We want the Library to be easy to use, inviting, and conducive to research and study. At its most fundamental level, the Library houses a collection of nearly 300,000 books and media items. Our Library of Congress Classification System (https://www.loc.gov/catdir/cpso/lcco/) organizes the collection by subject. By its nature, it is a complex system and not immediately intuitive, especially to new users. Coupled with that, the collection extends over three floors and with numerous interruptions between shelves. So, when you’re looking up books in our online catalog (https://sierra.monmouth.edu/search.html) and you see a location and call number for a book, you may have wondered “OK, now how do I find that?” Map It! to the rescue! See a sample search result below:
At “Location” click on the “Show on Map” link, you will then see a floorplan map of the Library, and a shelf section highlighted where your book will be located.
We feel that the Guggenheim Library’s print collection remains a relevant and crucial source of information for study and research. We are continually adding to it and making sure that all subject areas are in line with Monmouth’s curriculum. One of the many advantages of making use of the print collection is that, by browsing the shelves around a book that you have searched for and found, you will inevitably discover additional titles that will also be worth using. It is nearly impossible to have this sort of happy accident happen if your information search is done completely online.
One of our most frequently asked questions at the Guggenheim Library is “Where is my class (or meeting) being held?” To improve our users’ ability to find their destination, we have created an Online Library Calendar. On the Library Web Page at the bottom of the Quick Links block, click Today’s Event Schedule to see a display of what is scheduled: Event times, names, and room numbers.
Is the Guggenheim Library meeting your needs? Do our collections, resources, services and space contribute to teaching, learning, study and research? Do we fall short? How can we do better?
Kurt W. Wagner, University Librarian
kwagner@monmouth.edu