This content was published: January 31, 2024. Phone numbers, email addresses, and other information may have changed.
The Responsive Library: Meeting Students’ Needs and Interests
Posted by anne.grey | Start the discussion
Presenters: Roberta Richards, Robin Shapiro, and Sara Robertson.
Summary
In this presentation, PCC librarians introduce several library services that were added or expanded in response to student and faculty needs. The session highlights resources that can make course materials easier to access, provide students with more reading options, and bring a wider range of voices and perspectives into the classroom.
Presenters begin with PCC’s New York Times subscription and OverDrive/Libby. PCC students, faculty, and staff can activate New York Times access using their PCC email address and use articles, multimedia, archives, and educational materials from The Learning Network. Libby provides access to eBooks and audiobooks that can be read or listened to on phones, tablets, computers, and other supported devices. Faculty can also contact a librarian when looking for a title to use with a class.
The session also introduces PressReader, a collection of more than 7,000 newspapers and magazines from 120 countries in 60 languages. Users can browse publications from around the world, follow favorite titles, and use features for saving, sharing, printing, listening to, and translating articles. For instructors, PressReader can provide students with perspectives that may be difficult to find through traditional web searches and can support assignments that compare news, culture, and viewpoints from different parts of the world.
Finally, presenters demonstrate PCC’s digital delivery service, Rapido. When an eligible print book is not immediately available, students and faculty may be able to request a digital chapter or up to 50 pages for personal use. The session encourages instructors to work with PCC librarians when selecting course resources, placing materials on reserve, linking library content in their courses, or finding new ways to incorporate library collections into teaching.
Presentation Outcomes
- Identify PCC Library resources that have been added or expanded in response to student and faculty needs.
- Access New York Times content and identify teaching resources available through The Learning Network.
- Use OverDrive and Libby to locate eBooks and audiobooks that support academic work, personal reading, and course activities.
- Use PressReader to find newspapers and magazines representing a wide range of countries, languages, and perspectives.
- Identify PressReader features for searching, following publications, saving, sharing, listening to, and translating content.
- Explain how Rapido can provide digital access to a chapter or portion of an eligible print resource.
- Work with PCC librarians to locate course materials, place resources on reserve, create reliable links to library content, and integrate library resources into teaching.
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