I had a very interesting and productive visit to Radford University’s academic library. Before I visited the physical space, I decided to look through the website. I wanted to find the address and campus map, and I also wanted to get a feel for what the library has to offer. The website is located at https://www.radford.edu/content/library.html. I found this website to be very typical of most college library websites. The catalog and “ask a librarian” chat box seem to be commonplace for academic library websites. I also found the address, hours, and campus map with ease. There is a page for the vast staff and liaisons, complete with their contact information. Upon exploring the website, I did find tabs for locating popular collections, and the one that stood out the most was a collection for “Social Justice and Racial Literacy”. Rubin and Rubin state “social justice affects every aspect of librarianship” (p. 185). I was very pleased to see a a recommended selection of books, journals, and videos made easily accessible on the topic. Overall, the website is easy to use and effective.
The library is located on the main campus and borders main street, though this is not a great place to access the entrance. The outside of this entrance has two benches and a book depository. The building is very large and has a historic feeling on the outside and throughout the inside space. The parking was a bit of a disaster. There are currently lots of areas of construction. While there is adequate faculty and handicapped parking, it took me about half an hour to drive around the campus and find one of the few areas that had metered parking. I think this is mostly because the size and nature of the university. It is small enough to walk the campus, but just big enough to have some parking and shuttles.
When you enter the library, you walk into a beautiful lobby, full of comfortable seating and an elevator. You enter the library on the third floor, which is the main level. This level contains bathrooms, elevators, stairs, and the information literacy center. When browsing the third floor, I noticed numerous open classrooms, computer access cubicles, and many more meeting spaces. The space is adequately set up to accommodate patrons of special needs, with elevator access, plenty of space between shelving, and more. Signs, bulletin boards, and student projects line the walls of the library, which makes it feel like an active space, not just a quiet area. Having 5 floors in total, this library contains a vast area, for a college this size. As you can see in the photo below, this large digital sign, which is posted throughout the library, contains excellent information on the purpose of each floor.
During my visit, I saw an abundance of staff members. There are desks located throughout the library for help, with one main checkout desk on the third floor. I noticed staff helping patrons with computers, locating books, and checking out books. There were too many patrons in the library to count. I can tell this library is highly used by the student population. While it is obvious this library is serving the students of the university, I also found out the public can get a library card and access the library. I think people who would be most comfortable here are students of the library. Patrons are moving around with purpose, not seemingly in a leisurely fashion. Also, though children and the general public can use the library, the public library would be a better fit for younger children.
This library is categorized by the Dewey Decimal system. It contains many special collections and resources. I was most impressed with their Appalachian collection, section for local Radford authors, and their Juvenile collection. They also have a floor devoted to archives, Radford history, and quiet study space. Technology equipment is available to check out, as are whiteboards and other presentation materials. I also found a room and staff available to help those in need of accessible technology. This room was located by the main entrance, which I found to be extremely helpful.
I was most surprised by the size and volume of media in this library. Though it is probably a smaller academic library, it is much larger than I anticipated. When stepping inside, I felt very adventurous. Like there was a plethora of information, just waiting to be explored. Overall, I was very pleased with this visit. Some things that were disappointing were the parking and the litter of broken glass bottles outside the steps. While the majority of students walk the campus, the public patrons and commuters would do well with more adequate parking spaces. I would like to know how many public patrons use their library? Also, how many specific staff members do they employ?
Resources
Rubin, R. E. and Rubin, R. G. (2020). Foundations of library and information science (5th ed.). ALA Neal-Schuman.
The outside of the library is beautiful, although I do tend to favor historical buildings. Unfortunately, construction and parking are common themes surrounding academic libraries. I appreciated the signage of the library layout, especially since it is five floors. It seems like there is a lot to see and explore inside and that students feel comfortable navigating the space with ease and confidence. I liked that the public also has access to the library and can sign up for a library card. Overall it sounds like a pleasant visit, besides the parking fiasco!
It was my first visit to a college campus in over a decade, and I forgot just how terrible parking and construction were! Overall, this visit was extremely neat! I really thought the layout was extremely functional and, though it was a peaceful place, it was also full of social interaction.
The outside of this library is beautiful; I love the steps leading up to the entrance. It is very disappointing to hear about the parking though, you shouldn’t have to be inconvenienced to go to a library. The interior seems to be well laid out, and I appreciate that the staff members are located throughout the space. I especially liked the digital signage; it explained the layout quite nicely. I could see how having 5 floors to utilize would be intimidating to patrons if the library didn’t explain what is on each floor so prominently. Overall, the visit sounds like it went well, and you were able to get a feel for the building.
It was a very nice visit. When walking in, I had that nostalgic feeling of a library. It seems like it accurately fits the stereotype of a great, functional academic library. I have noticed, through reading our team blog posts, it may not be as modernized as some of the other academic libraries, but it maintains a great functionality.
It’s so true that these college libraries somehow end up with the worst parking situations! Ugh! How frustrating. I love your pictures of the inside. That photo of the sign for each floor is a great example of presenting information in a clear way. It seems like a library that works well for many of its students, even if it’s not the most modern library out there.
I agree! I think the signage was extremely helpful and efficient. I was able to quickly navigate the floors, based on the digital signs. Yes, though not extremely modern, I do think it is still functional for students and even the public. I didn’t feel a bit out of place there, which surprised me. I think it could use some modernization, but overall I think it is a great library. I do think they have scattered extensive technology updates throughout, so perhaps that is helping the functionality.