Editor's Note: This story originally appeared in AlumnInsider, the Penn State Alumni Association's monthly member e-newsletter. You can click here for information on becoming a member, and you can follow the Alumni Association on Facebook and Twitter for more stories and updates on events.
UNIVERSITY PARK, Pa. — Penn State Alumni Association members can expect to see some updates to the Alumni Library, a member benefit that gives you access to 22 subscrption-based online databases, nearly 100 digitized collections and thousands of additional resources. The Alumni Library is a partnership between the Alumni Association and University Libraries that has assisted members for the last decade.
Founded in 2006, the Alumni Library offers information that is more scholarly and researched than what someone can typically find on other Internet search engines, Rebecca Miller said in mid-December during an off-campus presentation to Penn Staters. Miller is the head of library learning services for University Libraries. She and Sue Kellerman, Judith O. Sieg Chair for Preservation, gave an overview of the service to residents at The Village at Penn State.
The audience displayed an intellectual curiosity, and that interest in the Alumni Library and continuously wanting to know more aligns with the libraries’ mission — Miller said that lifelong learning is mentioned several times in the University Libraries’ strategic plan.
Nearly everyone in the audience was either a Penn State graduate, retired professor, or spouse of a Penn Stater, and their feedback helped direct Kellerman and her team as they refine the Alumni Library.
In addition to listening to responses, the conversation also served as a general overview (or introduction) to the Alumni Library, one of the many benefits of Alumni Association membership.
The majority of the databases featured in the Alumni Library normally require a fee or aren’t readily available to the public, but the Alumni Library curates these databases and organizes them for the visitor. One of the changes forthcoming is that the site will also have free databases that are normally difficult to find, Miller said, adding that with the updates to the Alumni Library, they’ll be much easier to locate.
Also based on feedback received during the presentation, the library will investigate options to include more databases that highlight the sciences and engineering, Miller said. And Kellerman added they’ll also work on browser issues, and making it easier for visitors to request library cards, download books and use the libraries’ other services.
For troubleshooting, live support is available while browsing the Alumni Library by clicking on the “Ask A Librarian” tab on the right-hand side of the screen. University Libraries staff members gave a demonstration of the service, which connected them to a librarian within a minute.
With nearly two dozen online databases, chances are the Alumni Library has what you’re looking for. But if not, there’s still that old-school research method of seeking out information.
“No resource that we create is going to answer everyone’s question, so allowing people to speak with a live librarian is really helpful,” Miller said. “We tend to think of our librarians as the most important resource we have, so giving people access to them is really important.”