ECSU Libraty Offers Services To Students
BY LARRY LISTER
The George Roscoe Little
Library offers various ser
vices to the students and
faculty of Elizabeth City
State University and the
community. The library
supplies books, magazines,
newspapers, and pamphlets
to the students for general
use.
A new addition was com
pleted last year to provide
better services to the campus
and the community through
more library books,
reference materials,
periodicals, and newspapers.
Also included in the new wing
were two elevators. In ad
dition, a revised educational
media center, larger spaces
for students to read and
study, an upgrading of the
periodicals and reference
sections from downstairs to
upstairs, more en
cyclopedias, and other
reference materials, a
private study lounge
providing a quieter at
mosphere for students, and
additional offices for the
library staff were included in
the new wing.
The library staff is
professionally trained to
meet the needs of the public.
Each staff member is
specially skilled in his or her
own section whether it is in
the periodicals, reference,
educational media main
tenance, or study sections.
Some of the staff members
interviewed were Claude
Green, Head Librarian; Miss
Rebecca Ware, Periodicals
Librarian; Charlie Johnson,
Director of the Educational
Media Center; and James B.
Law, Director of the
Reference Section, along with
many others.
The Educational Media
Center is headed by Charlie
Johnson, Director. According
to Johnson, the media center
provides a wide variety of
services to the ECSU family
in an overall effort to enhance
teaching capabilities and
improve instruction. The
center, he stated, provides
students and faculty with
photography equipment, slide
projectors with the ac
companying sound
established by either record
or cassette, recordings
pertaining to various subject
areas, and an assorted
selection of audio tapes on
cassette or reel-to-reel.
Johnson stated that the
center also provides video
taping and playbacking of
lectures, seminars,
programs, extra-curriculum
activities, classroom set
tings, and other requests. He
stated that academic oriented
services, such as serving as
instructional resource con
sultants and materials
specialists for teachers and
students are also provided. In
addition, the staff of the
media center works with
teachers in curriculum
planning, act as resource
persons in the classroom
when requested by the
teachers, works with
teachers to design in
structional experiences, and
assume responsibility for
providing instruction in the
use of the media and its
resources.
Requests for the various
services provided by the
media, Johnson stated, are
made through several dif
ferent channels. The client
may make a personal ap
pearance, a telephone call, or
use requisition forms. The
majority of the requests, he
stated, are made by
telephone. Once the caller has
identified him or herself, the
following should be obtained:
the name of the client and
department, the type of
service requested and
necessary materials along
with any equipment required
to meet the request, the time
service is needed, the
designated location such as
the building and room
number in which materials
and equipment is to be taken
and set up; the date of
request and date in which
client would like services and
an alternate date if a request
cannot be filled.
The information is im
mediately transferred to the
Daily Schedule Book at the
Media Circulation Desk to
avoid the chance of forgetting
the request. The only ad
ditional information required
in this book is the name of the
person assigned to fill the
request. Requests made by
personal appearance
generally take place at the
Media Circulation Window.
Information secured here is
recorded directly into the
Daily Schedule Book.
According to Johnson,
materials housed in the
Educational Media Center
are located in the A. V. Stacks
Room. By referring to the
Materials Accessibility Book,
knowledge of what audio and
visual instructional aids
housed in the center can be
assessed. This allows more
time to evaluate the
materials to determine which
will best satisfy the need.
This book is located at the
Circulation Desk and cannot
be removed. Also, a copy is in
the media office in case
requests are made by
telephone.
Johnson stated that the
general procedures for
handling requests are
routine. After openmg me
center, the Daily Schedule
Book is checked to see what
services have been requested
for that day. Approximately
fifteen minutes prior to the
requested time, all materials
and equipment needed are
retrieved and brought to the
Circulation Desk. A student
assistant is assigned to take
the equipment to the location.
However, no student, ac
cording to Johnson, is per
mitted to fill a request
without first checking with
one of the staff members on
duty. Also, no request is filled
that has not been recorded in
the Daily Schedule Book.
Many services, stated
Johnson, are requested that
are handled outside the
center. These include:
filmstrip previews, graphic
reproducations, film
previews, use of the
microfilm, microfishe,
microbook readers, and other
interior services. These
services, according to
Johnson, may or may not be
recorded in the Daily
Schedule B6ok. In case they
are not recorded in the book,
they are recorded during the
request for statistical pur
poses.
Also located in the
Educational Media Center is
(Sco I.IBRA R V'. pn^p 7) •