|
|
|
||||
|
||||
|
||||
|
Off the Shelf, September 9, 2008
One of the most exciting new things in the library world, for me at least, is the relatively recent trend toward cooperation between libraries of different types. Cooperative borrowing programs have been in place for many years among public libraries in British Columbia, but for the most part other kinds of libraries were not involved. Academic libraries, school libraries, and the so-called “special” (legal, medical, corporate, and private) libraries were almost universally closed to the general public.
For the remainder of 2008, the University of British Columbia library system is breaking this tradition by offering a free Community Card to any resident of BC. The card allows you to check out (yes, take out of the building!) up to 5 books.
This may not seem like a big deal, but given the fact that university libraries’ collections include esoteric and scholarly materials that are simply not available in public libraries, I think it’s pretty cool. Also, while most of these items have been made available via Interlibrary Loan for a long time now, the ILL process can take anywhere from 2 weeks to 3 months from the request date to actually receiving the material. If you need something immediately, sometimes it’s worth it to physically go to the owning library and get it.
A few weeks ago, I wrote about the huge number of distance education examinations I proctor here. Those same students all have to write papers and do projects, and they don’t always plan ahead and allow time for Interlibrary Loans. When I was in graduate school, I lived in Colorado and my university was in Arizona. Much like Whistler, the ski town I was in had no university library; I ended up driving to Laramie, Wyoming or Fort Collins several times a year, sometimes during snowstorms, to do the required research. Because I was not a student at those institutions, I was unable to take anything home; I spent hours in the library and a LOT of money on photocopies.
That’s why the Community Card at UBC is so great for students, writers, scientists – anyone who needs access to scholarly materials. While Vancouver and Kelowna residents will obviously reap the most benefit, it wouldn’t surprise me to hear some Whistlerite’s story of how this card saved their grade, or made it possible to make a publisher’s deadline. For more details, you can pick up a brochure at the Whistler Public Library (ask for me), or go to www.library.ubc.ca/communitycard.
Lauren Stara, Library Director