The Seahawk

Issue date: 11/18/09 Section: News

Media Credit: Patrick Sullivan

Randall Library is changing. UNCW students instinctively walk past the shelves of the yellowing pages toward Java City or in hopes of a vacant computer. They are more concerned about URLs than the Dewey Decimal System. As technology continues to advance, libraries all across the country are increasingly becoming more virtual, and stacks of printed texts are being replaced with digital learning centers and coffee bars.

With the rise of electronic book readers like Amazon's Kindle, and Google's recent efforts to digitize every book and create the world's largest library online, libraries are planning on becoming-or already have become-bookless. On a campus where students carry more laptops than textbooks, it begs to be asked: will Randall eventually become a bookless library?

"Not any time soon," said Sue Cody, the interim university librarian of Randall. "The libraries that are going bookless are typically not the only library on campus. We have a huge investment in our collections, and they do still have value."

She added, "We would love to expose students to eBook reading technology… making rare items readily accessible to anyone anywhere and still preserving the original in optimal storage conditions."

"There's a misconception that there's a battle going on between print and other formats," said Anne Pemberton, Randall Library's Instructional Services coordinator. "I like to think of it as more of a balance; it doesn't have to be 'either/or.' I think Randall Library is already doing a good job of keeping this balance. When information is available electronically and the library can afford to purchase it, it will do so but students will never be without access [of paper books]."

According to Cody, Randall Library will undergo improvements starting this spring and through summer, which will include a new Learning Commons in the front of the building, moving the undergraduate lab up to the front area, and combining TAC with Research Assistance.  "We're really excited about having all that help in one place for more seamless service," Cody said. "It will be a more inviting space."

So, bookless or not, UNCW students are still accessing, learning, collaborating and researching within the walls of Randall Library, which is what defines it as a library in the first place.
"Libraries are much more than archives and store houses, [they] are about the people," Pemberton adds. "Libraries are available to provide access to information regardless of format in order to create powerful learning experiences."

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