If you wait until you are a junior or senior to check out what is on offer (and included in your UMBC tuition) at the library, you are making a big mistake.  You are probably too young to remember card catalogs and stamps with ink pads, both of which were used in the UMBC library’s infancy.  Over 4.5 decades, the library has transformed itself into a fully modern and largely virtual environment that brings facts, analysis, commentary, photographs, music, films, and more to UMBC’s students and faculty. The building houses important exhibitions and events and provides jobs for many students.

Here are just some of the useful and fun things you can find at the library:

PLACES

• A fully equipped Retriever Learning Center with 24 hour study space, the Math Lab and the Writing Lab for drop-in assistance, a seminar room for group study, computers for student use, ready access to the IT Help Desk, and comfortable informal seating
• Designated “quiet floors” for those who need to hibernate, with more social areas also available for collaboration.
• Printers, copiers, and scanners for student use.
• A snack bar in the lobby with sandwiches, salads, snacks, and gourmet coffee.
• A steady diet of interesting visual displays in the Library Gallery and intriguing lectures held by the Social Science and Humanities Forums 

• More than 1.1 million books, remote access to electronic journals, access to more than 100 databases. 
• Over 18,000 LP and vinyl records - reserve a spot at the listening station (yes, equipped with a real record player) and check out a few soundtracks of some of the world's most renowned artists including the Artist Formerly Known as Prince. 
• Access to ebook collections at UMBC and ebook sources on the open web: http://aok.lib.umbc.edu/help/ebooks/.
• More than 12,000 CDs and DVDs, ranging from documentaries and classical music to current U.S. and foreign films and popular music.
• The Science Fiction & Fantasy collection including famous titles from Amazing/Analog, Thrilling Wonder Stories, Weird Tales among others and more ephemeral tiles like Comet, Rocket Stories and Satellite Science Fiction - a playground for sci fi pulp fanatics!
• A forty-six year collection of UMBC's student newspaper The Retriever Weekly including the premier issue published on September 19,1966.

• The opportunity to borrow materials from a vast network of university libraries without having to leave the UMBC campus
• Individual research assistance from the library’s highly trained staff.
• Readily available “Ask a Librarian” support available on the UMBC website.

Why the Library is Valuable

The library supports you as a learner, as a scholar, and as a social being.  It provides sustenance for your brain, body, and spirit. It is a place to meet your study group or to hide out to write your term papers.  And if you need help, the Retriever Learning Center houses tutors who offer assistance in Math and Writing.  Reference librarians with subject matter specialization can help you find what you need. And much of what the library offers can be accessed from your dorm room, classroom, or apartment off campus.

To read the “Top Ten Things to Know About Your Library,” click here.  And then follow the links to learn more about how the library can enrich your UMBC experience.

BONUS INFO

Click here for an interesting list of the 25 most famous librarians in history! 

EXTRA CREDIT DISCUSSION QUESTION:

In what unique way has the AOK Library made a difference in your studies here at UMBC?