide access to innovative and traditional information resources
• Support teaching, learning and research success
• Foster an inviting user-friendly environment
“We’ve all had to adapt with the times,” said Kalamazoo Valley Director of Libraries, Mark Walters who has more than 15 years of library experience and recently finished his Master of Library Science degree from Kent State University.

While nothing compares to visiting the open space on the Texas Township Campus or the convenience of the Arcadia Commons Campus library, the days of self-containment have come and gone. Libraries are not just about books and journals anymore,” Walters explains. He remembers a time when students didn’t email their professors and waiting for an article to come from another library was a common practice.

“It’s completely different now,” said Walters. More and more students rely on email for communication and online assets for research. “Libraries are good at acting as a filter to help students find information and to help them think about the perspective of a source and how to determine credibility,” Walters said.

Kalamazoo Valley libraries offer 24/7 online “Ask a Librarian Chat” for all types of questions. It also offers help with citation, which includes NoodleTools citation software. With Kalamazoo Valley libraries, students have access to articles, research databases and libguides at their fingertips. “Libguides provide pathways for patrons to find resources that they need, and resources that they may have not even been aware of,” Walters explained. “All of these are ways to use the library in addition to coming in and talking to a librarian.”

“We can offer so much more now,” Walters said. “Libraries are a link in the chain between faculty and students.”

Kalamazoo Valley assists instructors with teaching proper research skills. Many resources are available for faculty which include instructional classroom sessions, the library classroom and course reserves. Instructors can place items like textbooks or videos on reserve for their students for limited loan periods. For general borrowing, students and staff can borrow up to 15 items for three weeks and have the option to renew these checkouts up to two times.

The Kalamazoo Valley library collection includes more than 3,000 DVDs and music CDs, 57,000+ print books, 138,000+ E-Books, 90+ online databases with access to full text articles and streaming videos, and 135+ print magazines, journals, and newspapers.

In conjunction with faculty, the libraries have developed film and AV equipment to support course curricula. The library also plans to grow the collection of materials related to vocational fields of study like automotive and culinary. In the Culinary and Allied Health Building on the Bronson Healthy Living Campus a collection of cook books and recipes may soon turn into its own library.

Technology may be the way of the future but there will always be a need for a physical library. “Part of the challenge is being selective about what to digitize and what to put on the shelves,” Walters said. “Digital preservation can be expensive and you lose something each time you migrate information from one format to another.” Walters explained that keeping a book in an appropriate space can be the best way to preserve the information, rather than using digital preservation, which may not be compatible in the future. “What makes Kalamazoo Valley’s libraries unique are the librarians and the support staff that work here. They all have great institutional knowledge and their connections and ability to collaborate with different departments is amazing,” said Walters.

For more information about library hours or services visit www.kvcc.edu/library. Both libraries have made accommodations related to accessibility including a print enlarger, JAWS screen reading software and wheelchair accessibility.