A newsletter for the students, faculty and staff of the Collin County Community College District. Published monthly. For information or submissions, call 972.599.3142. Cougar News welcomes student and faculty submissions. Next deadline: Aug. 10 All submissions are due by 5 p.m. on the due date. Photos cannot be returned. Text should be emailed to mrobinson@ccccd.edu or sent on disk. Please submit copy that is proofed, edited and saved in Word format. Cougar News staff: Lisa Vasquez, director; Mark Robinson, editor; Marcy Cadena-Smith, contributor; Sydney Portilla-Diggs, student correspondent; Stephanie Hall, student correspondent; Garrison Reid, special contributor; Lisa Huang, special contributor; Nick Young, photography and layout.
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The 10 hidden treasures of Collin libraries
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| (From left) Preston Knowlton and Tyler Cloud in the Preston Ridge Campus library studying for the government class they take with professor Gina Gabriano. |
By Lisa Huang
Special Contributor
When you think of libraries, you think of rows and rows of books or being required to take a walking tour of the library in one of your classes, where you sauntered behind your classmates in a semi-drowsy state staring at books, computers and rooms.
The books, computers and rooms are all very important; however, there are some things that you may not know that Collin libraries offer to help you succeed academically and socially. I used the word socially because libraries are actually cool places. I will go into more detail, but let me start with the treasure trove of academic offerings for you.
How Libraries Can Help You Survive Your Classes:
1) Helpful, knowledgeable staff
If you have questions about where to find sources for writing an argumentative essay or how to cite a webpage in APA style (for that matter, what the heck IS APA style?) stop by the Reference Desk where there’s a librarian at your beck and call to answer questions.
2) THREE for the price of ONE… priceless
You can’t make it to the library due to work, kids, other pressures, etc. Collin libraries are open 7 days a week during regular class sessions. Students are welcome to use any library (PRC, CPC, SCC) or all of the libraries. You can check out books from each library or even better, request books to be shipped to a specific campus library for pick up. Wow! Imagine having three libraries instead of just one at your disposal, and even better, they’re free!
3) Electronic access
You can access class notes and handouts 24/7 under EReserves, an electronic reserve system. If you don’t have a computer, you can use ours. If you need to renew the due date on certain items, you can do it online. You’re writing your paper at 2 a.m. and you just need another source for your paper, you can access thousands of full text electronic books via NetLibrary.
4) Worthy content
You might not believe me, but after wading through hundreds of Google and Yahoo search results without success for your papers and becoming extremely frustrated, it might be time to consider another approach. It’s a shocker, but not everything is posted on the ‘net. Try searching through the library’s databases. You can find scholarly journal articles written by actual Ph.D’s instead of “Anne Marie’s 101 Picks Homepage.” Heck, you can even access newspaper articles, images, criticisms and audio recordings 24/7 from your home computer.
5) Study rooms
Sometimes you just need a quiet place to study or a little corner to chill. Silence can be pure bliss. The study rooms are available first-come, first-serve. You can even check out a wireless laptop to take with you in the study room to write your paper or do research.
6) Convenient Printing
Can’t afford the cartridge for printing out those endless papers and PowerPoint presentations? As students, you have a balance of 300 free sheets per semester. Use it or lose it, for the balance does not rollover next semester. Earlier, I mentioned that libraries can help students out socially. You might wonder, how socially? Like how to use which fork for which course at a fancy restaurant? Librarians can answer that question for you or they can definitely help look it up. Consider The Library As “The Place” On Campus:
7) The Place--It’s where the people are
If you have time to kill between your classes, where are you going to go besides your car so people don’t think you don’t have any friends? It’s okay to drop in the library to check your email and start on your assignment or two. Who knows you might run into your classmates and strike up a conversation. It’s socially acceptable and okay to curl up with a good book at the library.
8) Movie Time
Are you low on cash for the movies? As students, you can check out DVDs and videos for free at your libraries. You’ll find classics from “It’s a Wonderful Life” to newer fare such as “Crash” and “Walk the Line.” If you prefer documentaries and indies, the library has them too.
9) Barnes & Noble at your convenience
You might be pleasantly surprised but you can pick up the latest Patricia Cornwall or James Patterson bestseller or even the “The Atkins Diet” at your library. Libraries continually carry new titles for light reading. Simultaneously, the library does buy heavier fare for academics and to keep you stimulated. More importantly, if the library doesn’t have what you want, you can request it through interlibrary loan from another library. You have the pleasure of reading a book without the cost!
10) For your listening pleasure…
Each library has a collection of music CDs and audio tapes, including the latest from the Billboard charts to the “greats.” You can be introduced to Jack Johnson, Bob Dylan and Enya. The audio tapes are a great alternative to road rage for those with long commutes. You can expand your mind by learning conversational Spanish to “reading” Jane Austen on Central Expressway.
Smart move. Visit your Collin library!
Lisa Huang is a reference librarian at the Central Park Campus in McKinney.
[PRINTER FRIENDLY VERSION]
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