Stewart Library: A repository of resources

A library may not seem exciting, but getting good grades by using the available library resources is.

The Weber State University Stewart Library has several features which can be helpful for students.

Students can check out a variety of items for inter-library use ranging from 16 mm films, to laptops, calculators, whiteboards, and LCD projectors.

"If it's a library resource, we try to have the equipment to use it with," said Misty Allen, Media Reserve Inter-library loan coordinator.

Renting a study room in the library for a semester requires a $10 deposit. All rooms have been checked out for fall semester, but students can get in contact with Library Administration Office Specialist Laura Stout to put their names on a waiting list for spring semester.

Understanding how to use the library is so important, WSU made a basic library science course required for all students.

"It's been required for at least five years," said Kathy Payne, Head of Reference and Information Services.

Payne said some other universities also require their students to take a library science course, but not all.

"Students have the tendency to think they know everything," Payne said. "They can use the Internet, but it's not that easy."

There are four parts to the General Information Literacy credit; the library is responsible for part D, the library and Internet course.

The Stewart Library can play a significant part in a student's education. The tools, expertise and books contained within the library can literally help shape a student's understanding of any particular subject.

The library science course will focus on teaching different methods of online research, ranging from using Google to searching through the WSU catalog. The course will also help students become more familiar with the library and the different tools it offers.

Many professors require students to use the services at the Stewart Library and often, a librarian will visit classes to help students understand how to use the services for assignments, Payne said.

A new tool available to WSU students through the Stewart Library is a new program called Webfeat, an improvement upon the existing database search engine.

Webfeat will run under the Database Finder. It is provided by the Utah Academic Library Consortium, and funded by Utah State Legislature.

"If you can take the time to learn the database," Payne said, "you can save a lot of time down the road."

She said attempting to learn how to use a database all at once can be extremely uninviting and intimidating.

"Do it a little at a time," Payne said, "and as you learn more and more, the library can make research easier for you."

Kathy Falk, a former Zoology major at WSU, said the library helped her in researching assignments.

"I used the online library to find articles," Falk said. "The system was easy to use and when writing papers is stressful enough it was nice to find good resources in a timely manner."

Juston Mason, a WSU junior and business major said the librarians have been helpful.

"They are always happy to help," Mason said, "and they offer sound advice to help you with your research."

Questions can be directed toward librarians via online chat, an instant messaging service, accesable from the library's home page. It is a real-time chat with a librarian at Stewart Library, and is available during the library's hours of operation.

Some students may be afraid of asking a dumb question, Payne said. "Don't think of it as asking stupid questions, think of it as job security for librarians."