University Library gets recognition

Published March 8, 2017

The view from the Arnold Schwab Center on the fifth floor of the Cal State Long Beach University Library gives students a near-360 panorama of the area. There’s the ocean to the west, the mountains to the north and the Pyramid across campus, giving a peaceful respite from studying and homework. The zen-like scene isn’t the only reason, though, the university library recently was named one of the best in the city by Longbeachize.com.

The website specifically cited the library’s spacious multi-story structure that houses more than a million books, including text books, research papers, fiction, non-fiction and a children's collection that includes 500 pop-up books, as reasons why it ranked the CSULB library among the top five. But there is so much more to the University Library.

There are electronic classrooms and a robotic filing system that houses roughly 350,000 books and articles in 5,100 storage bins. Wifi is available on all floors and a Starbucks is located downstairs.

"It has become a technological wonder place," Dean Roman Kochan said.

The University Library offers many services to students, who need help either with research, books, dissertations or simple photocopying. There are research databases that students can access by topic. They also can manage their research citations with a personal web-based database, and access library resources on and off campus.

The CSULB library isn’t just for its students, staff and faculty. It is open to community college and area high school students as well as local librarians and those in the community, who simply want to check out a book or use a computer in the Spidell Technology Center. CSULB Alumni Association members also have access to the library, but with some restrictions. For instance, they can check out materials but have limited access to the databases.

The library offers plenty of desks, tables and outlets for homework, and black leather chairs for reading and taking in the city views.

The library floors are divided so that the even floors are quiet floors and the others are for collaborative study, where students can gather for group study sessions, a decision Kochan made to make the library more student friendly.

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