GCC Library does what "wimpy internet" can't

Posted on September 24, 2008
September 24, 2008

Think libraries are dark rooms with stern librarians guarding dusty books, where research is done by mad scientists, and Google's the place to find information? Check out the GCC Library's new video "commercial" on YouTube (available on the Library website at gcc.mass.edu/library). Starring a GCC student stressed by a class assignment and librarians "on a mission," the video will make you laugh out loud. Far from the stuffy stereotypes, GCC's librarians are friendly guides to the vast amount of information available through the GCC Library, including books available from libraries all over western Massachusetts, over 60 databases of newspaper, magazine and academic journal articles, and more.

Don't have time to go to the Library? No problem. You can call, email, visit the GCC Library website, or live chat with a GCC reference librarian. he Library's new ALEX (Ask a Librarian EXpert) live chat service can even be used by texting from a cell phone. Or, you can walk in the door of the Library on the fourth floor of the North Wing and talk in person to a librarian.

Can't make it to the Library to meet a librarian? The librarians are taking the Library's resources to the people. This year, librarians with laptops will hold "office hours" from 11am. to 1pm. on Wednesdays at the Café in the East Building on the Main Campus, and from 11am. to 1pm. on Tuesdays at the GCC Downtown Center on Main Street. Students, faculty, and staff are welcome to stop by to get help finding information.

Need more than a quick answer?  Students can sign up for half-hour individual consultations with a librarian to find resources they need to write papers or complete projects.  Faculty and staff can request similar consultations for their own research, or for assistance linking Library resources to their Blackboard course website or designing assignments that help develop students' information literacy skills. Faculty can bring classes to Library instructional sessions customized to meet the classes' needs.

GCC librarians have been busy helping students since before the fall semester began. During new student orientation, GCC librarians presented a library orientation workshop and met with students at the resource fair, handing out Library cards. They held "Library Boot Camp" sessions during the first two weeks of the semester to help students and faculty learn about the available resources.

As the video "commercial" says, GCC's Library can do what the "wimpy internet" can't. Google and other common online search engines won't find many of the resources available through GCC's Library, especially academic journal articles and books useful for student and faculty research. GCC librarians are eager to demystify the notion of research. Everyone conducts "research" everyday – looking up a phone number, finding a recipe in a cookbook, or looking at a map to find a friend's new house. Finding information for a class paper is very similar, except instead of looking in a cookbook or phonebook, the researcher uses a database of journal articles. The process is similar, the tools are different.

Ellen Carey, Library Co-Coordinator, points out that "GCC librarians do more than help people find information, we help them evaluate the information they find." Is the information accurate and from a trustworthy source? How do you properly cite information sources when writing a college paper? Whatever subject someone is studying, learning how to find and evaluate information is a core part of a college education. Just like the stressed-out student star of the video "commercial," GCC students are fortunate to have a team of librarians and a wide array of resources to help them meet their specific educational goals.

Need information? Skip Google, use the GCC Library.

Reach the librarians by:

Fall semester Library hours are Monday-Thursday, 8am. - 8:30pm., Friday, 8am. - 5pm., and Saturday, 10am. - 4pm.