Please Don’t Reshelve the Books

The library staff have noticed that a lot of books, especially in Reference, are getting put back on the shelves in the wrong place. This is one reason why we ask everyone not to reshelve books. The LC call number system can be a little tricky and can trip up even the sharpest person unless great care is taken. We understand that many of you feel bad about not cleaning up after yourself, but a misshelved book is effectively lost, and that doesn’t help anyone.

Furthermore, even if you are 100% sure that you know exactly where a book belongs, we still ask you not to reshelve it. The reason for this is because the library likes to keep track of which books are getting used on-site. When the library staff reshelve books, we scan each book to indicate in the library system that it has been used. This helps us make decisions about what kinds of books to buy, replace, or remove in the future. Therefore, by leaving books on the designated return carts and shelves, you are providing valuable data that helps the library serve you better.

So the next time you’re in the library, please remember to leave the reshelving to the library staff. We promise we won’t think you’re being lazy. On the contrary, by refraining from reshelving you will have helped both the staff and your fellow students.

Special Libraries Class Visit

A few weeks ago the Covenant Library hosted the Special Libraries class from the University of Missouri—Columbia. Covenant’s library is “special” in that it is an academic library that focuses on a particular field of study. The students in the class received a tour of the library from Library Director Jim Pakala, which included a look at the Tait Rare Book Collection, and a brief look at the PCA Historical Center. Here are some of the comments that the students had about their visit:

• “I was completely astounded by the user-friendly aspects of this library.” [source]
• “The recent visit to the Covenant Seminary Library left me with a genuine interest in the types of services a library can offer to meet the diverse needs of the user community.” [source]
• “As we toured the library it became clear to me that the librarians there had outdone themselves in developing their space to appeal to a wide variety of study and reading habits in the students and faculty.” [source]
• “I was especially taken with the rare book collection. […] Many thanks to the engaging and committed staff of the Covenant Seminary Library for an extremely interesting tour.” [source]