For my academic library observation I visited the Simpson Library on the Mary Washington University campus in Fredericksburg, Virginia. Before this visit I realized that I had not been in an academic library since I was an undergrad at Penn State back in 2008. I had forgotten how different they can be from the public and school libraries that I frequent more often.

I visited on a Sunday afternoon right as they opened at 1 PM. I am not very familiar with Mary Washington’s campus and I had some difficulty finding the entrance to the library. It is connected to other large, brick structures on campus rather than being a standalone building, and the signs are not easy to see at first. The entrance is easily accessible by foot using the many pathways around campus or by car, with a parking lot nearby. There are stairs leading to it as well as a ramp for handicap access. I also noticed two after hours book return boxes along the exterior of the building.

My first impression walking into the library was that it was very empty and quiet. I am not sure how this compares to other days and times, but I would imagine it’s busier during the week when classes are in session. I will admit that I felt intimidated walking into the large building, and it took me a few minutes to get acclimated and to figure out how to navigate through the space. While I can tell that they have made efforts to make the interior feel welcoming, it still felt a little cold and dark for my taste with very few windows and big industrial bookshelves and filing cabinets. I did love the exhibit in the lobby called “Women First,” featuring notable women from history, many who have accomplished “firsts” like the first woman to win the Nobel Peace Prize, the first female self-made millionaire in America. Users can scan QR codes for the display to learn more.

The building has three floors and is organized using the Library of Congress Classification System. The first floor is designated the “make noise” floor for group study and socializing. This floor consists of a reference desk, circulation desk, interlibrary loan services, copies/printers/scanners, microforms, journals/periodicals, the reference collection, juvenile/young adult collection, instructional manipulatives for the College of Education, and a small collection of new/popular books and DVDs. There are also fish tanks, board games for students to play, vending machines and bulletin boards advertising a variety of events and services on campus.

The second floor is the “collaboration” floor for group work. It contains call numbers L-Z, group study rooms, Special Collections and University Archives (these had limited hours and I was not able to enter), classrooms, a ThinkLab/Creator Space with 3D printing, Digital Archiving Lab. This floor also connected to the Convergence Center which is an academic commons for students. This area is open 24/7 and has a variety of workspaces as well as a gallery. The current display was called “We Demand: Women’s Suffrage in Virginia.”

The third floor is the “concentration” floor for quiet study. It contains call numbers A-K, study rooms and work areas. All three floors had a variety of seating options for both study and leisure reading; however, some of the most interesting features were the third floor “treehouses”- double stacked work desks that students can climb a small staircase to use, and the “sunrooms” for relaxation featuring couches, beanbag chairs and large windows.

I noticed a number of signs throughout the library to help patrons navigate through and understand policies and procedures, such as the noise levels on each floor. There were also many signs placed on shelving carts around the library, asking users to not re-shelve items so that the library can collect usage statistics that help determine which items to retain or remove from the collection. I found some evidence of special programs and services offered by the library, including posters about a keynote speaker for Women’s History Month and exhibits that the students are invited to visit both online and in print around the library. I also saw several bulletin boards inside advertising tutoring, digital project support, and research support services.

I only saw three staff members working while I was there: one older male, and two younger females. They were all working at reference desks. There were not many students at the library during this time either. I did not notice much diversity in both the staff or the patrons; however, due to the small sample size I am not sure if that was an accurate representation of who uses the library. That is definitely something that I am still curious about.

The website for the library is https://libraries.umw.edu/?simpson. It offers comprehensive resources, including a searchable catalog that is open to the public, curated guides on 33 different subjects, virtual librarian support through a Live Chat feature, research support, answers to frequently asked questions with tutorials, lists of collections, and lists of staff members including academic subject librarians for students who are looking in a certain subject area. I also found a section on accessibility on their website, which goes into detail about how their building, collections, and services are accessible to people with disabilities. They also offer assistive technology and software as well as Braille and audiobooks for those who need it.

I also explored their social media presence and found that they had active accounts on Facebook, Twitter, Instagram, and Youtube. On these sites they focus on special collections, books, and exhibits, highlight important people and moments in the university’s history, advertise job openings, and share photos of students using the library and its resources, in order to draw more users in. I really liked their Youtube channel, which features helpful tutorial videos on topics like how to search more effectively, citations, how to use their online catalog and place holds, different types of sources, and many more.

I found it very interesting to learn more about academic libraries since it had been some time since I have used one myself. Rubin & Rubin (2020) explain, “Today, the academic library is less a repository of information and more a learning space— a space for collaboration, group work, and the provision of complementary services designed to impact learning and promote student success” (171). While I was not necessarily able to see this in action on the day of my visit, I can tell that the Simpson Library is moving from a more traditional academic library into this direction. This is also echoed in the library’s mission and goals, which read, “The UMW Libraries constitute the knowledge center of the university — a physical and virtual manifestation of the institution’s mission of connected, integrated, and engaged teaching, learning, research, and service” (University of Mary Washington, n.d.).

References

Rubin, R. E. and Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.

University of Mary Washington. (n.d.). About UMW libraries. https://libraries.umw.edu/about/