Any student who has attempted to utilize the University Library this school year has noticed the construction going on, both inside and out. Cal State Long Beach is spending a great deal of money to renovate and update the campus library.
These improvements will aid the school’s efforts to compete in rankings and academic caliber with some of the top universities in the state. However, merely making the library more physically attractive and easier to use will not attract more top students to our campus.
Research is an integral part of a college education, and access to an extensive library collection is essential for research. Countless professors have begun their courses by telling their classes that a large portion of the grade will depend on a research paper and that, because CSULB’s collection is so limited, students should decide on a topic within the first few weeks of school.
This, the professors say, will allow students time to track down the sources they need from university libraries all over the state of California. Many other professors have added, with great disappointment in their voices, that our library simply can’t compare to those of schools like UCLA or UC Berkeley.
If the goal of making improvements and renovations on campus is truly to improve the overall caliber of CSULB, money cannot merely be spent on a superficial facelift. Every top-ranked university touts the quality and quantity of its library collection when attempting to entice high-quality students and faculty to choose their school over the many others seeking them. With its current collection, CSULB simply does not measure up.
While undergraduate students may not have noticed the library’s shortcomings, graduate students and faculty members attempting to do research face constant headaches because of them.
Researchers must secure the materials our library lacks through other venues, such as LINK+, which results in a delay of anywhere from a couple of days to a week. Also, LINK+ loans are for a much shorter time period than our campus library, late fees are much higher and only two short-term renewals are allowed.
Another option for securing materials our library lacks is to purchase them, but this can lead to an array of other difficulties. The most obvious is that it puts an even greater financial burden on students than they already bear. In addition, it can be extremely difficult to find certain sources, even primary sources, whether searching in a local bookstore or online.
Many books students and faculty need for research are out of print, and some have been for quite some time. This can make research nearly impossible, in spite of the fact that CSULB professors are currently being encouraged to do increasing amounts of research.
CSULB’s library handicaps its students and faculty, giving them a disadvantage when compared with those doing research at higher-ranked universities. It is simply not possible to do the same amount and quality of research at CSULB as can be done when all the required resources are at a scholar’s fingertips.
If CSULB is determined in its quest to attract top students and faculty members, thus improving the overall quality of the school, the university budget must take into account the need for a better library collection. Without such an asset, scholars at CSULB simply cannot compete.
