MALC Testimonials
2008 Cornerstone University
Cornerstone University
"Our library personnel [in particular, the Interlibrary Loan manager] have been extremely instrumental in procuring exceptional scientific articles on the most varied of subjects for both personal and student research projects including; neuroscience, Equidae, Felidae, etc.
"The library has also been an excellent source of interdisciplinary knowledge for my biology classes; books about logic and argument theory, books about Biblical themes, books about calculus, have been both available and readily accessible.
"My genetics and molecular biology students use the library facilities and particularly the scientific journals on a very regular basis as an important and integral part of their courses. The students get exposure to cutting edge research and research techniques within a formal academic setting."
Nigel E. A. Crompton, Ph.D., D.Sc.
Professor of Biology
Senior Research Scientist
Sir John Eccles Professor of Philosophy of Science
Cornerstone University, Grand Rapids, MI
“What is a University? It is faculty, students and the library. We are what we read and research. Without a strong library and its services, we are impoverished. As a faculty member in a small institution where budget wars usually leave library acquisitions wounded, I find myself well served by Miller Library's efficient Inter-Library Loan system, computerized search and retrieval services, and an ever helpful staff. Thanks!”
Dr. Gary T. Meadors
Professor of Greek and New Testament
Cornerstone University/Grand Rapids Theological Seminary
2008 Lansing Community College
Excerpts from various student testimonials received by the LCC Library in 2008
- I found more information after your help in 45 minutes than I did in 4 days of searching on my own.
- Every time I come to the LCC Library they guide me through the process quickly. Sometimes it is difficult to navigate the systems. Always, someone is there for me. The library is great at reaching back and helping others. That even includes students with a disability.
- THANK YOU! THANK YOU! THANK YOU! Today was my first visit to the LCC Library in search of information to assist me with sign language 161. (I am facing deafness due to a brain tumor, and this is my first time back to classwork in about 30 years.) I was graciously assisted by library staff in finding materials. The librarian directed me and accompanied me to the third floor to locate specific videos and books, after she gave me an overview/demo of the library search system. The circulation staff checked the materials out so carefully. It was so refreshsing to have such kindness and care. I will certainly recommend others to seek help when needed. I will be returning as well. May God bless you all.
- I returned to LCC last semester and am very impressed with the changes. Today I decided to look at a website for a job. As I do not have a computer, the information available to me here in the library is helpful. The librarian asked me if I was finding what I needed. I inquired if it was possible to use a computer on campus to write a paper and she explained how to do that. She showed me still another example of the extraordinary customer service skills that LCC employees have and thanks to such helpfulness, it is indeed a pleasure to once again be an LCC student. Thank you.
2008 Mott Community College
I can map my life using as coordinates the libraries I've used: from the dust hovering in the air of the old brick and roof-tiled Carnegie library in my hometown of Owosso to the smell of freshly waxed linoleum in the too-small library in Frankfort where I attended high school. The Central Michigan University Library introduced me to the first professional librarians I’d ever known, ingenious in helping to link bibliographies in those pre-Internet days. Finally, there were the undergraduate (affectionately called the Ugly) and graduate libraries at the University of Michigan where the stacks threatened to swallow students in their labyrinthine passages.
While these libraries are remembered fondly, the Mott Community College Library has become “my library.” I first became acquainted with the library when I became a part time instructor of English composition at the college. I tended to accept Saturday morning classes and wanted to make sure that my students were familiar with the resources the library had available for research. I was at first dismayed that the library did not open on Saturdays until after my class ended. However, the friendly librarian that I contacted said he would give my students a tour before the library opened at noon. Leaving the safe confines of my classroom and tilting under the weight of the papers collected earlier that morning, I herded my English 101 students towards the entrance of the library. I was pleased to see the large study rooms, the ample reference section, and a wide variety of periodicals and journals. The librarian guided my students through the intricacies of using the library collections for their various research projects.
In the last decade, I've spent much of my working life in the MCC Library with my students. In the course of helping students use the library’s resources to research and write numerous research projects, I've experienced the library as a professionally administered institution, where such services as Interlibrary Loan and on-line resources make it increasingly unnecessary to leave the building. New titles appear monthly, which the library staff publicizes in regular email newsletters. New databases have been added to provide faculty and staff with scholarly articles for research. In addition, through it’s Friends of the Library Auxiliary the library has provided book club discussions, presentations by authors over a variety of topics, and literary lectures to make the library a more vibrant place. The frequently used computer lab is also a testimonial of the library’s popularity among students. The library has seen some changes over the ten years that I have used it: a lobby renovation, the addition of an events center, art work in the public areas, security equipment, and an external drop box for book returns. These transformations have left the spirit unchanged: warm and welcoming, a valuable resource for both faculty and students, and, thankfully, still friendly.
Bill Reich
Director, Center for Teaching and Learning
Mott Community College
2007 Glen Oaks Community College
The academic library at Glen Oaks Community College has been very beneficial to my students and to me over my 20 years of teaching. Students have been able to reseach business topics for papers, find a quiet place to study, use the copy machine, enrich their personal lives, and seek help with all of their academic needs. Without access to the library their academic pursuits would have been much less informative and rewarding. The library is the very center of the college learning experience.
