New Nooks Help Houston Cole Librarians Assist Patrons On the Move

06/22/2012

The Division of Information Technology recently provided 16 Nook tablets to the Houston Cole Library (HCL) in an effort to allow librarians to better serve their many patrons. The initial request for a mobility solution came from Charlcie Vann, the Psychology and General Reference Librarian at HCL. It was her request to  Vice-President of Information Technology Vinson Houston that initiated the conversation about finding an affordable and effective tablet to meet the needs of the librarians. A few different tablets were considered for the project, but ultimately, the decision was made to provide Nook tablets as a mobile device solution. 

Patrons will be able to reap some of the benefits that a mobile librarian can provide, as the tablet allows the librarians to move freely throughout the library and not be tethered to a reference desk. They can help patrons who are unable to gain access to the limited desktop computers, by using the mobile tablet to search the library catalog for books and reference materials. This will allow more interaction between the librarian and the patron. As the librarians continue to become more familiar with the tablets, chances are they will find even more ways to serve their patrons.

 “The University Library greatly appreciates the generosity of the Division of Information Technology,” said Dean John-Bauer Graham. “This 13-story building we call our Library can be intimidating to some students, who are perhaps more accustomed to a smaller public or school library back home. These devices, along with our robust wireless network, literally open the floors to the librarians and the students they are assisting. As the University progresses with 21st Century Classroom initiatives, so does its Library. Technology in the classroom simply becomes technology in the stacks.”   

About the photo: Charlcie Pettway Vann, a librarian at Houston Cole Library, assists senior psychology major Randall Nunn in locating library holdings using a Nook. The Division of Information Technology at JSU recently purchased Nooks for all of the HCL librarians so they could better assist patrons as they roam the Library's many floors. (Angie Finley/JSU photo)