Do library schools need their own libraries
asks Jessamyn, regarding the merging of the Paul Wasserman Library at the University of Maryland’s College of Information Studies with another campus library.
The school I went to had a separate library considered to be a laboratory for us students. Many of my fellow students worked there in various capacities–behind the circulation and reference desk, working on the Web sites, staffing the computer lab. It was very nice to have our own library located in the department.
I’m not sure how different things would have been had our collection been part of another campus library. No more running to the library between classes. We probably wouldn’t have had the fabulous view of the lake. The furniture wouldn’t have been as comfortable. Browsing would have been much more challenging because the collection would have been much more dispersed were it integrated into one of the considerably larger libraries. While a lot of the straight library science books might have still been classed relatively close together in the Zs, what would have happened to all of the works that weren’t, like the juvenile literature? Which library would it be in were it not in the laboratory library? The education school’s library across campus?
July 14th, 2005 at 10:54 am
Thanks for posting this. As a CLIS graduate, I’ve gone to the Save Wasserman blog (http://savewasserman.blogspot.com/) and posted my thoughts. If this is part of a larger move to merge ALL college libraries into McKeldin and Hornbake, then I have no problem. But if CLIS has been singled out, then I hope they will re-think this decision.
July 14th, 2005 at 11:06 am
Interesting. Among the benefits of our alma mater’s library, j, was also the rare (among academic libraries) opportunity to see DDC in action.