By Kathleen E. Smith MLIS, Director Seabury Learning Center, and Former President, SLA Southern California Chapter
I started as the Director of the Seabury Learning Resource Center (LRC) at the Southern California University of Health Sciences (SCU) on August 1, 2008 and my first impression of the LRC was that it needed to be brighter. My second impression after walking around and just looking at the physical collection was that an inventory was needed to weed outdated or non-curricular materials, identify where we needed to build up collections, and then shift, shift, shift. Oh, our LRC-staff aching backs!
The first big opportunity came when the LRC student photocopiers were relocated, the former printer room was ready for its close up, oh I mean clear up. The microfiche equipment, 1,000,000+ fiche cards and cabinets were retired because fiche equipment is notoriously unreliable and the copies are equally bad. Tables have been reworked; study carrels and a video station have been added. Thanks to Student Katy Grant – a beautiful Asian-inspired mural was painted on the west, outfacing wall. The mural set a bright, new tone for the LRC main rooms.
Taking our cue from the new mural, Linda Horat, Library Assistant, and I have been moving and adding artwork to all our public spaces. A new student-use plastic skeleton was purchased and our human skeleton and the study spines were better displayed for student use. Over last summer and into the fall, outdated materials were discarded. SCU’s online databases enabled us to clear one of the 3 standing ranges in the main area – the books there were the precursor to Pub Med. And isn’t Pub Med easier to use, and definitely easier to lift, than 100+ large volumes of the Cumulated Index Medicus?
And as the shelving is being cleared – there is indeed a plan to replace, update and upgrade all the book collections as needed.
I got a lot of questions last fall about the dumpsters that were filled/replaced daily in front of the LRC. With the advice of the LRC Committee (faculty, student rep and LRC staff) the decision was made to cull the Bound Journal collection. The LRC now keeps the most recent 10 years for most journals. We verified that articles from the discarded journals could be acquired through DOCLINE, and we’re lucky to have so many research libraries in Southern California that hold back issues of our discarded titles.
As we have already combed the journals, so has the staff been reviewing the other physical collections. The Reserve Book Collection was one of the first review stops for Linda and me. Outdated, superseded, no longer used class texts or too many multiples of each title were pulled, stored for a while and then either discarded or integrated into the General Collection. We’re working with the Colleges and the Business Office to ensure that the LRC has the current textbooks. With Reserves, the LRC is still catching-up. Many new titles have been purchased, but it’s still a work in progress.
Francine Biscardi, our evening Librarian, has reviewed every, single book one-by-one in the Reference, Career Development and General collections. She has the patience of a saint! Francine is evaluating each item for currency, authority, condition, etc. When in doubt, faculty members in that subject area have been consulted before the final keep/discard decision was made. Linda and I have been keeping busy too. We went through every storage closet, locked door or hidey-hole in the building looking for Stuff, and wow what we found! The LRC now has a small audio book collection, videotapes (both VHS & DVD) and a small software collection. All these materials are available for loan. We also found some the artwork now displayed - hidden in storage. Calculators, bone sets, acupuncture models, and the AOM herb set have all been cataloged (librarian for inventoried) and are now searchable in the every-day, more accurate
LRC Catalog.
The Computer Lab hasn’t been ignored. It’s even got some Art! Even better, all the chairs were replaced during the August 2009 Break. The rolling chairs were all either dead or dangerous – so out. Sled chairs have been bought in, and we’re trying for an updated, more matchy-matchy feel.
The Academic Support Area/Tutoring Rooms also got mini-makeovers. Each tutoring area has a new whiteboard and tutoring supplies such as texts, markers and especially whiteboard erasers. New charts & a stand were added as well as artwork. Samaneh Sadri, our Learning Specialist/Counselor moved from this area into the reconfigured LRC Conference Room to be more accessible to students. Her former office is now Tutor Area 4/LRC Conference Room and a meeting room for a student club. The ASC is a pretty busy place all week. Although I’ve noticed some tutors and their students prefer our new study rooms.
Many thanks are due to Jerry Bauer and the Facilities Guys! With their help, the LRC carved out 3 new, private Student Study Rooms/Area from a former small storage room, staff kitchen and unused sink area (another Break project). By moving around existing furniture, pulling from Facilities’ storage and Big Lots – we were able to furnish these rooms and get them open quickly. The rooms are in heavy demand for really, quiet work with good outlet access for student laptops.
And the LRC’s Circulation Desk is now a big, green & bamboo thing right as you come into the LRC. It got a major facelift (paint, wallpaper & reconditioning) during the April 2009 break – it’s no longer pink. Sam Sadri, Linda, Harvey Wong (Dual student, LRC work study) and I enjoyed 2 weeks of HGTV-influenced fun over break. I’m rather proud of it – who knew you could paint laminate! I had gotten a vendor estimate of $12,000 to relaminate the desk, but we can better use that kind of money. Did you also see that the Big, Noisy, Pink Rolling Shelves disappeared over the Aug. 2009 Break….. The Facilities Guys moved around some, now empty shelving units and voila! Now you can see every title we’ve got in Reserve – it’s a cleaner look and a better use of space.
Of course my appreciation goes out to my staff, the Facilities Guys, our brave LRC work studies (who have dusted & waxed all the shelving in the building each Break) and everyone else who has assisted us for their help and patience. I’ve got a couple of news idea to try – how about cutting down some of the standing stacks. As you can tell, the LRC is still in a state of Updating, a work-in-progress.
