I am a professor and Ph.D student and almost every book (some very particular) that I have needed I consistently find at the Roberts Library. It truly is an unbelievable resource. Also, the atmosphere of the new building fosters great academic solitude, as well as areas of corporate learning. Thank you.
Not only is it a beautiful building, but it is a green building besides! Open and accessible, with nice meeting rooms available, too. The staff is very helpful and patient. They also have a nice cafe in the building!
The relatively new Golisano Library at Roberts Wesleyan College is an incredible place to read, study, research, and grow intellectually. The staff is amazing and the surroundings contribute to a great academic setting. Excellent technology helps round out the traditional paper collections with online options. The Study Cafe is even open 24 hours a day. The library and its staff are to be commended.
The B. Thomas Golisano Library at Roberts Wesleyan College, in only its second year, has changed the landscape of our campus, both in physical structure and in scholastic pursuit. Students look forward to going to the Library whether it is to study, research, browse, grab a quick bite or latte, or work in the 24-hour computer lab. The Library staff has gone above and beyond by providing extra services and programs for the campus. An example of their enthusiasm was represented well in a midnight game of "Clue", held last September. Library staff dressed in traditional "Clue" attire and more than 100 students participated in this live action role play of the game of "Clue" where running and screaming was not only allowed in the Library, but dare I say, encouraged! While seemingly chaotic for the traditional Library setting, this event allowed the Library staff to share their love for library science, as well as motivate students to become familiar with and explore all aspects of Library resources. Please accept this nomination for the Rochester Library of the Year 2010.
The B. Thomas Golisano Library at Roberts Wesleyan College is the first higher-education facility in the city and the third college or university library in Monroe County to earn the LEED Silver Certification. The beautiful $11 million library "is heated and cooled by a geothermal pump system that uses 40 percent less energy than state energy code recommends, according to designers. The facility also utilizes energy from wind and biofuels supplied by Hess Energy."
The Golisano library is a great library for a number of reasons. The research librarians provide a great resource for me as a teacher and as a professional who needs to remain current in her discipline. The library staff is committed to providing instruction to all students whether they be a traditional undergraduate or an adult learner in a time-shortened evening program. Just last week I needed to read a chapter in a book not owned by our library. The library staff immediately sent out the request via interlibrary loan, emailed me that a faxed copy of the chapter may be available as soon as the same day. The chapter was in my possession in plenty of time for my purposes. Every communication with the library ends with an offer to help. The Golisano Library is an excellent resource for the college and surrounding community!
The Golisano Library is not only beautiful on the outside but beautiful on the inside as well. It is just the right size, has amazing resources and is cutting edge liberal (we are allowed to eat and drink and the circulation desk is always open). The librarians are so helpful. This library is also very eco friendly! It is a great place to study, meet with friends or for a class and is in ways a home away from home! (of course it is when we need to pull all nighters here :-P )
I love The Golisano Library at Roberts Wesleyan College!
At the Information Commons in the middle of the first floor, I access the library catalog and a number of electronic databases, or I walk over to browse new books on wall shelves. When I've found the materials I want, I usually go to one of the second-floor tables beneath the high-vaulted ceilings because I love the sense of space I feel there. Near the periodicals section are big windows and comfortable chairs, and I often go there to read the latest periodicals. Perhaps the greatest resource in the library, however, is the librarians. Knowledgeable and courteous, they always listen to suggestions for new books, periodicals, or database subscriptions. Last but by no means least, the copiers always work!
What sets this library apart is its ongoing evaluation of what is working well and what could be improved, its availability to constituents at all levels, and its continuing support for what is happening in undergraduate/graduate/seminary classes as well as in institution-wide programs. If a student or faculty member notes something is not working or is problematic (be that a library-related computer program or a way of accessing information or assistance), that question is noted and addressed immediately because feedback is welcomed and respected. If a faculty member requests research assistance for a class that request is noted and processed very quickly—through class time in the library or classroom visitation or availability for special assistance through inter-library searches. Librarians are also proactive in alerting faculty to resources, programs, and innovations related to their areas of study. When the campus is involved in institutional programs or themes, the library staff has already anticipated the possible ways in which student interest and learning might be enhanced. In early March, for example, we had a campus-wide biennial Academic Conference featuring Public Radio’s Krista Tippett in several plenary sessions, as well as a dozen seminar sessions addressing probing questions—all of which were open to the Rochester-area public as well as to the entire College community.. The Conference, “Speaking of Faith: Conversations Across Diverse Communities” lent itself to wide-ranging topics, and became the focal point of a magnificent display of resources in the Golisano Library (not because we, on the Planning Team had requested it—we did not even think to do that, but because the Golisano Library personnel stay in tune with and augment whatever is happening). I know from personal experience that both faculty and students, from first-semester 17-year-olds to graduate students in their fifties, are graciously welcomed and served; I also know that many residents from the area find our library a wonderful place to read, to access materials for their own pleasure and ongoing development, and for staying in touch today’s youth—tomorrow’s leaders. Students, themselves, find the Golisano library a wonderful place to work, to study, and to experience a collegiate sense of community. Roberts Wesleyan College is privileged to have the outstanding B.Thomas Golisano Library—and even more privileged to be served by those who work in that facility.
I am honored to nominate this library for the RRLC Library of the Year. Its modern architectural style is impressive, but the soul of the place is beyond compare.