Paladin

Issue date: 9/25/08 Section: News

Media Credit: Matt Robinson [Click to enlarge]

Media Credit: Matt Robinson [Click to enlarge]

"The vanguard of a new movement," is how Leticia Suarez described the PCC'S new Library and Learning Resource Center at its ribbon cutting ceremony on Wednesday, Sept. 17, attended by more than 200 students, college officials and city leaders.

Suarez, dean of learning resources, teaching and technologies, wasn't the only person who expressed those sentiments.

During his speech, President Eloy Oakley said, "This library represents a new beginning for this campus and the community. This will go down as a renaissance for the PCC. Over the next five years, we'll expand all the way to Walnut Avenue."

The library, which officially opened August 18, is a two-story facility that features a Multidisciplinary Student Success Center, a faculty resource center and a video conferencing room among others.

The center was a point of emphasis by college officials and students alike. Tutoring, supplemental instruction and college assessment are just a few of the services offered to students.

The center was billed as a place where students who enroll at LBCC at remedial levels can go for help. Oakley touched upon the topic during his speech.

He said, "We're not just here to celebrate a new building. We're here to celebrate a new opportunity for our students. We have to embrace that and take it serious. We cannot allow another generation to go unprepared."

Student Brianna Tanner, who has used the center's tutoring services, said, "It's a good resource that's helped me out a bunch. I'm looking forward to using these resources to my advantage."

In addition to the center, the library also has more than 100 computers. The library cost $9.2 million to complete and was funded by money from the college's 2002 bond worth $176 million.

40 laptops are to be installed in the video conferencing room, where students will be able to communicate with instructors between the PCC and LAC. 50 are located in the student research lab and 50 are in the academic computing center.

Four of the five group study rooms have video screens for laptop use.

Sean Carroll, multimedia services supervisor, whose department relocated from the PCC's old print shop to an office on the library's first floor, said, "It's a lot more convenient being in a space that's built to accommodate what we're trying to do, rather than a place that's cramped and outdated."

English major, Marcus Baines said, "I've used the library a few times since it opened and it looks good. Unlike the old library, it's more spacious and modernized which is what students will need to be better prepared for the workplace. We're finally looking like a real campus."

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