Library “Roommates”

University Writing Center and other services share accommodations in campus hub

by Clay V. Trainum

The new school year marks milestones for many places on campus. James E. Walker Library itself will be celebrating its 25th year in its current location, but the library isn’t the only resident of the building celebrating an anniversary.

That last sentence may sound a little confusing, but as we remind people every day, there’s more to a library than just books, and in MTSU’s case, there’s more to a library than just the library.

Given Walker Library’s location on campus and its reputation, it’s only natural for numerous University services to take residence in the building to simplify the college experience for so many students. In 2010, that’s just what the Margaret H. Ordoubadian University Writing Center (UWC) did, moving from its previous location in Peck Hall to the current locale on the third floor of Walker Library.

Working on Writing Improvements

This year the UWC is celebrating 45 years on campus after its founding by Bené Cox and Larry Mapp in 1978, and it remains a crucial part of MTSU’s English Department, helping writers from all backgrounds improve their writing across every format and concentration.

“I think being in existence for 45 years serves as a testament to the importance of the Writing Center,” said Erica Cirillo-McCarthy, director of the center since 2018. “It’s more than just the role we play in student success, though. We are trying to instill our writers with confidence going forward, giving them an effective toolbox for any writing situation they encounter.”

Ordoubadian, who also was involved in the founding of the UWC in 1978, served as its director from 1996 to 2001. And the library represents a fitting location for her namesake center to call home, as she played a crucial role in expanding the library’s Children’s Book Collection in 2002.

The UWC boasts three full-time staff members as well as a cadre of undergraduate and graduate students who can help with one-on-one support in brainstorming, outlining, formatting, organizing, revising, and editing writing projects.

Whether a student has walked into the center with an empty sheet of paper or a fully composed five-sheet essay, the staff on hand is there to facilitate and help MTSU students reach their full potential as writers.

“We have nearly 30 tutors every year, with a good mix of both undergraduate and graduate students,” Cirillo-McCarthy said. “All of them are trained by us, and they may work with the same student over the course of a whole semester.

“Some of the most meaningful interactions we have are through writing partnerships between students and tutors where they meet with each other every week to try and navigate through a big project. The pride that they feel when they see what they’ve done is reflected in the tutors they’ve been working with as well.”

Tutoring Spot for Students

The UWC isn’t the only place in the library that offers free tutoring. The first floor is home to the Tutoring Spot, run by MTSU’s Office of Student Success. And while the library isn’t the only place on campus where students can receive tutoring, it is certainly one of the largest.

Tutoring in the library began exactly a decade ago, in 2013, and following this initial program, it was expanded with the creation of the Tutoring Spot in 2016. As time has gone on, usage of the University’s tutoring resources has only grown as instruction is offered for more than 200 courses. With the expansion into remote tutoring, in addition to the in-person sessions at the library, the tutoring staff regularly holds in excess of 10,000 sessions per semester.

The benefits of tutoring have paid off for the University, which routinely shows that nearly every student who has sought tutoring has gone on to pass the class in which they needed help. Data also indicates that students who seek out tutoring are more likely to remain in school to finish their degrees.

Tutors are available in the areas of biology, history, computer information systems, physics, math, economics, recording industry, study skills/learning strategies, and many more.

Accessible and Adaptive Assistance

In addition to helping students navigate specific classes and assignments, the library also houses a very important center for those on campus with disabilities: the Adaptive Technology Center (ATC), located on the first floor. The center, operated under guidance from MTSU’s Disability and Access Center (DAC), is a campus resource that provides alternative formats of print material, adaptive hardware and software, and any other form of access via technology that is necessary.

The DAC is the cultural, social, and academic support hub for disabled students at MTSU. It serves to help level the academic playing field on campus, and the ATC plays a vital role in just that, offering not only alternative formats, equipment, and software for students, but a dedicated computer lab as well in its location at the library. In addition, the ATC has established three more accessible workstations in the public areas of the library, plus stations in computer labs inside Kirksey Old Main and the Business and Aerospace Building.

“We use technology to try to eliminate barriers for students in the classroom,” said Bonnie McCarty, manager of the ATC. “We aim to provide important support to them academically. The library seems like a very logical place for the ATC to be because there are so many other great technological resources all around us. We fit in well to this area, and since students will be here anyway because it’s the library, it helps us operate where our students already are.”

Faculty Innovation and Tech Support

While most library roommates are student-focused, the third floor is home to the Lucinda Taylor Lea Learning, Teaching, and Innovative Technology Center (LT&ITC), whose mission is to “create a community of faculty who develop, improve, and integrate creative and effective use of appropriate pedagogy and technologies to enhance student learning.”

Founded by Barbara Draude and Faye Johnson, the LT&ITC will celebrate its 20th anniversary in 2024, and its services are on offer for all MTSU faculty members and graduate teaching assistants. The center puts together workshops, professional development opportunities, and events.

Now led by Psychology Professor Tom Brinthaupt, the work of the LT&ITC includes consultations on a variety of topics, from the development of teaching, research, and service activities to data collection and online teaching methods. The center also helps faculty members with redesigning courses and updating syllabi.

The partnership of all these centers and Walker Library has proven beneficial over the years and has helped the library maintain its status as one of the busiest and most-utilized resources on campus. Students and faculty alike have lauded the library’s support for their pursuits over the years, and it only makes sense that the building would house the services that help them succeed even further.