Fall 2005

Volume 9 Number 1
A publication of Macon State College

		The "nerve center" of the Academic Resource Center, which provides a wide range of tutoring and other learning resources, is this spacious open-use computer area, containing 88 workstations, on the first floor of the Library building. Students use the computers on their own, or Library and ARC staff help them with their academic projects.

At the centrally located Library/ARC information desk, students check out books and other resources, access reference materials, check out laptops and digital cameras or request specific tutoring and related services.

Macon State's new library:

Energized, Synergized and Open for Business

By Sheron Smith

Macon State College unveiled the dramatic transformation of its 37-year-old Library building when fall semester began on August 22.

The result of a $5 million renovation project, funded by the state Legislature, the College's ultra-modern Library is loaded with technological resources that better support Macon State's four-year degree programs and greatly enhance the teaching and learning environment for students and faculty.

“We've essentially built a brand new Library,” said President David A. Bell, “and it reflects what libraries need to be today and in the future: gateways to knowledge in an age when how we gather and access information has dramatically changed.”

Besides giving the building a contemporary, attractive look, the renovation allowed Macon State to expand the physical space and resources of both the Library and the Academic Resource Center (ARC) so they can work together more closely to support student learning and faculty research.

The new arrangement allows Macon State students to take advantage of all the information-related services the College has to offer in a single location.

From Day One, students have flocked to what amounts to an arena of computer workstations on the first floor. Library and ARC staff reported dramatic increases in the number of students who typically use their services so early in the semester.

“I am really stoked about the new Library,” said Edward Assad, a 23-year-old senior majoring in public service. “It's not old and musty anymore, it's stimulating and fresh. I'll definitely be using it more.”
 

The new Special Collections Room on the second floor contains a variety of unique resources primarily related to horticulture and the ongoing campuswide development of the Waddell Barnes Botanical Gardens.	Here is one of the two large computer labs on the first floor that Library and ARC staff use for instruction and orientation sessions. Each lab contains 30 computer workstations.
Upstairs is the Library's circulating collection -- the "stacks" -- and periodicals. The second floor was designed to be wide, spacious and comfortable. Floor-to-ceiling windows, as shown on the right, were added to bring more natural sunlight into the second floor, a feature the Library lacked prior to the renovation.	The reference area also contains separate study rooms, as shown behind this student. Individuals or small groups of students may use these rooms, which are among the newly renovated building's most popular features. The Library building contains a total of 13 self-contained study areas on the top and bottom floors.
Also popular is the staffed coffee shop located just off the north hallway of the first floor. Operated by the Aramark food service company, the shop sells Starbucks coffee products, sandwiches, pastries and more. This is the first time Macon State has offered staffed food service in a campus location other than the main cafeteria in the Student Life Center.	ARC Director Tim Vick and Library Director Pat Borck show off their new work environment.

Photos by Bruce Radcliffe and Nick Oza

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