As the semester progresses into the usual grind of pre-Thanksgiving tests and papers, the DeWitt Learning Commons, known as the LC to students, bustles with students grabbing a cup of coffee or running around looking for research books. But tucked away in their own corner are the librarians: Anne Mead, Greta Grond and Douglas Firth Anderson.
They are a hidden source among the many resources the library offers during this hectic time. Each librarian is available for individual research sessions to go over citations, sources or simply to brainstorm about your research topic. They are all equipped to cover any topic you need help with.
“We know the collections well, know tips and tricks for searching in catalogs and databases, and know how to access materials even when a roadblock has been thrown in the way,” said Grond, the LC director.
Each librarian is more than willing to work with any schedule or project to help a student.
“A meeting with a librarian is very informal,” said Mead, senior reference and information literacy librarian.
Their offices have plenty of extra seating meant specifically for this purpose.
The librarians can be found in their offices or online through the LC website. On the website, there is an option to “Meet with a Librarian” or “Email the Library” that will allow you direct access to these valuable sources.
Also on their page is the option to search for sources directly. Any word or phrase can be typed in to find articles, journals, videos and more related to the topic you need. The sources range from online to in print from a library. But that doesn’t always mean the LC.
The librarians offer an interlibrary loan program with countless other libraries around the country.
“If DeWitt doesn’t have it, we will work hard to get an article or book for you,” Grond said.
These loans usually take two to three days for a book to come in, so make sure to plan ahead if you choose this option.
But they help with more than just research sources.
“We help students with many different kinds of assignments such as finding a peer-reviewed journal article, finding a young adult novel for an education class, locating a particular film or music score, working with Christian Story students in using Bible commentaries or helping a Spanish student find a Spanish novel.”
The librarians are there for anything and everything you need.
When not in meetings with students, they lead sessions on research or how to use certain citation sites. Each year, First Year Seminar students attend a session on information literacy to help with their annotated bibliographies. Christian Story I students go through their own session on how to use biblical dictionaries and commentaries. Nursing students receive help with their senior literature reviews.
“The research session at the PLC was helpful. I was not aware that we had such a wide range of journals available,” said freshman Lydia Bader. “It was also helpful being able to find good articles and journals for papers rather than Googling a topic and wondering about their credibility.”
The LC and its librarians offer more resources than one student could possibly need. So, if you’re feeling stressed from round two of second-half syllabus shock, stop in to the library. They’ll help with a comforting smile and the research content to keep you above water.
