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Books aren’t going anywhere at AU’s Bender Library

Computer stations near print reference materials at American University's Bender Library.
Computer stations near print reference materials at American University’s Bender Library. The library offers 50 computer stations. American University library. Photo by Nima Padash

Even in our technologically advanced society, both American University students and professors think books are here to stay.

At AU’s Bender Library, Alyse Minter, 27, a librarian, said books will never go away, but on a recent July morning in the basement level five people were plugged in with print material nowhere in sight.

AU’s Bender Library offers 50 computers and plenty of spaces to plug in a laptop or smartphone, but it’s the permanent print and reference collection that really stands out to Minter.

“Some information is only in books,” Minter said.

Information is everywhere and people have to preserve and maintain this information, which would be hard to do on the computer, Minter continued.

Books have a kinesthetic feedback which you can not get from a computer, said Minter. Because of this, people learn better from books in her opinion.

Dr. Pilar McKay, 32, a professor of public communication at AU’s School of Communication, encourages technology in the classroom.

“I will use technology whenever I can,” McKay said.

Although many people think computers in the classroom may be a distraction, McKay disagrees. She uses and loves Twitter in class and focuses lectures around Power Point presentations and videos.

A 2011 Pew Research Center poll agreed.

“The average reader of e-books says she has read 24 books…in the past 12 months, compared with an average of 15 books by a non-e-book consumer,” the Pew report stated.

Audrey Schreiber, 21, prefers pen and paper.

“Laptops are a distraction,” said Schreiber, a rising senior at AU, noting she has seen students in class going on social media sites or texting.

Schreiber would buy online materials and print those out if it was cheaper than the book, but still prefers a hard copy.

“I feel like I learn better from paper than computer,” Schreiber said.

In a 2014 article in the journal Teacher Librarian, researcher Shannon Hyman wrote that to develop lifelong readers, students must be able to access a wide range of formats and materials.

“Children must see books as a friend and be surrounded by and immersed in print at home and at school,” Hyman wrote.

Minter agreed.

“We shouldn’t love books or hate computers, they should work together,” Minter said.

 

 

 

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Bender Library moves into the future

Entrace of the Bender Library and Learning Resources Center by Claudette Soler
The entrance to the Bender Library. Photo by Claudette Soler

WASHINGTON — The Bender Library and Learning Resources Center isn’t just your regular library. It’s for people who want to sit down and study as well as people who just want drink coffee and have a conversation with friends.

Susan McElrath and Katie Demetri from the library archives opened their doors and shared their knowledge about the history of the library. They provided a series of documents collected by library staff along the years.

The library was housed in Hurst Hall when the American University graduate school opened in 1914. In 1926, the Battelle Memorial Library opened for the undergraduate students, in the mid 1960s, it was expanded and the graduate school’s collection was moved to this building.

In 1971, plans for the construction of a new library began  The project was completed in 1979.

Location on Campus of the old Batelle Library by Claudette Soler
Location on campus of the old Battelle Library. Photo by Claudette Soler

The library takes its name, Jack I. & Dorothy G. Bender Library and Learning Resources Center, from the parents of contractor Howard Bender, who along with his brothers, owned Blake Construction Co. The Bender family donated about $500,000 for the construction of the library.

One of the library’s goals is to provide people easy access to the resources that will be useful and helpful for them. It provides students, faculty and the general public with information in a variety of different formats.

The library provides materials such as laptops and books that will help them get their work done. Library user Mercedes McKeel said she likes “the laptops that you can borrow. It’s really helpful.”

The library remains a source for students even in this age of ever-changing technology, said Overnight Building Supervisor Matt Barry. “The library subscribes to what are databases; also, we get subscriptions to ebooks,” said Barry. The library also has a 3D printer and a poster printer. The library even has new wearable technology for checkout, such as google glass.

Bender Library Before and After by Claudette Soler
Bender Library Before and After. Photo by Claudette Soler

The library can seat more than 1,200 people, and holds more than 450,000 volumes, as well as a Non-Print Media Collection, the Library Archives and Special Collections and a Record-Score collection.

Each floor has a different noise level allowed, which accommodates the amount of noise that people want to be surrounded by. The lower level and the first floor are moderate, talking in low voices in allowed, as well as studying in groups. The second floor is silent, used for individual studying, no talking allowed. The third floor is quiet, little talking is allowed and the floor is used for individual studying as well.

“I come every day,” said American University student Giulia Greig “It’s a good place to concentrate.”