Stevenson University’s libraries provide students with an abundance of resources to help them become more successful in the classroom.
Stevenson’s three libraries are located on the Owings Mills/Owings Mills North and Greenspring campus. They offer book materials, school equipment, study rooms that students can reserve and an information-literacy programs to help students with their academic and post-college aspirations.
Stevenson University student Ralph Black said that the library is the perfect place to study. “A library is a place where you can just focus on your work with no distractions,” said Black. “Research has shown that the more students use the library, the more successful they will become in their academic career,” said the director of library services, Susan Bonsteel.
What’s even more convenient is that Stevenson’s library website offers an interlibrary loan system where students, faculty and staff can access resources that are not directly available through the on-campus system.
Some librarians, like public-service librarian Donald Osborn, give individual lessons to students. “I give AP-style lessons to students who need it,” said Osborn. The library has also added a new catalog that allows students to search for books and resources more efficiently.
According to Bonsteel, the library is now open from 7:30 a.m. until midnight during the week and Sunday to accommodate the studying needs of students. “There was little usage in the library at night, and we track our usage, said Bonsteel.
There has also been discussion about a new database that may be accessible to students, as well as another library being built sometime in the near future.
Osborn noted that the new library will have some exciting additions. In the new academic building on the North site, there will be a library on the first floor and study pods with Brody-style chairs, and a black box theater on the second floor, he said.
Stevenson hosts library events that encourage students to expand their horizons and keep up with their studies.
Some events offered include National Novel Writing Month, where students have the opportunity to learn how to publish their own books, and an event called Late Night Against Procrastination, where librarians and success coaches urge students to bring the work they’ve been delaying and get help with anything they may be struggling with.
The library also holds a De-stress Night during finals week, giving students a chance to eliminate their stress and have some fun as final examinations approach.