Today in my first year seminar, my class got an exclusive tour of the library and learned how to effectively use to library’s materials to our benefit.

First off, the Paterno and Pattee Library is enormous! The Paterno side is strictly a college based library that has study room, computers, and tons of books that will be useful to students in their studies here at Penn State. The Pattee side also has study rooms and computers, but also has a library like you would find in your hometown. It provides many books to students who enjoy reading outside of school. It also saves these students a trip to a local public library because everything we need is in the palms of our hands. Having such a vast library will be extremely helpful to my studies if I ever need a book of any kind, I will be able to find it in the library. And if our library does not have the book I need, we can easily obtain that book from one of Penn State’s branch campuses. Having access to these materials is essential to my success at Penn State.

Our guide for the tour, Cheryl, then took us up to a computer lab on the second floor of the library. There were two students in the room at the time and she asked them to leave because the lab was reserved for us. She further explained that the labs were open to all students as long as it wasn’t reserved for a class. When these labs are open, there are almost 1,000 more computer available for students to use. If there is ever anything that I cannot do on my laptop or my laptop isn’t working, I have access to the library’s commputers anytime I need them. The library also has really long hours, so I can access the materials I need anytime day or night, except on Saturdays.

Once we logged onto our computers in the lab, Cheryl directed us to the Library’s website. She explained where all of different tabs and links would take us on the website. Penn State has a large number of databases that are accessible for all students at the University. The vast number of databases and their ability to find scholarly information is extremely useful. If I am ever doing a research paper, interested in searching a certain topic, or in need of academic articles, this is the best place for me to go. They are all peer-reviewed and reliable sources, which are needed by all students. Having access to these materials will be of great benefit to me in my coming years.

In edition, Cheryl gave the class a run through of how to properly search through the databases and how to find information relevant to what we are searching for. Next time I go to use these databases, I will have a good understanding of how they work which will make my search very easy.

This library tour is essential to my success at Penn State because I now know how to properly access the materials and databases that the library offers. Because of this, I have access to the best materials that Penn State can offer and therefore gives me the best materials to succeed here.

 

WE ARE!!!!!!!