By William Ludt
Tucked away in the various levels of the Maag Library are a variety of interesting and useful resources that are helpful to many students.
The multimedia center, located on the third floor of Maag, contains thousands of sound recordings. Students can access approximately 12,000 vinyl records, 3,300 CDS, 900 DVDs and BluRays, as well as a charging station for electronic devices. Students can view movies on the 55-inch television and listen to records on the two record players.
Kenny Reyes is the librarian media technical assistant in Maag’s multimedia center.
“We’re a library inside the library,” Reyes said. “We get a lot of the students coming in just to hang out and check out the 55-inch high-def TV, or we have classes come in that actually use our wireless headphones and do things for classes.”
There are five iMac computers with video editing software and digital video and audio recording equipment available to be checked out. The MMC also has two iMacs in booths that are dedicated to vocal recording.
Scott Pfitzinger is a multimedia librarian at the Maag.
“The atmosphere is part of what makes the multimedia center what it is,” Pfitzinger said.
On the fourth floor is the computer lab and tech desk. The tech desk provides students with help changing their password, getting their email and even giving students’ game systems access the university’s Internet.
The third and fourth floors of Maag are designated as group study areas. Students are able to access a projector and a white board, and any cables or dry erase markers can be borrowed from circulation.
The University Archives and Special Collections are located on the 5th floor. The main exhibit on the floor is about the history of YSU, including a large diorama of campus. There are two changing exhibits, one currently about banned books and old mansions on Wick Ave.
Every issue of The Jambar is available in paper and on digital.maag, Maag’s online archives. Digital.maag also has old photographs of YSU, oral histories on various topics and more.
The books in Special Collections are not available to be checked out due to their condition, but they can be viewed in the Reading Room.
Maag also runs the Melnick Medical Museum of medical history. The museum has over 10,000 medical artifacts, including Civil War amputation kits, old nursing uniforms, x-ray equipment and dental tools.
The museum used to be in Melnick Hall on Wick Ave., but it is being relocated to Cushwa Hall. There are displays on nearly every floor of Cushwa.
Maag manages the curriculum resource center in Beeghly Hall. The curriculum resource center contains material for education majors, including their K-12 textbooks, children’s books and more. Jeffrey Trimble, associate director and head of information services at Maag, calls it a pedagogical library for school teachers.
Ana Torres, Interim Co-Director of Maag, wants students to know the main library also offers many textbooks, mostly general education, for use within the library.
“Some of those textbooks may be available to borrow through OhioLINK,” Torres said.
OhioLINK connects to other University libraries in the state that may have materials Maag doesn’t. If the material isn’t there either, librarians can search throughout the country and other countries to borrow the material.
Maag is also home to several other services on the lower level including communications classrooms, reading and study skills, the English language institute, the writing center and several vending machines.
On Aug. 19, Maag will have free punch, cheese nachos and games and will offer students the opportunity to learn more about library-aided research. Students will also have the chance to win a gift certificate to the university bookstore.