Lakeland Library Newsletter: Welcome to Spring 2024

Lakeland Library is open for you!

Spring Semester Hours

Monday - Thursday | 8AM to 8PM

Friday | 8AM to 12PM

Saturday & Sunday | Closed

For more information:

Phone 440-525-7425 or email reflibrarian@lakelandcc.edu.

Help with citations!

Need help citing your sources in your research paper? Lakeland librarians have created a guide to the most common citation styles. Visit the citation guide to find explanations, detailed examples, and additional resources for MLA, APA, and Chicago. Need more individual help with citations? Visit a writing center tutor in Lakeland's Learning Center. 

The start of the new year is an auspicious time to look back at where one has come from. It is also the perfect time to look ahead toward where one would like to go. Last year saw many changes at the college, changes that created challenges. Like other departments, the library faced staff and budget reductions. However, when I look back, I see the many ways the library triumphed over these adversities by treating each challenge as an opportunity.

Last year, in partnership with Student Engagement & Leadership, the library held the second Connect Fest since the pandemic shut the college down in March 2020. We continued to see more students returning to the library looking for a place to study, socialize, or relax. Perhaps because of an increase in brick-and-mortar classes on campus, we also saw an uptick in the number of information literacy classes we taught. We continued to foster the development of early childhood literacy by offering story times for four classes of TLC kids every month. We partnered (again) with Lakeland Foundation to supply students with stress relief items during midterms and finals.

Last year, OhioLINK added additional publishers to its cost-neutral Open Access agreements, giving scholars and researchers increased access to journal titles as well as publishing benefits with no additional article publication charges (APCs) for the author or fees for the institution. We have gained momentum on a consortium-wide OhioLINK project to migrate our Library Services Platform (LSP) from Innovative/Sierra to ExLibris/Alma. By Summer 2025, library operations will take place on an entirely new software system. This upgrade will position the library to support 21st century teaching, learning, and research; streamline day-to-day operations; and enhance stability and security. Library users will have a new catalog and new discovery search (say goodbye to FiSH) with upgraded features. Those are just a few positive takeaways from an otherwise challenging year.

While the year ahead promises to be challenging too, the library will continue to offer the same high-quality resources and services you have come to expect. We will continue to deliver information literacy instruction in-person and online to classes and individuals, teaching students to think critically about the information they use to support their research or make important personal decisions. The library will continue to make nearly a hundred databases available 24/7 to students, faculty, and staff. You will find streaming videos, e-books, scholarly articles, newspaper articles, and more in the e-resources available to you through the library’s membership in OhioLINK. If you need a moment for reflection or renewal, we encourage you to visit the library’s Relaxation Zone or work on one of the jigsaw puzzles in the Reference section. In the library, we are committed to finding every opportunity we can to serve the college and support students as they progress on their way to personal and professional success. I hope you have a rewarding semester.

Thomas Hyland, Library Program Chair

Need help with your research assignment? Students are encouraged to sign-up for one-on-one research assistance appointments. Sessions can be scheduled online or in person, and students can meet with librarians as many times as needed all semester long.

For research help for entire classes, instructors are encouraged to sign-up for face-to-face or online information literacy sessions. Instruction is tailored to the needs of your assignment. 

Can't make it to the library? We also offer a number of digital resources, including research guides and video tutorials. For questions, please contact reference staff at reflibrarian@lakelandcc.edu or 440-525-7425. 

Check out these new books, available in our library

Specialized technology in the library!

Wacom tablets (digital tools for graphic design) and ultra high definition USB doc cameras are available for check out at the Library's circulation desk. Questions? Contact circulation at lakelandlibrary@lakelandcc.edu or 440-525-7424.