For my academic library visit, I chose to visit the Perry Library at ODU.

The Space and Physical Access

Figure 1. The view near the entrance of first floor taken from the second floor balcony.

The Perry Library is a large building on the ODU campus.  This was my first visit to the library.  Outside the library, there are plenty of bike racks and nearby handicap and faculty/staff parking.  However, as a visitor in a car, the only option for parking was street parking in nearby neighborhoods.  The library has automatic doors and a metal detector at the entrance.  When I walked in, I felt overwhelmed by the library.  The first floor is large, and the second floor is a visible balcony above.  However, the library is also welcoming and airy, which helped the overwhelming feeling pass. There is a sprawl of comfortable seating on both sides of the entrance, and an Einstein Bagels in view.  

On the first floor, there are several study rooms.  There are also conference rooms and collaboration rooms.  A collection of PCs set up in different configurations makes up a significant part of the first floor.  On every floor, there is a section of computers, study carrels, and study rooms.  There are three elevators that access all four floors.  However, while the first floor feels very accessible, the floors seem to get more cramped and less accessible as they go up. I also found it very easy to get lost in the stacks on the third and fourth floor.  I do admit that I have a horrible sense of direction and spatial awareness, but the warren of tall shelves made it difficult to find my way back to the elevator.        

Services and Intellectual Access

The Perry Library has a variety of sources for students.  There is an academic resource center, a specific science and math resource center, and a writing resource center.  The Assessment in Action initiative found that “[a]cademic library partnerships with other campus units, such as the writing center [and] academic enrichment…yield positive benefits for students (e.g., higher grades, academic confidence, retention)” (Rubin and Rubin, 2020, p. 173).  

The library also has areas where students can use supplies such as staplers, hole punches, and phone chargers.  On the second floor, there are two catalog search computers, but both are out of order.  However, there are many computers on each floor, and patrons can search the library by going to the https://www.odu.edu/library site on any computer.  I also found a landline on the second floor that, when used, immediately connects the patron to the help desk.  The materials in the library are organized under the Library of Congress classification system.   

The signage in the library is generally very clear.  Most of it is in very clear and bright font.  However, as I mentioned, I had a difficult time finding my way in the library, and I did not find a map until the third floor.  I later noticed that there was a small map in the elevator.  I feel that it would have been useful for library maps to be larger and clearer and on the first floor.  

People (Patrons and Staff)

The library is clearly set up to serve students.  This is shown in its collection materials and resource centers.  Members of the public who would like to do research would be able to use the library, as library entrance does not require proof of being a student.  However, if you are not a student, you are not able to check out materials or log into the computers.  Non-students may be the most uncomfortable in the library.  In addition, freshmen who have never experienced a large college library may have a learning curve when it comes to utilizing the library.  Academic libraries can be intimidating.

There were very few patrons and staff members when I visited the library.  I only recognized five people as being staff members: two people at the help desk, two people talking in a back hallway, and a custodian.  When I was on a computer near the help desk, I listened to patron/staff interactions.  The help desk staff was very kind and helpful.  Most patrons were in their twenties, but there were certainly older patrons, too.  A majority of the patrons who I saw were white, but the two staff members at the help desk were women of color.  Most patrons were sitting alone and quietly studying.

Collections

Figure 2. The light up “Periodicals” sign on the second floor.

The Perry library has a huge array of collections.  On the first floor, there is a collection of popular fiction near the front, which surprised me.  The second floor is entirely periodicals.  Some of the journals are falling apart and without binding, but they remain part of the collection.  There is a microfiche area, which I had never actually seen in person.  On the third floor, there are more periodicals.  In addition, they have a large nonfiction collection that is organized by the LCC.  There is also a juvenile book section.  While I was impressed by the number of books, all of the nonfiction and juvenile books looked very old.  I could not spot any modern books.  If I were going to the library to borrow a book for a research project, I would not be interested in books that were not up to date.  This struck me as an unhelpful aspect of a library set up for research.  

The second, third, and fourth floors are not very accessible.  They use older models of space saving shelves, which require people to have the ability to twist a crank to access an aisle.  The aisles are also very narrow.  People who use mobility aids would not be able to move down the aisles.  

Figure 3. Space saving shelves and the crank required to move them in a periodical section.

Digital Access

The Perry Library is a part of the ODU library website, which includes all four of the campus libraries (https://www.odu.edu/library).  The main page has a “Monarch One Search” box, which includes the ability to search for anything and listings of databases, journals/newspapers, digital commons, and ODU archives.  The page is very intuitive and friendly.  There are featured news and events and obvious options to reserve rooms or look at library guides.  The page gives three options to contact library professionals: chat online, send in a form with a question, or make a research appointment.  There is a page that lists what equipment the library will loan, such as cameras and graphing calculators.  The staff directory lists 53 staff members under 10 different categories.  While I knew it takes a lot of different types of library professionals to keep an academic library running, I was surprised to actually see the list.  All staff members can be contacted through phone or email.  Unfortunately, I couldn’t find any accommodations for people with visual impairments, and everything was in English.

Other

From the ODU decor to the research and learning areas, it is very obvious that the library is an academic library.  The library definitely tries to be welcoming, and one of its first displays is a Black Lives Matter display.  The architecture, technology, and collections made me think of this quote in Rubin & Rubin (2020): “Today, the 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” (Fallin, 2019; Spencer and Watstein, 2017 as cited in Rubin & Rubin, 2020, p. 171).

It surprised me to see that many periodicals in one place, and to see an actual microfiche collection.  I may go back to the library sometime just to try out microfiche.  When I entered the library, I was enchanted by the size of a university library, but I admit that I ended my visit feeling bored.  I think it’s difficult to explore a large library where everything eventually gets very similar.  While I do enjoy an academic library, when I return, I will not be searching the entire building.  I’m still not very interested in learning about the mechanisms and behind-the-scenes of academic libraries, though.  

References

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