The Cosumnes River College library has opened part time this fall for students to access library services with the exception that they must be masked.
The library is offering on ground services such as free printing and copying, group study rooms, silent study areas, computers with wifi, assistance with research in and borrowing materials in the library.
“We are open on a walk-in basis, but students are required to wear a mask,” Librarian Emily Bond said. “We are going to move to an appointment basis in October, to comply with the vaccine requirement for on campus services”.
Bond explained how the library still offers online services even though the library is reopening.
“In addition to our in-person hours, we offer online services that are outside of those hours so students are able to get research help and they are also able to schedule research appointments, one-on-one with a librarian,” Bond said.
As the library is working out the plans to move to online appointments in October, Bond explained what to expect when this plan rolls out.
“Well, we’re still working out the details, but we will have the opportunity for students to request to come in and use the library for a variety of things,” Bond said. “We’ll have appointments available on our website, the library website which is linked on the college website, and so that students can select what they need, and have an opportunity to arrange to come in.”
Technical Services Librarian Melaine Huyck-Aufdermaur said students can come into the library during the library’s open hours and are still able to check out books as well as reserve textbooks for two hours and other textbook reserves.
“There’s overnight reserves where you can take it out of the library and keep it overnight, and then there’s reserves for like a whole semester where you can just keep the book for the whole semester and turn it back in when the semester is over,” Huyck-Aufdermaur said. “We also have five day reserves.”
Huyck-Aufdermaur said students can request a book online from the CRC library website and they can pick it up on campus.
“‘If you have a book, you find it in OneSearch, and you want that you can request it through the OneSearch, and then it will be delivered to you by our lockers located in the BS building,” Huyck-Aufdermaur said.
She also said hand sanitizer is available for students as well as computers, and the computer lab on the left inside the library.
“We’re not doing instruction for classes in there,” Huyck-Aufdermaur said. “It’s available for individual students.”
Huyck-Aufdermaur said the library also offers free printing and copying services for students, but they must have their student ID card with them.
“We have print cards that we are using, so that the students aren’t charged, and then they’ll give it back to us so we have it for the next student,” Huyck-Aufdermaur said.
She also said some of the group study rooms are available in the library for students as well as upstairs.
“If you feel comfortable with your friends, you may sit together, but you just have to be wearing a mask on campus,” Huyck-Aufdermaur said. “We are in the process of deciding what is the best decision, safety wise for our staff and for students.”
Huyck-Aufdermaur said there is a limited quantity of chromebooks and internet hotspots available for students.
“If you don’t have a stable internet connection or are not able to get one, students can come into the library and ask to borrow a hotspot, and tell it to the circulation desk,” Huyck-Aufdermaur said.
Bond added how she wants students to be able to come to the library and get all the academic support that they need to be successful in their classes.
“My biggest comment would just really be that the library is here as academic support, and whether you’re online or on campus for your classes,” Bond said. “We want to make sure that you have the materials and the research support to succeed in your classes. So we’re happy to help.”
The library is open on Tuesday-Thursday from 10 a.m.-4 p.m. For more information about the library’s services, please visit the CRC library’s FAQs.