“Someday, some of you in this room could well see computers in your libraries.”-UC Berkeley professor, 1977.
As we near the end of our celebration of American Libraries Week/Month activities, I was reminded of those words of warning from my library school professor. The computer course was required for all students in the program, although some questioned why we needed that course.
After all, computers in that day were monster machines housed in separate buildings. We all had to do some programming, utilizing punch cards that had to be kept in precise order.
By the early ’80s, we were indeed beginning to see computers enter the world of academia, although the personal use of computers was still relatively rare.
In 1984, when I began work at EC, we had zero computers in our Library, only a handful of electric typewriters that students paid for by the minute.
Fifty cents got you 20 minutes of typing fun. We thought it was great that these were correctable typewriters.
We have come a long way since those days. As with the rest of the world, EC has bent and reshaped its methods for delivering its academic services to its students and fulfilling its mission to the community.
The Library too has reshaped itself over the years. From online book catalogs and databases that may be accessed on campus or at home, to ERes (electronic reserves) and Wi-Fi, the Library continues to evolve with the times.
One of the world’s most renowned librarians was Ranganathan (1892-1972), a gentleman from India, who established the Five Laws of Librarianship.
His laws are: “Books are for use. Books are for all; or every reader his book. Every book its reader. Save the time of the reader. A library is a growing organism.”
His laws of librarianship are as relevant today as they were when he wrote them, though the academic medium has changed.
Most importantly, our EC Library, as listed in his fifth law, is a growing organism; one that continues to evolve with the times and technologies.
We hope you will join us as we celebrate our continuing evolution by utilizing and appreciating the resources and support offered by the EC library.
EC’s Library is open from 8 a.m. to 9 p.m. Monday through Thursday, until 4:30 p.m. on Friday, and from 9:30 a.m. to 2:30 p.m., Saturday. Non-students are able to achieve cards by joining the Friends of the Library club and paying a $25 per year membership fee.