The secret to your success

Every student inevitably will have to make a trip to the library to obtain materials for any number of courses. However, with literally more than a million publications, in addition to microforms and electronic media, available between the five University of Nevada, Reno libraries, where does an inexperienced student begin?

The easiest and probably most obvious answer is the largest: the Noble H. Getchell Library. The Getchell Library is the main campus library, containing materials that specifically address the subjects of humanities, social sciences, business, state and federal government, and general information.

Upon entering the library, any student in need will encounter the reference desk, which is a straight shot from the entrance gates.

“If you’re doing research on a topic and don’t know what to do, that’s where we help,” said Richard Grefath, a reference librarian.

According to Grefath, an important starting point for all UNR students within the Getchell Library is the NetID activation center, which is at the E.L. Cord Computer Lab. After activating a NetID, a university student is allowed access to one of the several computer labs on campus. For those projects that require a little more than a PowerPoint production, Getchell is also home to the Dynamic Media Lab, meant for post-production work on videos and DVDs.

Getchell also features a multimedia center, where you can find a multitude of movies that range from The Bolivian Diary (of Ernesto “Che” Guevara) to Bridget Jones’s Diary. The center also has a collection of music CDs, books in audio format and audio/video language instruction.

Sometimes, certain selections from the multimedia center join some fast-moving literature on the first floor in a section called the “popular collection.”

“The library puts things there that they think students will be interested in looking at, or seem to be in demand at the time,” said Grefath.

For those who prefer to do research at home or in the dorm room, the library offers off-campus access through its Web site (www.library.unr.edu). All that’s needed is a university library barcode to access your library account, as well as the periodical databases and course reserves.

Some materials are unavailable at the UNR libraries, students may look into acquiring them through interlibrary loan, which has books shipped to UNR. While including libraries all over the nation, this system excludes the TMCC and Washoe County libraries.

Of course, any requests for materials or other needs can be directed to a librarian, an option available online as well as in person.

“When in doubt, come to the reference desk,” said Grefath. “There are no questions too simple or sophisticated.”