Don’t let the challenges of transitioning to online learning or teaching get in your way of success. As the COVID-19 pandemic has swept across our state, everyone is learning how to switch to remote work and learning, including CCV. The Hartness Library is here to continue their support of students, faculty, and staff during this time by providing a wide variety of tools and resources. “We were really prepared for this moment,” Assistant Library Director Eileen Gatti said. “With our very robust online collections, we can continue to meet students’ needs.”
Support for Students
The Library has always offered online support, including a chat service for students to get questions answered in real time, email, a YouTube channel with helpful videos and tutorials, and a Canvas service where students can post in a discussion forum and librarians provide research instructions and tips. Additionally, the library offers a huge eBook collection, subscriptions to thousands of magazines and journals, and educational videos and documentaries.
There are also new tools and services offered by Hartness Library in the wake of COVID-19. Students can access instructional online videos for help when writing a research paper, which includes information on:
Another useful tool for students, faculty, and staff is the new “See Me Search” playlist of instructional videos. Get information on a wide variety of topics, from how Chat works to navigating paywalls.
Support for Faculty
“We understand that faculty can be a bit overwhelmed right now as they transition from on-ground to online teaching, and there can be a learning curve when you are first trying to incorporate new materials into your teaching. We are happy to go the extra mile during this time,” said Gatti.
To go that “extra mile” for faculty, librarians are providing resources to help with the transition to online teaching and are available to help locate academic materials to use in their classes. Zoom support sessions are now more widely available, and there is a new YouTube playlist of “Hartness Hacks” that include library tools, resources, and Canvas services to enhance online learning. Additionally, the library has created a COVID-19 faculty support guide.
Faculty member Heather Vittum Fuller shared her appreciation for this added support. “I am consistently impressed with the resources from Hartness,” she said. “The information that we have access to, the helpfulness and accessibility of the librarians, the ability to request books and have them be made available to students, these are all examples of the superior quality of the library.”
Happy Anniversary, Hartness!
While CCV is celebrating its 50th anniversary this year, Hartness Library is celebrating their 20th year serving both the Community College of Vermont and Vermont Technical College. Before this partnership began, CCV’s “library” was made up of small collections of reference books at each CCV Academic Center and was manned by a member of the Learning Center staff rather than a librarian.
In order to provide a full range of college-level library services, Gatti said, CCV recognized that it was essential to “partner with an established library that has a physical plant and collection, and a centralized place for library support services.” Vermont Tech recognized the value that partnering with CCV would bring to both colleges, such as providing more databases in various subject areas, purchasing eBooks and videos that can be used at both schools, and working together to provide resources that support faculty and students. This combined Hartness Library allows both schools to offer richer, more comprehensive resources than either college could otherwise provide. The Hartness Library offers remote library services while also having two on-ground locations at Vermont Tech’s Williston and Randolph campuses.
The staff at Hartness Library have been devoted to supporting all students, faculty, and staff for 20 years, and continue to do so with this transition to online teaching and learning, but they are also here to help with self-care. The library offers a COVID-19 “staying sane” resource guide that outlines new things to try while you’re home, tips for staying mindful and sane, and links to news updates. They even started a virtual knitting circle that meets Fridays at noon as a way to stay connected while staying home. Visit Hartness Library online to learn more about what support services are offered to help you during this time, and best of luck for a successful finish to the spring semester!
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