Most Michigan Tech students have visited the J. Robert Van Pelt and John and Ruanne Opie Library. Many are familiar with its core functions: checking out books, booking study rooms, studying, or grabbing coffee and snacks at Velodrome Coffee Company. However, the library has other resources students can use to enhance their experience at Michigan Tech.
The “Ask Us!” desk, located by the main entrance, is staffed by trained Student Resource Consultants who assist with research and resource navigation. Students can receive guidance on locating library guides, as well as standards for senior design projects and capstones. For detailed assistance, students may request consultations with librarians or archivists. For students with IT questions, there is a walk-up technical assistance center located between the desk and the front entrance.
The library provides access to more than 70 databases and thousands of STEM journals, all accessible via its website. Additionally, test prep resources for several important exams are available, including those for Fundamentals of Engineering and English as a Foreign Language.
For materials not in the library’s collection, the Interlibrary Loan service allows borrowing from other institutions. Students can also recommend materials for purchase and request delivery – on or off campus – or pickup of library-owned items. Workshops and consultations on topics such as EndNote, Microsoft and Google Suites, plagiarism avoidance, and poster design are also available.
The Circulation Desk manages course reserves, where instructor-selected materials are available for short-term borrowing. Students can also borrow various tools and devices, including battery packs, cameras, calculators, laptops, microphones, projectors, drawing tablets, and webcams.
The library also hosts a multitude of events for students to attend in the East Reading Room. The next event is on Jan. 22 at 2 p.m., where the library will host a screening of Danil Chayevich’s documentary “All The Little Things.” All future events can be found on the MTU events calendar.
Additional services include 3D printing and scanning on the second floor, poster printing and lamination, notary services by appointment, locker rentals, a meditation space on the third floor, a mother’s room on the garden level, and a microfilm/microfiche scanner. Black and white printers are found on the garden and first floors, with color printers on the second and third floors.
The University Archives and Historical Collections, located on the garden level, preserves a wide variety of prints, graphics, and manuscripts related to the history and culture of the Copper Country and MTU. Archives staff can assist with research and provide duplication services by appointment.
For more information, visit mtu.edu/library or speak with staff at the “Ask Us!” desk.
