Custom «Shafer Library» Essay Paper

The Shafer Library of the University of Findlay, Ohio, was opened in 1968. This is also a trusted research resource of the Winebrenner Theological Seminary.

The main goals of the library are to support students in their learning by eliminating and identifying the duplication of resources in order to allow additional acquisitions that can support the ongoing academic programs. Shafer Library supports students in their learning by providing the opportunity to comprehend available in the library information resources and the most important library service points by utilization of the Library Liaison outreach program for English 104 and 106 students.

The key mission of the Shafer Library is to provide easy access to information for learning and research. Besides, the Shafer Library tries to collect all the research accumulated by the Findlay University preserving University’s history. In addition, the library seeks to deliver the instructions on information literacy in order to equip students for productive careers and meaningful lives. The Shafer Library creates a range of individual and group learning spaces to meet the demands of the students and staff members.

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If students or staff members are willing to access the databases of the Shafer Library off campus, they are supposed to create their own accounts on the library’s or University of Findlay web-site. If some error occurs and one cannot access their accounts, they should try to log in through OhioLINK or OPAL. For this, they must use the barcode number which is located on the backside of one’s Student ID card (numbers begin with 40633 …). If this action is of no avail, one should let know the web-site operator as soon as possible.

All students can use individual and group study rooms which are equipped with white boards, chairs, and tables. They are available for everyone all the time. In order to receive a key, one should come up to the Circulation Desk. The rooms are very comfortable, well-ventilated, and well-lit.

An interesting place to feel a real student’s life is to visit the Guyer Lounge which is open for 24 hours, 7 days a week. The Guyer Lounge is equipped with a flat-screen television, tables, sofas, and a vending machine. One can get into the lounge through the library vestibule door in case the main library door is closed.

The library is also equipped with three black & white photocopiers, two of which has a scanning function, too. All the scanned documents one may receive free of charge on their Findley e-mail. The costs of photocopies are 8.5*11/14 - $ 0.10 with a copycard cost of $ 0.05; 11*17 - $ 0.20 with a copycard cost of $ 0.10. the cost of copycards is $ 3.00. One can pay only with check or cash.

A Print Release Station is situated on the opposite side of the Circulation Desk and allows one to send the print jobs where you need or print documents there.

One of the most important parts of the library, the Findlay Archives is situated on the second floor, Room 219. The Archives is opened only for limited hours for staff, public, students, and faculty. The visiting hours vary according to the semester. Moreover, in order to get there, one needs to make an appointment. Today, Robert Schirmer is responsible for arranging appointments who is the University Archivist. To contact him, one has to send an e-mail (schirmer@findlay,edu) or by phone (419-434-4767). All materials in the Archives are non-circulating and one can study them only within the Room 219.

The main mission of the Archives is to maintain research and teaching endeavors of the University, faculty, community and students, making available those materials which refer to the culture and history of the University of Findlay.

The whole collection consists of university records since the very beginning of the creation of the institution, including the original articles dating back to 1882 that certified the incorporation. A lot of the publications, which were written here over the years, date back to the times when the first classes took place in 1886.

Apart from the publications and records, photographs, institutional works, memorabilia and many other works of art can be found here describing the history of the university.

The Archives Holdings Manual overviews the categories of materials which are included and the listings of very specific materials which allow to get a better understanding of most of the items. This Manual also allows a person to find those items he or she is interested in, and reserve them for further studying by submitting an electronic message or some other request in a written form. If someone does not want to use the Holdings Manual, the best way to get the information he or she needs is to send an e-mail or call to Robert Shirmer requesting for the items of interest.

Students and faculty or staff members of the University of Findlay who have some useful materials that they would like to transfer to the Archives, have to fill in the Request to Transfer Form before they send any materials. If one does not wish to spend their time on completing a form, he or she can send an e-mail or call and the request will be completed for them.

For all who desires to use the materials of the Archives but who is not staff or faculty member, or student, the donation of materials is required. Those materials must relate to the culture or history of this institution. The Donation Form should be completed before any materials can be sent, in such a way the library workers can check out whether these materials are similar to the items they already have and whether there is a space to allocate these items. As the library workers are very helpful and amiable, they can fill in the Donation Form for the person when he or she cannot do it on their own because of some reasons.

As in most of the archives, the Findlay Archives dates back to the pre-digital times, therefore, all the data have to be converted into the electronic format. This task is not completed yet. Moreover, it is not even started. But the University assures to start accomplishing this task of a so-called retrospective conversion soon enough. Meanwhile, the official web-site of the University of Findley offers a list of links to those materials which are already converted into the digital format. An interesting thing to have a look at here is the 1886 Findlay College Prospectus and Announcement of the Findlay College presented in the electronic form on the web-site of the Ohio Memory (a collaborative project of the State Library of Ohio and the Ohio Historical Society).

Here I would like to tell a little bit about the history of the very University. The University of Findlay was called Findlay College when it was opened in 1886. It started in the College Building which was known as “Old Main”. The first amount of students that enrolled to get the education from the College was 70 persons. The College Building was considered to be the biggest single college building located to the west of the Appalachian Mountains. According to the advertisements of those times, it was the sole building in the whole world using natural gas for heating purposes.

Despite the fact that Findlay College was opened in 1886, it was founded in 1882 by the Churches of God and citizens of the Findlay City. The name of the institution was changed in 1989. It was done to reflect a very dynamic increase in enrollment and variety of the available academic offerings, especially the creation of graduate programs.

In my personal opinion, the Shafer Library is a very good place for expanding one’s knowledge. All workers are very amiable and helpful. Despite the absence of a big amount of materials in the electronic form, the working hours and the location of the library is very convenient for students or staff members to access library’s assets. For example, the regular building hours are from 8 am to midnight from Monday to Thursday; 8 am – 6 pm on Friday; 10 am – 4 pm on Saturday and 3 pm and up to midnight – on Sunday. An interesting schedule is from Sunday, the 2^nd of December, till Thursday, the 6^th of December, and Sunday, the 9^th of December, till Wednesday, the 12^th of December. On these days everyone can study in the library till 2 am.

The exceptions to this regular schedule include such holidays as Labor Day Weekend, when the library works only from 8 am to 6 pm (31^st of August) and on is closed from the 1^st till the 3d of September; in October, from the 8^th till the 9^th, Mid Fall Recess, the working hours are 8 am – 5 pm; in November, Thanksgiving Recess (21th – the library works from 8 am till noon, 22th-24^th – is closed for the whole days, 25^th – 6 pm till midnight); during the end of semester hours the Shafer Library has a special schedule, too. On the 14^th of December it works from 8 am till 5 pm, 15^th-16^th of December is closed, from the 17^th till the 21^st the library is open from 8 am till 5 pm, from the 22^nd of December till the 1^st of January – closed, 2^nd-4^th of January: 8 am – 5 pm, 5^th of January: 10 am – 4 pm, and the last irregular working day is on the 6^th of January, when the building is open from 3 pm till midnight.

I consider the Shafer Library to be a very convenient and pleasant place for studying as the atmosphere there motivates and inspires you to keep up order not only in your surrounding but also with your thoughts.