Welcome to the 2008-2009 academic year! The campus has come alive in the past two weeks and it is wonderful to see happy faces and busy feet as we go about our day. Lupton Library is bustling with faculty and students browsing newspapers and new books, checking out videos and laptops, printing off syllabi and assignments, seeking directions, and saying hello. Believe it or not, last year was the busiest since the Lupton Library opened in 1976. The Library welcomed 343,053 patrons for research and study purposes, an increase of just under 60,000 patrons from the year before.
The Library faculty and staff specialists spent the summer developing a number of exciting new technology services for your use. Our circulating laptops continue to increase in popularity; and circulation doubled last year from 9,091 to 18,821! In order to meet this demand, we purchased additional new laptops with funds provided from the Student Technology Fee. In addition to laptops, students and faculty can also borrow digital cameras, digital video cameras, and VCRs from the Circulation Desk. Our instruction team developed a self-paced introduction to the Library, using 25 new IPods that will be deployed in all USTU 101 classes. Read about these and other exciting new services, such as UTC CAT, in separate articles in this newsletter.
Good and bad news on the materials budget. Last year the Library was able to meet inflation and license access to several new resources such as Web of Science, Communication and Mass Media, and Women and Social Movements. Unfortunately, the bad news, as you know, is the state of Tennessee’s economy. The Library received a flat budget allocation for the year, which means we received the same amount of money as last year. I am currently working with Dr. Phil Oldham, Vice Chancellor for Academic Affairs, on locating additional funds needed to cover inflationary increases on current materials, estimated at $90,000-100,000.
The Library facility underwent a number of changes this summer. Library Room 321 was converted into a new large group study room. The room seats up to 20 and is equipped with a presentation station – computer, sound, and projector. Additional information is on our web site, or stop by the Circulation Desk to make a reservation. We know the Library can sometimes get loud, so plans are in the works to open the Southern Writers Room in the evening for quiet study. As a result of the Grote renovations, the Library welcomed 23 faculty colleagues from the English Department who moved into the 3rd floor carrels, and we are hosting two University classrooms.
Last but not least, what newsletter would be complete without an update on the new library building? Did you ever wish you could close your eyes, click your heels, and magically transport yourself to the future? I do every time I think about the new library! But alas the new library won’t open until the Fall of 2012 semester. The good news is that we are continuing progress in our planning. A goal for the new library is to be the academic center of campus. Operations that will call the new library home include Writing Center, Student Success Center, Walker Teaching Resource Center, and the Graduate Student Association. Features of the new library will include: a 24/7 room, a new learning commons outfitted with over 120 computers, group work areas, quiet study lounges, a new media center, and a café. The New Library Program Statement Committee, composed of 40 members of the student body, faculty, and staff members will provide to our architect, Andy Roth of Derthick, Henley, and Wilkerson, a program statement that describes all the new features we desire in the building. In addition, Dr. Jon Codington, a member of NLPSC received a $60,000 grant to help the Library achieve LEED (Leadership in Energy and Environmental Design) status. For detailed information about the new building please visit: www.library.utc.edu/building
I would love to hear about your experiences with the Library and what we can do to help with your research and studies. Give me a call at 4508 or drop me an email at theresa-liedtka@utc.edu. Good luck in the semester ahead. Stop-by, call, IM or Email us if we can be of assistance. Have a great Fall 2008 semester!