by Veronica Daub
I thought I spent plenty of time in the Rohrbach Library before becoming the public relations intern, but I suppose I was too busy to let myself notice much past the top of my computer. Working on the colorful bottom floor of Rohrbach with the library’s outreach team has provided me with a bit more insight than the average student, and I’m happy to share my new found knowledge with my fellow Kutztownians.
Rohrbach is busier than it looks.
Perhaps you only stop by when you’ve let your assignments pile up, but Rohrbach has much more going on behind the scenes than its calm appearance lets on. Brainstorming sessions allow for the creative librarians to dream up something new for the student body, whether it’s a new event, new ideas for an existing event, or a whole new purpose for an under-utilized room. Changes are constantly keeping Rohrbach buzzing, and it’s all thanks to the staff who bring their enthusiasm to work every day of the week.
Rohrbach’s goal is to make things easier for students!
A level of difficulty isn’t the only thing they’re trying to lower here. With the constant updates that keep Rohrbach forever-changing, they hope to make learning easily accessible, interactive, and, dare I say it, enjoyable. The list of resources Rohrbach offers only grows because of the work that goes into discovering new databases and software. Students always have the opportunity to send feedback about these services and are especially encouraged to do so when the library’s subscription to a service is on a trial basis.
BrowZine is the newest addition to Rohrbach’s list of research resources, and you can read more about it here. Try it out and email Bob, the electronic resource librarian, your feedback at flatley@kutztown.edu.
Speaking of research…
The research databases aren’t as scary as they seem.
We’ve all been intimidated by the research assignments professors throw our way, and pulling up the scrolling list of databases on the library’s website can easily add to that intimidation. I know that in my years at Kutztown, I cringed away from the piles of information that flood the screen when typing something in the search. I was able to work more closely with some of the databases in my internship, and I discovered that advanced search is a student’s best friend. You can limit search results by searching for relevant phrases within quotations, and you can search just the abstract text if necessary. Playing with the different options will cut the search results and maybe save you a headache. But if you’re still having trouble…
Please, ask a librarian for help!
Not only are they happy to help, but they’re actually eager to help! It’s part of their job, after all, and you will quickly see that a fresh and trained pair of eyes may be able to sort out the problems you come across while working on your assignments. Rohrbach shared this on their Facebook page (which you can follow for all library-related updates), and it sums it up perfectly:
The More You Know... 
The difference between the number one top cook in the house and the
second best cook in the house is not usually very close. We know that with
new learning and understanding we get a bigger paradigm.
And when you consider that there are many homes on the market,
the buyer will be looking for concessions which will make the difference between the asking price and the sell price even more.