Luminous lighting, views of the Coronado Bridge and learning resources are all included for students at the San Diego City College Library Resource Center.
Students walk in through the Resource Center’s bright yellow double doors where they are greeted by the library’s reference desk worker.
Librarian Leann Mulholland is among those working to make City College’s LRC a valuable resource for students.
“What I love about working here is we’re all just here for the students,” Mulholland said. “One of the big things that students don’t know that we can really help with is the research. We have all these resources that are here for students and we can help you navigate those resources.”
Built in 2003, the LRC is wrapped in floor-to-ceiling glass windows with panoramic views of downtown San Diego. According to Mulholland, over 70 computers and over 1,000 chairs are available for students.
A staff librarian is available from open to close for students needing individualized help. The LRC’s current hours can be found here.
According to Mulholland, City librarians helped over 2,600 students with research services last year. They also conducted course-specific workshops for approximately 1,000 students and checked out over 3,100 books.
“We want to make sure that they’re having access to get information, they know how to navigate it,” Mulholland said. “When there’s so much junk information … it’s really important to have this kind of skill.”
Beyond the desk, there are over 60,000 print books available on the shelves during regular business hours. There are also highlighted books each month, with Black History Month-inspired books currently on display at the library’s entrance.
The LRC is also the first stop for students needing to borrow a laptop to complete their coursework. Loaner computers can be rented for up to an entire semester free of charge, but supplies are limited. To request a rental laptop, click here.
City College’s Independent Learning Center also has a designated desk for computer help on the Library’s second floor, which serves as the main floor for students using the LRC library entrance. Staff can assist students with printing, logging into Canvas or accessing information on a library computer.
For those needing resources from home, over 90,000 e-books are available through the library’s website.
A 24/7 chat service for students is available through the library’s website. This service is run by librarians in all time zones so students have access to a live person to assist them.
According to the library website, students can also access over 300 Hollywood movies, 50 databases with peer-reviewed and scholarly articles, and newspapers subscriptions, which include the The New York Times.
Students interested in learning research strategy and optimization can enroll an eight-week one-credit class offered by the LRC. Students can register for this class for the fall semester. For more information on this class, click here.
“For those students who are thinking of transferring or who just really want to hone their skills as a researcher, I recommend it,” Mulholland said. “It really just goes in-depth into the research processes.”
