Penn State Harrisburg Library
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Penn State Harrisburg Library (Middletown, Pennsylvania, USA) is an academic library which serves Penn State Harrisburg, the Harrisburg (or Capital) campus of the Pennsylvania State University. It is one of more than 20 libraries in Pennsylvania State University Libraries system. Penn State Harrisburg Library is located at 351 Olmsted Drive and is open more than 90 hours per week (including nights and weekends) [1]. In addition to a print collection, the library provides numerous online resources.
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[edit] Services
The library’s primary users are students and faculty of Penn State Harrisburg. To get started, new student, staff, and faculty must have a Penn State Access Account [2] and password, and must register with the library [3]. Adult residents of Pennsylvania may apply for a “community borrower” card and a Friends of Penn State Account [4] which provides limited access to the library’s resources.
[edit] Services highlights
- Research assistance (available through IM, e-mail, telephone, walk-in, and appointments)
- In-class instruction on literature/information seeking techniques
- Productive environment for learning, study, and scholarly collaboration
- Cultural activities and educational programs (usually focused on literature, reading, or finding information)
[edit] Collections
Penn State Harrisburg Library was designed as a "hybrid" print/electronic library, offering more than 250,000 books, magazines/journals, CDs, and videos. The collections are developed to support programs and initiatives of the local campus. Penn State Harrisburg has graduate degree programs in American Studies, Business, Clinical Psychology, Criminal Justice, Education, Electrical Engineering, Environmental Engineering, Humanities, and Public Administration; therefore, the library’s collections are most extensive in those areas. Faculty, students, and the general public may use the CAT [5], Penn State’s library catalog, to find materials at Harrisburg and other campus libraries.
Through LIAS [6] (the “Library Information Access System”), Penn State’s University Libraries also provide more than 300 specialized databases, containing many resources that are not freely available through Google and other search engines. By visiting the University Libraries’ home page [7]and clicking on the “E-Resources” list [8], Penn State students, staff, and faculty can use online books, journal articles, images, audio files, and much more. Because access to the databases is password-authenticated, they may use the online resources from personal computers anywhere (including home or work). Since the library participates in many interlibrary sharing networks (including Access PA, ACLCP, PALCI, and OCLC), Penn State students, staff, and faculty can use Interlibrary Loan (including an online system known as ILLiad [9]) to request resources from libraries nationwide [10]. Community borrowers cannot access online resources from personal or campus computers, but may contact the library to get research assistance.
[edit] Collection highlights
- Alice Marshall Women’s History Collection [11]
- Curriculum Materials Collection (K-12 textbooks, curriculum kits, and other items for classroom teachers)
- Holocaust and Genocide Collection [12]
- Juvenile Literature Collection (more than 15,000 books for children and young adults)
[edit] Facilities and Equipment
A medium-sized college library serving residential and commuter students, the Penn State Harrisburg Library intends to be a place where students can work comfortably and collaborate effectively. The library adapts to emerging technology while providing friendly, face-to-face service. The building is a 115,000-square-foot (10,700 m²) facility and opened in January, 2000. An online photo album [13] shows the library as it was being constructed and furnished. The Library Guide [14] provides contact information, instructions for using the building’s wireless network, and a floor-by-floor map.
[edit] Facilities highlights
- Art supplies, digital cameras, loaner laptops, portable DVD players, and other borrowable equipment (1st floor)
- Assistive Technologies Room (1st floor) [15]
- “Cyber Café,” which is open 24/7 and includes several computers and vending machines (1st floor)
- Group Study Rooms (on the perimeter of each floor)
- Library Instruction Room, with computers for 35 students (1st floor)
- Morrison (Art) Gallery, with space for large meetings and art exhibitions (1st floor)
- Schwab Family Holocaust Reading Room, a research and collaborative space for Holocaust studies (1st floor)
- Wireless network access [16]
[edit] References
- Access PA home page [17].
- Associated College Libraries of Central Pennsylvania home page [18].
- American Library Directory, 60th ed. Medford, NJ: Information Today, 2007, p. 2046.
- Goodrich, Katie. "Learn About the Big House of Books." Capital Times, April 30, 2007, p. 1, 4.
- Information and Technology Services, Pennsylvania State University. "Penn State Access Account". Accessed July 5, 2007.
- "Local PSU To Get New Library." Patriot News, May 1, 1997, p. A1, A16.
- OCLC home page [19].
- Pennsylvania Academic Library Consortium home page [20].
- University Libraries, Pennsylvania State University. "University Libraries Lending Code", June 3, 2005. Accessed July 5, 2007.
