Library Tour

The McIntyre library provides many resources for college students here at the University of Wisconsin Eau Claire. Located on lower campus, the library is a center to escape the habits of “dorm studying” and can give a student a place to receive access to quiet studying and helpful resources. Prior to the library tour that I took part in, I had only been inside the library twice for group meetings. I know now that the library should be accessed by more students because it provides several useful services.
Among the useful services, there is a checkout center for the rental of electronic devices, several computer labs distributed on the different library levels, TV's, reserved and non-reserved study areas, and of course the checkout of texts including: journals, periodicals, books, special collections, and DVD's. To my surprise the services listed are not used by the majority of the student population. A larger awareness is needed for better use of this building as it is very useful and free towards one's higher education.
At the beginning of the library tour, the group of students and I followed the guide and brought to attention of what was located within each level as we made our way from location to location. The lower level contains a map collection and instructional media center, 1st floor has (the very useful) reference desk, equipment checkout and materials circulation, 2nd floor has a periodical and microfiche collection, 3rd and 4th floor has general collections and group study areas, and 5th floor has special and general collections. It was apparent that each floor higher has a quieter atmosphere and computers on every floor. I did not know how much of a blessing the library really is for a quiet place to study and/or sleep. So the next time that I need to catch up on my studies or study for finals, I will more than likely take the elevator to 5th floor for some quiet getaway.
Another future use for the library for me will be researching. The computer lab and access to important texts will aid in the research I am conducting. Either I could look up on the library's website the location of a certain text needed to write the essay or ask for the location of the specific text from the guide at the reference desk. The library aids in easy access and location to find any text needed for any type of project or essay.
The location and readily accessible resources make the library an effective academic institution. Its floor layout is one thing that makes it both effective and unique. I thought it was brilliant to have the more public centers such as the reference desk and the equipment checkout center on the 1st floor for easy access. Another thing that made the layout unique was that the quiet areas were the upper floors where many people don't go to because it is out of the main flow of “traffic.”
Overall, the McIntyre library has an important purpose, an effective access to resources, and a great location to the academic resources. The tour cleared up the confusion and alienation I felt towards the institution, so I do not have any questions about the resource center. If a question were to ever arise, there is the reference desk to give quick answers to the problem. The library is underused by students which is a shame as it is such a great resource for group meetings, studying, researching, and renting useful technology.