Stacie Armijo, Staff Reporter
For students who cannot afford to buy laptops, iPads, textbooks and other materials they may need, the Reserve program in the library is set up to help, Main campus Library Manager Olivia Baca said.
Students are able to borrow items for a three hour interval, although not all text books are available and often there is only one copy of each, Baca said.
“We feel that the three hours gives students enough time to take it to class and not have to race to the library or race to class. There is that window to accommodate whether it is a study session or a class session, but it is also reasonably brief,” Baca said.
The three hour check out policy is set in place to ensure that an item will soon be turned back in for another student to use, she said.
“With the three hours’ time frame the library is committed to maximizing resources for the most number of students,” Baca said.
Business Administration major Irving Ramos said that he likes the fact that laptops are available for students to borrow.
“I can do my homework here instead of looking for one in the computer lab,” Ramos said.
The library recently added the availability of 20 laptops and 10 iPads to the reserve program, which helps adhere to the different types of tools students may need, Baca said.
“We are really excited about the I-Pads. Because it is the touch interface it mimics a desktop computer in a lot of ways and a tablet operates completely different so we want all students that are so inclined to be able to try that out,” Baca said.
Baca said the collection of items is available through donations and loans.
“Professors loan us a copy of a text book or if a department has extra copies they will loan or donate it to us so we are able to make it available to students,” Baca said.
A year ago the library put a policy into practice that deals with the consequences of returning materials late, she said.
“If a student returns it late than they are not denied access to the resource but they are restricted. At the main campus library that means using it at the big silver help desk on the first floor,” Baca said.
The Main campus library currently has many text books on file. In addition to the laptops and iPads they also loan headphones, computer mouse, and other resource material.
“I think it’s important to know that library staff is always willing to help them,” Baca said.
All students are encouraged to call, email CNM.edu/libraries, or stop by for any help they might need, she said.
“We are here to help them, so we can help them find a resource for a project so that it doesn’t take those three frustrating hours,” she said.
If you have any questions regarding this valuable resource please contact the CNM libraries at 224-4278 or email Olivia Baca at obaca9@cnm.edu.