In today’s world, more and more things are going "online" and "digital." They are supposedly better, faster, and provide more options. Our library is not any different. In addition to being used as a meeting place, a quiet study area, and a place to get reference books, it provides access to some journals online as well as to a number of research databases.
Unfortunately, in the case of both the online offerings and the printed journals and books, the resources are sadly lacking. More than once, people have gone looking for a journal to find that the subscription had been canceled, that the required issue was missing, or that we didn’t have access to it, even though the journal was one of the most prominent in the field. Similarly, reference books that are 20 years old may be fine for some disciplines, but completely useless for others.
One service available to graduate students and staff, CarlUncover, helps alleviate these types of problems by providing an individual-article fax service for journals covered by a consortium of universities. Unfortunately, the loss of individual issues by participating schools and the length of time that it can take to provide an article can limit the usefulness of the service.
While these are library issues to work out, it is not entirely within the power of the staff to do so. Our library is severely hampered by a lack of funding. Simply put, more money would provide us with more easily accessible library resources and less wasted time. The Institute needs to re-evaluate the portion of the yearly budget dedicated to the library and make sure that the appropriate funds are allocated.
Additionally, the library is held back by a lack of input. If you are interested in seeing a particular journal subscription or a specific book added to the collection, it is imperative that they are provided with the information. Library staff cannot just guess what materials are desired.
The campus library is a vital resource to the students, faculty, and staff of any school, but even more so for an institution that is as heavily committed to advancement through research as we are. If RPI is to be a world class research institution, then the library needs to be given the money it requires to serve the faculty, students, and staff doing that research.
