The Library at Sinclair Community College isn’t just a place to check out books. From resourceful databases to private study rooms available for check out, the Sinclair Library offers just about anything to help students be successful.
Jeremiah Pate, a student at Sinclair, said he likes many things offered in the Library. “Definitely the Starbucks, the tutoring labs [and] it’s a good place to do homework,” he said.
The Library has a variety of computers including Windows 7, Windows XP and laptops that are generally checked out in 3-hour increments. Students can also check out headphones for computers and can keep them all day if needed.
The Library isn’t the only location you can check out a computer on campus. IT also offers the Teleport Lab in Building 13 and the CIL Lab in Building 14. Both labs have Mac computers students can use along with the regular Windows 7 and XP, totaling to about 387 available with the three labs combined.
Students who would rather work away from the Library can check out study rooms. Although students cannot make reservations, the rooms can be used for up to two-hours maximum.
There are also study rooms in the Teleport Lab. These rooms are available for three hours and are equipped with accessible computers.
Megan Pastiva, an Art major at Sinclair, said she favors the Teleport because of the programs they have available on their computers. “It helps with my art projects because they have [Adobe] Photoshop,” she said.
As a library, the largest selection of its resources are books, according to Debra Oswald, public service librarian at Sinclair. The books are organized in sections based on subject areas and most are available for a three-week loan time. Reserve materials are available for a three-hour in-the-library loan.
The number of books in the library totals to roughly 100,000.
“It’s like two miles of books, side to side,” said Oswald.
The Library’s book selection is something that sets it apart from most colleges because it uses the Dewey Decimal System to organize the books.
“Most libraries use Library of Congress, we’re one of the few that use the Dewey Decimal System,” Oswald said.
The Library also carries a large variety of E-books. With the Sinclair catalog and Ohio eBook Project (which is a state wide project launched in 2005 that helps libraries provide downloadable E-books, audiobooks, music and video) combined E-books create a total of 122,928 available for Sinclair students.
“There are actually more e-books available than print,” said Library Director Doug Kaylor. “It’s convenient because they are available 24 hours a day, seven days a week.”
E-journals are also available with 52,682 in the Sinclair catalog.
DVD loans are also available at the Resource desk. The collection includes roughly 400 DVDs. VHS tapes are offered as well. The Library’s newest addition is a streaming video source called Films on Demand, which features educational video and documentaries.
The Library’s amount of resources wouldn’t be complete without the aid of Tech Support. IT Student Assistants are hired to help students who may have issues with computer programs such as Microsoft Office or printing.
The IT assistants aren’t just given the job based on skills. IT Lab Coordinator Becky Rittner said they are required to take BIS 160 as well as go through a two interview process.
“We give a little BIS test so we know they paid attention in class and know the material,” Rittner said.
To ensure the IT assistants’ knowledge is of the latest materials, there is additional training after being hired. This includes training on Angel and more on Microsoft Office.
“I have SAM accounts for all my students (IT assistants), so they stay up with BIS,” Rittner said. There is IT support in all three labs.
IT Support offers a call helpline for students at home with issues. The service is available seven days a week from 6 a.m. to midnight.
The Library also has about 100 search databases accessible for class research that is available through OhioLINK, a consortium of 90 member libraries.
“We put the best databases for the classes; it’s databases that librarians recommend,” Oswald said.
Sinclair has recently created a new search engine that googlizes the library database and library catalog together. It is accessible on the Sinclair website on the Library page called “LibSearch.”
They also have “LibAnswers,” which Oswald said is similar to ask.com and is run by the librarians specifically. She said another feature called LibGuides provides librarian-recommended resources to the students.
“It’s very tailored to the students here at Sinclair,” Oswald said.
Students who arrive at Sinclair early, travel by bus or get dropped off may be unaware that all students have access to the computers starting at 6:15 a.m. However there is no access to staff until 7:30 a.m.
The Library is open from 7:30 a.m. to 9:30 p.m. Monday through Thursday, 7:30 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday, and 9 a.m. to 4 p.m. on Saturdays.