Fintel Library (https://libguides.roanoke.edu/library) serves the students and faculty of Roanoke College in Salem, Virginia. The website is easy to navigate and very informative. It contains a link to a description of resources available through the library, including books, DVDs, videos, audiobooks, gaming systems, laptops, projectors, cameras, and bicycles. The digital online collection is comprised of videos of speakers and artifacts pertaining to the history of the college. It also contains instructional YouTube videos to explain research methods that are specific to the Fintel Library. The website also provides information about services provided by the library specifically for students or faculty and research guides for each subject area taught at the college. A link is provided to explain services that are available for people with disabilities, including those with physical disabilities and hearing or visual impairments. Lists of electronic databases, ebooks, and streaming media collections clearly provide information about available resources and how to access them. Finally, the website provides basic information about the library, including hours of operation, names of librarians and their job descriptions, floor plans, library policies and mission statement, newsletters, and information about the archives.

The archives collection includes items related to the college since its founding in 1842, including photographs, memorabilia, publications, scrapbooks, and other records and artifacts. The Henry H. Fowler Collection contains artifacts from Fowler’s years in governmental service, including his years as the Secretary of the Treasury under Lyndon B. Johnson. The archives also contain a photography collection of E. Howard Hammersley and papers of former Congressman Jim Olin. The archives collections are accessible by appointment only.

I was impressed by the number of librarians for what seemed to be a relatively small library. Ten librarian positions were listed. All staff members are accessible by email and an online chat with a librarian. The Archivist position was open. I thought this was interesting because the same position is open at the Hollins University Library, which operates a sister library to the Fintel Library. Three of the librarians were designated as Metadata and Content Services Librarians, one an Access and Lending Services Librarian, one was responsible for Purchasing and Budgets, one worked with Interlibrary Loan, one was designated for Instruction and Research Services, one was a Digital and Technology Services Librarian, and there is one Director of the Library. I would like to know more about the division of labor among the different librarians and the scope of their work.

The Fintel Library is located on the campus of Roanoke College, a private liberal arts college of about 2000 students in Salem, Virginia. The Roanoke College website states that the student body is approximately 82% white and 18% students of color (https://www.roanoke.edu/inside/a-z_index/institutional_research/quick_facts). The building looks like a classic library should, with its well-manicured front lawn and walkway, high columns, and rotunda. There are tables and chairs and benches for outdoor seating. A bicycle rack stored three bicycles which are available for students to check out of the library. The main signage provided the name of the library and the operating hours. Signs also encouraged patrons to wear masks.

The library had a ramp in the front for wheelchair access and the front door was automated. Parking near the library was non-existent, except for one spot designated as handicapped parking in the front of the building. All floors have elevator access, and all restrooms are handicapped accessible. According to the library website, each floor has at least one study carrell or table that is designated for wheelchair users. While the stacks were quite tall, the website noted that a mechanical book grabber is available at the Lending Services Desk or staff will assist with obtaining books from the shelves.

Upon entering the lobby, the usual college flyers provided a collage of information about what was happening on campus on one side and information about the college and the library on the other. Another set of doors led to the first floor of the library. The library contained bright, modern furniture and fluorescent lighting. Of note, the only places that did not have the harsh fluorescent lighting were individual study rooms on the third floor. To the right, Rooney’s Brews Coffee Shop was closed. I could imagine many students enjoying a cup of coffee while studying at the tables provided. Beyond the coffee shop was the Center for Learning and Teaching which boasted tutoring services available by appointment. A few shelves of magazines and local newspapers were available for browsing straight ahead. The Lending Services Desk was to the left. A kiosk computer screen in front of the magazine shelves indicated that I was one of two people currently in the library. The only other person I could find was a student who was seated behind the Lending Services Desk and was unable to answer questions for me.

As I continued my tour of the first floor, I saw offices for a three librarians behind a reference desk and a few reference books on a small shelf parallel to the desk. A stairwell to all floors that was enclosed with glass display cases containing pieces of porcelain sculpture was located centrally beneath the dome of the building. While the stairwell was a pretty architectural feature, it seemed to take up a lot of space. Beyond the stairs was an area containing computer stations, printers, copiers, and scanners. There was also a seating area labelled the “Collaboration Zone”. The first floor housed a collection of CDs, DVDs, and videotapes. Bathrooms were available on every floor.

I entered the stairwell and went to the ground floor. As I exited the ground floor, I noticed that each floor had a nice map of the floor in the stairwell. Each floor was named for a different donor. The ground floor housed a collection of bound periodicals and government documents in the open space surrounding the stairwell. There was also a collection of newspapers and periodicals on microfilm. Study areas were designated throughout the floor. Beyond the microfilm collection was a large classroom. To the left of the classroom were the archives. On the other side of the classroom was a smaller classroom and an audio-visual production suite.

I went to the second floor which contained most of the general collection. The library is organized by Library of Congress designations. All stacks were clearly labeled with the Library of Congress call numbers contained therein. Offices for the Library Director, Acquisitions, Technical Services, and the Catalog Librarian were located at the front of the building on this floor. A student lounge and a staff lounge were on either side of the office spaces. Many study areas were designated on the outside areas of the floor beyond the stacks.

The third floor was designated as the quiet floor. A small fraction of the floor housed part of the general collection. The third floor contained an area of children’s books that seemed to be very well used, which was quite surprising. Another area contained textbooks. Toward the rear of the library was a large room that was locked. It was designated as the Dudley Board Room. A large computer lab was located in the front of the floor. It was surrounded by multiple rooms designated for individual study or small group study. This was the only floor that had a significant amount of upholstered furniture, which was surprising. This may be due to COVID. The emphasis on open spaces and quiet rooms for studying and the relatively small space devoted to stacks of books reflects what Rubin and Rubin (2020) refer to as a greater emphasis on group learning and an increased reliance upon digital resources (p. 171).

This visit was disappointing, in that I saw only one other person while I was there. I was surprised by the lack of popular titles available for students and faculty to check out of the library, but the library policy is only to order those bestsellers requested by faculty to support the curriculum. The books in the library looked well used, and many covers had been replaced with library bindings. I expected to see more books in the stacks, but it is a small college collection. This finding supports the assertion of Rubin and Rubin (2020) that the collections of four-year liberal arts colleges primarily provide curricular support (p. 170). I did not see an emphasis on diversity within the selection of books, but that may be due to the lack of diversity in the college population.

Overall, this library gave me a better appreciation for the libraries at the schools I have attended. I have a better understanding of the difference between a small college library and a research library for an institution that provides materials for students who are working on degrees beyond a Bachelor’s degree. This made me wonder about the nature of the staff of a larger university library – how many staff members, job descriptions, and day-to-day responsibilities. I also wanted to know more about acquisition policies for larger university libraries and how they are monitored.

References

Fintel Library. (May 14, 2020). Discover Fintel. https://libguides.roanoke.edu/c.php?g=952336&p=6870515

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