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news
More
students are using electronic information
By Ryan Ritchie
Summer Forty-Niner
The Internet’s
growing popularity gives computer users everywhere unlimited
access to almost anything ever written.
The World Wide Web comes in handy for students who choose
to conduct research in the comfort and privacy of their homes,
which has significantly reduced visitor traffic at libraries.
The diminishing number of library patrons is not limited to
public libraries. This trend of using home computers as a
first method of research is felt at all libraries nationwide,
said Henry DuBois, associate dean of the University Library.
“People are coming to the library building less,” DuBois said.
“They are checking out fewer print books and journals.”
People may visit the Library less than before, but this does
not mean the Library’s resources are not used to its maximum
potential.
“The number of uses of the Library’s electronic information
resources from off-site locations has gone through the roof,”
DuBois said. “It’s just more convenient to do one’s research
at home at any time of the day or night than to have to block
out a specific time to come to the library.”
With the exceptions of theft, fire and an administration’s
decision to remove the copy, print documents are available
forever for all to see. The same cannot be said about the
Internet. Content can change without warning and documents
available only online are lost when this happens.
A major change the Internet has brought upon libraries is
the ownership of material. The copies of publications libraries
had were theirs to keep, but not any more. Thanks to the Internet,
libraries have now become renters of what they offer, DuBois
said.
“Instead of buying print books and journals, we now buy access
to those publications and pay for access each year,” DuBois
said. “Those fees add up to a lot of money and if we don’t
pay them we have nothing to deliver to our clients.
When cost begins to outweigh benefit, the Library is forced
to choose between a hard copy of a publication or access to
its online version. In these instances, the Library sticks
with the online account. This is problematic for two major
reasons: not everyone has Internet access and anyone who has
ever used the Internet can vouch that it does not always work.
Even with information just a click away, the Internet has
not killed off libraries. Computers give worlds of information
but they still do not have some of the capabilities libraries
have. Many e-books and e-journals are limited to libraries
and others are available to individuals, but the cost is too
high for the average consumer.
Those who choose to venture to the Library will find a vast
amount of information not easily found at other libraries.
Much of the Library’s collection coincides with classes offered
at Cal State Long Beach, making it a one-stop shop for students
in need of help.
“I think we’ve done a good job of restoring the scope and
quality of our collection to meet current needs after some
rough years in the 90s,” DuBois said.
The Library reached a milestone a little more than a decade
ago when it celebrated the one millionth entry into its collection.
The growth of the Library can be attributed to the increasing
number of students at CSULB. Campuses with the largest student
populations need the largest libraries, DuBois said.
“All CSULB students and faculty have access to a total collection
of more than 4.5 million unique titles through our Link Plus
continuum,” DuBois said. “We have partnered with over 20 libraries
statewide to share collections and we have a system for our
users to rapidly request and retrieve books from any of those
20 libraries if we don’t own what they need.”
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Brian
Brannon/Summer Forty-Niner
Leif Hansen, a sophomore math major, uses the
computers at the University Library to buy textbooks.
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