I have used the library for all of the same reasons my students use it. It is my quiet retreat. The best place to read a newspaper, browse a magazine, or surf the web. I can't envision a college without a library - it would be like a hunter without a dog and a weapon.
There is no doubt we take the library for granted - it is always there. That is the point - we are secure in the knowledge that it always will be there for us espeically when our need is great and the time for an answer to our questions is short. So, if there is doubt about the need for such libraries, surely there is doubt about the need for eduction, information, and teaching.
Larry Hass
Accounting Professor
2007 Glen Oaks Community College
I would just like to pass along my appreciation for the support provided by the library director, Betsy Morgan, and her staff in the E.J. Shaheen Library at Glen Oaks Community College. Having taught at Glen Oaks for 17 years, there have been many times I've needed resources from the library and the staff has always delivered.
Betsy recently took the introductory psychology course that I teach. In class, I would occasionally mention a book I'd read that pertained to the materials discussed in class and one in which I thought the students might be interested. Betsy would discreetly approach me, suggesting if I provide a list of book I want available for students, she would see that those books would be purchased for the library. I still need a friendly reminder now and then when a student inquires in the library about a particular book I've referred to in class, but it's apparent to me that Betsy and the staff will do whatever they can to support the faculty and students. Recently the staff was able to obtain a book no longer in print that I've used for resource material and put it on reserve for the students.
I think all of my teaching colleagues would agree that the involvement of the library is critical in providing the best services we can for our students. From technological support to that personal interest shown to each and every student, the library and its staff are an integral part of the educational process at Glen Oaks Community College.
Susan Reardon
Psychology Professor
Glen Oaks Community College
2007 Glen Oaks Community College
Being able to use the Glen Oaks community E.J. Shaheen Library has been both an asset to me as a student and as a community member who just enjoys reading and learning. I am a life long learner and although I already have two associate's degrees and one bachelor's degree, I continue to take classes to learn. Knowing the E.J. Shaheen Library is always there for me as a student and as a community member gives me a sense of comfort, promotes the love of learning, and creates in me the ability to be a more confident and successful students.
While pursuing my associate's degree, I found using the E.J. Shaheen Library very helpful when I was learning how to write my first research papers. The most important thing for me as a student was the personal one-on-one help I received from the friendly and knowledgeable library staff. Being an older college student who had been out of high school for nearly twenty-five years was tough enough but having someone there to help me learn how to find resources and information made my college experience so much easier and comfortable.
As a community member, I love to read but what I have found from being a student is that reading for me promotes the love of learning. It is truly amazing what you can learn from reading books. You not only experience personal enjoyment from reading but you can learn something new every time you read a book. Library books for me are a continuous source of knowledge that all of us should experience and I tend to encourage both students and community members to use the E.J. Shaheen Library as often as they can.
Although, I have been taking classes now for ten years and could easily do so much research online, I still rely heavily on using the library for research information found through books. For me, nothing creates a sense of knowledge and power more than when I hold a book in my hands and start to read it. In today's world anyone can go online and find research information, but you have to be cautious on what is valid information. At the E.J. Shaheen Library, you do not have to worry about that as you have intelligent staff to help you find valid information from whatever books you need. How can you not feel more confident and successful knowing your research is the real thing?
By using the Glen Oaks Community College E.J. Shaheen Library both as astudent and as a community member, I have found that my love of reading and learning only continues to grow. The E.J. Shaheen Library continues to be a source of comfort and knowledge for me and it creates within me a more confident and successful student.
Debbie Wright
2007 Glen Oaks Community College
Betsy,
I just wanted to send an e-mail sharing my experiences and my perceptions of the irreplaceable contribution libraries provide to students, staff, faculty, and administrators here at Glen Oaks. In my position as the Director of the Distance Learning Center, I know firsthand the value that a library adds to the academic quality of our educational programs. Students can access numerous databases when researching papers and reports. With the availability of so many scholarly articles that can be found through the library's databases, as opposed to the less scholarly and less credible sources students may find on the Internet, it clearly speaks volumes as to the need for continued support for academic libraries. As educators we challenge students to think critically and analytically. Access to mateirals that teach, model, and enable students to hone these skills is paramount in preparing the citizenry and work force of tomorrow.
I would also like to add that my staff and I have found materials in the GOCC library that have provided support and evidence for a new faculty training program we will soon be implementing. Your staff has been extremely helpful in assisting in locating educational materials for this training. As you know, educators need the most up-to-date information as our professions are changing rapidly and knowledge of these changes can best be found in the books, manuscripts, and articles to which we subscribe.
On a personal note, I truly appreciate it when you or your staff provide unsolicited articles or books that are of professional interest to me, but I was unaware of their existence. Continually monitoring relevant resources is a very time-saving service that only skilled, professional librarians can provide. Libraries are the academic foundation of all educational institutions and need to be recognized, appreciated, and supported for the services they provide.
Patricia Morgenstern