Academic Library:
Germanna Community College Fredericksburg, VA
FAC Library entrance
Germanna FAC Circulation desk
Pictures taken from Germanna Library Facebook page with permission from administrator Josh Wall.
The Space and Physical Access
The Science & Engineering Building and Information Commons opened in
May 2012. This is the third building for the Fredericksburg Area Campus and
the facility provides laboratories, instructional resources, student services and
more. Additionally, Germanna opened a parking garage on this campus in
August 2012.
The FAC library is the biggest branch of the 4 Germanna Community College libraries. The FAC branch is in Fredericksburg, Virginia. This Science & Engineering Building and Information Commons building is ecofriendly with a rooftop garden. The library itself is a three-story building made up of walls of glass windows. This library houses a diverse collection of leisure reading materials, DVDs, and graphic novels for students, faculty, and staff.
The FAC library is easy to access on the first floor of the Science & Engineering Building and Information Commons. The library is located at the main entrance just through the glass doors which are handicap accessible with the push of a button. This library also has a second floor which is accessible by stairs or elevators. The circulation desk is attached to a campus security workstation always staffed by one library assistant and one campus security guard. The library is also equipped with security gates at the door. There is also a magnetic RFID tagging system in place to deter theft.
Pictures taken from Germanna Library Facebook page with permission from administrator Josh Wall.
Services, Access, and collection
- Signage visible throughout the library
- The OPAC (Primo) is accessible online.
- Uses Library Congress Classification
- Computer workstations, laptops, kindles, and hotspots are available for checkout.
- Special collections of local history
- No accessibility issues – tables and spaces designated for Hearing impaired, wheelchair bound, magnifiers for those needing low light, interpretation, quiet areas
- The patrons are a mixture of cultures full of diversity.
There is a Diversity focus on campus such as the Black Minds Matter initiative.
Please see the website www.germannalibraries.edu for more information.
Kelly says:
This library looks really high-tech compared to the academic library I visited (maybe because it’s in the science building!). It looks like there are lots of great resources for independent studying—do you think there’s an emphasis on that over communal projects?
cslau004 says:
There are lots of great resources and no
communal projects are very welcome. They have 6-7 study rooms with high tech equipment available in each to help students do interactive projects as well that I forgot to mention.
Casey Browning says:
I love the roof top garden! Wow things have changed since I went to Germanna a million years ago. I am glad to see that there is such a diversity focus!
mhibb004 says:
I love the idea of the rooftop garden at the FAC Library. I wonder who cares for it- students or library professionals? It could be a great way to incorporate other programming with the garden. It really sounds like the FAC Library has done a lot to make sure that it is accessible to all of its patrons from the magnifiers, the tables, and the focus on diversity through the Black Minds Matter initiative.
sbeve001 says:
I am surprised that there are security guards at a library. When you lose trust in the library you stop servicing the community. There should be trust among libraries and the public. I like the garden area on the rooftop. I am glad they are taking in the diversity stand of one group during an important time in history.
jmays004 says:
I like how there are academic libraries that have rooftop gardens. The Liberty University library has one as well. I’m glad that there is a diversity focus on campus. Diversity is an issue we still need to address, not just in libraries. I also like how the FAC library has no accessibility issues. This shows that the library is considering the type of patrons that they will receive and their needs.