User-Friendly

Walker Library finds new ways to provide services safely and professionally

by Gina Logue

For instance, the online chat service already in use remained very popular after COVID-19 impacted most of 2020 and the Spring 2021 semester. “You can still get that college experience on campus even though you’re not in a physical classroom,” said Jason Vance, information literacy librarian and the interim chair of User Services.

However, the ways in which users access materials also changed dramatically with the onset of the pandemic, even as digital resources have ramped up in recent years.

“We had to create a remote services page, and we had [to find] resources that were free from publishers and vendors,” said Discovery Services librarian Denise Quintel, who handles the library’s website and search engine.

Quintel, who monitored metrics to meet changing demands, was among the many people working behind the scenes who helped maintain Walker Library’s status as a full-service resource for students and faculty.

“We have been pushing our library systems in a way that was never expected, but they’re still working,” said Systems librarian Robert Wilson. “It’s been kind of amazing how quickly everyone’s been able to adjust and how flexible many of the staff are.”

Visual and Virtual

Acquisitions librarian Suzanne Mangrum, who purchases books and handles the library textbook program, even earned an open educational resources certification this past fall that enhanced her understanding of virtual materials. “I’ve been trying really hard to move every book I can find [to] an e-book instead of a print book,” Mangrum said.

She handles music and documentaries, too. Mangrum said she tracks down documentaries for professors, and those films had to be available online.

“I think streaming media was becoming a bigger and bigger thing . . . during the pandemic, and I expect it’s not going to go down after the pandemic,” Mangrum said. “I think faculty love to use it in their classrooms.”

The ways in which users access materials also changed dramatically.

Engaging and Interactive

More than a year into COVID-19, the folks in User Services at the MTSU library remain on the front lines of interaction with students and faculty. Those roles made their transition from regular library use to pandemic protocols all the more important.

For one thing, User Services librarians moved almost all of their in-person library instruction online. That’s not as easy as it sounds, even for one of the most technologically astute staffs at MTSU.

“It’s not just a matter of doing your teaching in front of a camera,” Vance said. “There’s a lot that goes into making those accessible, making sure that the lessons are still engaging and interactive.”

User Services directly contributes to student success by supporting MTSU’s teaching and learning, research, and creative activity in all disciplines. The department teaches library instruction lessons, offers one-on-one student and faculty research support, and provides customer service to users for both print and online collections.

“Right now, I’m doing a mixture of the Zoom instruction and working at the service desk downstairs,” said Associate Professor Karen Dearing, a reference and instruction librarian. “So, I get a nice mix of both the online and the in-person research assistance.”

Walker Library is well stocked with the resources that the University needs.

Pulling and Holding

With more than 115,000 journals, 1 million books, 500 databases, and half a million electronic books, Walker Library is well stocked with the resources that the University needs. During the pandemic, it was a matter of making sure the campus community could access those resources safely.

"I got more involved with developing videos and doing Zoom sessions,” said Christy Groves, the library’s interim associate dean. “We’ve spent a good portion of time devoting our attention to making resources that students can utilize at a distance. We have developed even more training materials to help students at their point of need.”

Metrics at the end of 2020 showed that the most popular library web pages were those related to databases or reserving what were now solo study spaces. Pages on how to borrow and check out materials also were popular. While logins to physical library computers plummeted 70%, use of the library search website function dipped by only 7%.

“What that’s showing us is that people are still utilizing our resources, but they’re just not doing it from the building,” Groves said.

Of course, the library was still open in the 2020–21 academic year to serve students in person, with plexiglass barriers and distancing protocols. Contact-free book pickup is one big change, with a Pull and Hold service for items requested from the physical collection.

“It’s sort of like the online shopping or Kroger Clicklist where you can place your order and we’ll pull it for you and have it ready,” Vance said. “You can just come in and grab it without talking to or touching anybody. We’ve seen a big uptick in that service.”

Perhaps that level of engagement is also partly due to the library’s decision to be more lenient when it comes to fines on overdue books. When some students moved back home, the library sometimes got books returned by mail or delivery service.

Vance said the library just wants its books back.

Makerspace student worker Keri LaPrairie wears a hair covering and an additional mask between his face and goggles with the virtual reality device.

Makerspace keeps experiential learning safely in play

One of Walker Library’s most hands-on services has continued to serve students while readjusting to pandemic protocols.

The Makerspace, the MTSU library’s technological toolbox, found ways to continue offering its equipment for creating and fabricating prototypes while maintaining social distancing and hygiene.

Training for the vinyl cutter and 3-D printing continued with instructional videos and checklists. At stopping points in the vinyl cutter training, students could ask people at the desk—6 feet away and surrounded by plexiglass—any questions. Personnel would use a 40-inch-long pointer with a nonabrasive tip to point to the computer screen. Sample items created with the equipment remained available for viewing, but not for handling like before.

The Makerspace’s colorful figurines, ranging from the MTSU horseshoe to mythical creatures, have been displayed behind plexiglass partitions or hanging on high.

Makerspace student worker Sean Strickland staffs the help desk, where figurines made with Makerspace equipment adorn the plexiglass shields.

While the button-maker was off limits, caution tape that surrounded it was made part of Makerspace’s 2020 Halloween decorations. The Legos area also was unavailable because it had too many tiny parts to disinfect. However, electronic components have been available and categorized in what were once library card catalog drawers. Students would place used tools inside a box for staffers to clean with antiseptic wipes.

Even virtual reality remained a reality. Users were required to put plastic coverings over their hair and don face guards under their masks so the reality goggles wouldn’t touch either hair or face. Staffers would use antiseptic wipes on the equipment after the user finished.

LaPrairie operates Makerspace equipment in an environment redesigned and adapted for COVID-19 social distancing protocols.

Valerie Hackworth, assistant manager of technology services, said students have expressed gratitude not only for being able to complete their classwork, but also for being able to use an area that doesn’t cramp their style.

“I think a lot of it has to do with how the patrons are using the space, and then us adapting as well,” she said.