Check us out... online

Did you know that we have more than just books? Many still believe that libraries only have books. Yes, even today in our wondrous world of technology people still think this is true. In fact, we have over 35,000 full-text journals available through our library in electronic form that is convenient, searchable and much easier to work with in your research. The American Library Association is also trying to raise awareness with their recent posting of The E’s of Libraries.

Come in and check it out for yourselves! We have over 90 computers on our 4^th floor. including 10 iMac’s, and a gaming room with PCs and iMacs. We also have laptops and iPads that you can check out and use inside the library.

Are you required to do a presentation? Do you want to practice beforehand? We can also help with that. There are 2 presentation rooms that are specially set up for this purpose. Walk-ins are welcome on a first come–first serve basis if the room is available, and students in select professor-approved classes can reserve these rooms online for up to four hours per day. See our practice room reservations page for more information.

And, if you need help with that research paper you’ve been postponing until the last possible moment, our reference librarians are always happy to help.

Check out our hours and then come check us out!

The Problem with What a Library is?

The National Archives building (via Wikipedia)

Throughout my life, I’ve had a bizarre relationship with libraries. Bizarre because, as a child, I didn’t particularly like to read, though, for some reason, I still liked going to the library. I’m sure I didn’t intellectualize it back then, or even examine my reasons for enjoying a space designed and functioning as the dispensary of a product (books) that I didn’t much care for. Then it also dawned on me that the pleasant feeling I got from being in proximity to books, with the disdain I felt toward reading them, isn’t all that unusual. Libraries are not just a place where one might go to indulge in a particular recreation. There is, at once, both a simplistic and really complicated and convoluted metaphysics to Libraries, the idea of a library: what a library is. And it's bigger than the books they carry.

A Librarian's First Impression of Langsdale

My first encounter with Langsdale Library happened in 2006, when I was a graduate student at a university about 45 minutes down the road. Sure, I'd already lived in midtown Baltimore and worked at an art school up the hill for five years, walking to work every day through UB's campus. But my eyes opened wide when I learned that an influential community history initiative known as the Baltimore Neighborhood Heritage Project, written about so honestly by the public historian Linda Shopes, was held in Langsdale's Special Collections.

Thanks to the efforts of UB librarians to put information about archival collections online, I was able to browse related material on Baltimore City history. Wow, was I impressed! All these years, I'd walked right by the library, completely unaware of the unique resources it held! Eight years ago, the question struck me: "Why is all this stuff at UB?"

Libraries Matter

Image courtesy of James B. Hunt Library, North Carolina State University

We often hear that libraries are losing relevance in the Internet Age; we have users and funders who say, "why do we need libraries - can't you find most everything online?"  While the web has made an incredible amount of information available at our fingertips, libraries continue to play a vital role in communities, both guiding users to find the most useful information and in providing those without Internet access a lifeline to information.


A colleague recently shared this short documentary, Why Libraries Matter that depicts a day in the life of the New York Public Library. While certainly showing a public library perspective, many of these issues translate to academic libraries as well.
Share your comments and consider how you can support libraries in your community.

Pardon Our Dust

Our third floor move.

So it's finally happening: Langsdale is--right now, as I type--moving. Our shelves are slowly being emptied of their books, office dust bunnies and lost, favorite pens revealed as the movers move file cabinets and bookshelves. Traffic jams of moving boxes and carts of books in uninterrupted streams to the elevator. It can be a hassle. Trying to get to the bathroom on the 3rd floor feels like you've been placed in a giant game of Frogger, while the 2nd floor is like a ghost town.

It's somewhat shocking to see it all actually happening, but exciting, nonetheless.

And as I'm sure you could intuit from the description above, our resources are going to be limited the next couple of days. The 2nd and 3rd floors are closed to the public--the first floor will remain open today and tomorrow--and book loans are currently on hold.

We will open in our new location on May 27th at
noon, but please be patient with us while we get ourselves back together in the Learning Commons. We're moving as fast as we can, and hope to be ready to serve students and staff during the summer semester.

Langsdale of the Future, the Future of Langsdale

Time recently published an article on the future of libraries, describing them as more tech centers and maker spaces than repositories of books and print journals. We certainly see our own Langsdale providing more digital content (whether it be in the form of e-books, journal articles or digitized archival materials) and making more space for gaming labs, collaborative learning and multimedia production. Students increasingly demand more and varied group learning spaces, with software and equipment to produce their own new content.

 Hunt Library

A recent example of such a 21st century academic library design is the new James B. Hunt Jr. Library at North Carolina State University. The Hunt library has won numerous accolades, including the prestigious American Institute of Architects/American Library Association Award and one of Complex Media's Art & Design  25 coolest college libraries. NCSU for years has been a leader in academic library technology and innovation, and its new signature library demonstrates that commitment to innovation and design.

Langsdale will be moving into the former Law Center in June 2014 in order to undergo a major renovation in 2014-2015. We would love to hear your thoughts as to user needs in the 21st century library. Please send us your comments.