It is easy to forget that the University Library, occupying multiple locations and offering a staggering array of books as well as computers and study spaces, had humble beginnings. Brown's first president, James Manning, wrote in 1772, "At present we have but about two hundred and fifty volumes and those not well chosen, being such as our friends could best spare."
Today the Library offers us an enormous amount of information, be it in books, audio and visual materials or online content. But as former President Vartan Gregorian recently noted in a speech at the John Hay Library, there is a "difference between information and knowledge." Indeed, the Library serves to provide not only information, but also the tools necessary to transform it into knowledge. It is heartening, therefore, that the library is undertaking initiatives aimed at helping students succeed in the digital age.
As The Herald reported earlier this month, the Library plans to hire digital humanities and e-science librarians. The former will play "a central role in the integration of digital resources and methodologies with current teaching and research," while the latter will assist faculty and students working with large data sets. These new hires should help the Library make it easier for students and professors to utilize digital resources. Andrew Ashton, the Library's director of digital technologies, told the editorial page board that the Library also remains focused on developing the Center for Digital Scholarship and Brown Digital Repository, which will help students pursue new uses of technology and access even more digitized data.
We are also less than a year into the debut of MoBUL, the Library's smartphone application. This application enables users to easily search Josiah, renew books and even see if more computers are available at the Rockefeller Library or the Sciences Library. There is room for improvement — a comprehensive display of computer availability including locations like the Center for Information Technology would be nice — but even in its early stages MoBUL is a useful tool. We recognize that many students do not have smartphones, but those who do should try the application. According to Bonnie Buzzell, senior knowledge systems librarian, only about 500 people per month use MoBUL.
Within days we should hear more about the Library's effort to get students access to the New York Times' online content after the paper establishes a pay wall. That the Library's plan was reported only a day after the Times announced the pay wall again highlights a praiseworthy commitment to helping students take advantage of digital resources.
We hope administrators and departments work with librarians to ensure that students are fully aware of the Library's resources. Music Librarian Ned Quist told the editorial page board that the Library is working to get more resource librarians into first-year seminars, and some librarians are themselves serving as first-year advisors. But there clearly remains a lack of awareness about Library resources — just think of how many first-years arrive on campus without realizing that printing is one of the Library's most basic services.
Students have a role to play as well. Without our feedback, librarians will have a difficult time making our research easier and more effective. The new quiet spaces at the SciLi and Rock came to fruition thanks to student input. Working together, students, librarians, faculty and administrators can continue to improve our libraries, which former President Henry Wriston called "the heart of the University."
Editorials are written by The Herald's editorial page board. Send comments to editorials@browndailyherald.com.
