The news @ Western Libraries

Group Study Rooms

Is your group looking for a place to study?  There are 12 group study rooms and getting your group into one of them is as easy as 1-2-3.

From the library home page in the Help box, click "Reserve a group study room."  You can do this from any computer or you can use the dedicated comiputer at the Libraries' Media Circulation counter.  See if a room is available right now or reserve one up to two weeks in advance.

The 12 rooms give you choices in size and equipment.  7 of the rooms have interactive white boards.  See west.wwu.edu/atus/iBoard for more information. 

A group may reserve a room for up to four hours per day.  All you need is your WWU ID and at least two group members to pick up a key at the Media Circulation desk.  Please talk to the folks at the Media desk if you have any questions.

The Library Maniacs is a new advisory group of students who not only appreciate the library but want to get involved in a fun way to help the library become even better. During club meetings we'll have fun brain storming sessions for ideas for events and services that would help you the student make better use of the library and your time. I'll pass all of the ideas we generate on to the library faculty and staff to see what we can do to make your ideas come to life.

You can find us on Facebook at either wwulibrary@gmail.com or "fi spooner".

Welcome to Western Libraries! We are a staff of experts in two libraries dedicated to providing you with the information resources and services you need when and where you need them.

Our collection consists of over 1.4 million volumes, all of which can be searched from these pages using our online catalog. We also offer access to a dizzying array of online periodical databases and other resources, many with full text access, available from campus or from home 24x7. All are purchased in consultation with academic faculty to ensure that they serve the research needs of our students. Our collection is supplemented by resources you can acquire through Summit, a consortium of academic libraries in Washington and Oregon, and interlibrary loan.

The Libraries fulfill a variety of campus roles. We are the campus’ intellectual center, offering materials and experiences to stimulate learning and discussion. We partner with faculty and other campus organizations to provide exhibits and public programming. Our Special Collections department is the caretaker of the campus’ historical consciousness and collections of unique research interest to students, faculty and community members. Our construction project to move the department to the sixth floor of Wilson demonstrates our pride in this role. We are also a social center where students come to engage in intellectual discourse with faculty and with their peers. We accommodate this need by offering a variety of study spaces, from more traditional study carrels to the comfy, upholstered furniture on our popular Skybridge. We also have newly designated quiet study spaces on Wilson 5 and 4 Central.

In response to students’ technology needs, we offer computers and wireless access as well as provide a popular laptop checkout service. We offer group study rooms newly equipped with technology so students can work collaboratively to create and rehearse their presentations.

Our most important role is encouraging lifelong learning and the development of research skills. We do this through credit instruction, instruction in academic courses and at the reference desk where we answer queries and assist users in finding materials at the point of need.

In fulfilling these roles, our main focus is you, whether you are a student, faculty member, staff member, or a member of the Bellingham community. We urge you to explore everything we have to offer - both in person and online. Tell us what you think and share suggestions of how we might make your research lives better. You can use our online form or e-mail me directly. We’re here to help you succeed and we value your input!

Christopher Cox
Dean of Libraries
September, 2008

Welcome to an exciting writing event brought to you by
The Big Read: Whatcom READS! 

The challenge is to write an entire story in exactly six words.

Hemingway, a master of allusion and manipulating negative space
(or what is NOT present in the story) is said to have started this form.

When challenged to come up with a story in six words, Hemingway wrote:
"For sale: baby shoes, never worn."

Try Your Hand at a SIX WORD STORY at the URL below!