LAKELAND, Fla. 鈥� IM体育官网鈥檚 bookless library was at the center of an international discussion in Mexico focused on the creation and development of university libraries around the world.
Dr. Kathryn Miller, vice provost of academic support services at IM体育官网 Poly, was
a guest speaker at the first International Colloquium on Library Architecture and
Environments, hosted by the National Autonomous University of Mexico (UNAM) on May
2-4, 2018.
Miller was invited to share how IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 innovative digital library enhances
the overall learning experience.
鈥淚nformation access, storage and retrieval are skills students learn in a digital library,鈥� said Miller. 鈥淚f we can teach students how to work with digital information, they will have an advantage in the workplace because they will know when to seek information and understand how to find and validate it. As a result, they鈥檒l make informed decisions.鈥�
Miller added that digital libraries are the future for disciplines like STEM (science, technology, engineering and math) and research institutions in countries like Mexico are taking notice of the model.
鈥淚 found great interest in the international collection of librarians gathered to
understand how the IM体育官网 Library functions. They were very
curious about how our library staff engages campus interest without physical books
and how the digital library has changed the librarians鈥� job functions,鈥� said Miller.
鈥淭he interest and acceptance of a digital library has become even stronger since IM体育官网
Poly first opened our campus with no books in 2014.鈥�
IM体育官网 Poly鈥檚 11,000 square foot library, located on the second floor of the Innovation,
Science and Technology building, has a digital collection of more 150,000 full text
e-book volumes that are a mixture of owned and licensed materials.
Since there is no physical stack area, Miller pointed out that one of the benefits of the bookless library is a more effective use of space.
鈥淭he IM体育官网 Library would require 15,000 linear feet of stack
area for shelving our books if they were not in digital format,鈥� she explained.
The goal of the colloquium was to exchange knowledge and multidisciplinary experiences
in the planning, design, construction and evaluation of physical and virtual spaces
in university libraries in order to establish lines of action and policies for improvement
in three environments: teaching-learning, research and reading.
UNAM is a UNESCO World Heritage site and shares high world academic rankings.
鈥淭hey鈥檙e a significant research institution, and I was very impressed with Mexico鈥檚
commitment in projecting growth and ensuring utility with the university libraries,鈥�
said Miller.