Wilkens Library Offers A Plethora of Resources For All
by Justus Canto
The 4C’s Wilkens Library is said to be a vibrant hub of learning, research, and resources designed to support the students, faculty, and staff throughout their academic journey. Whether a student needs access to extensive collections of books, online databases, research assistance, or just a quiet space to study, the Wilkens Library is available.
Q: How long have you been working here?
Adam Harris: Five years part time, then six years full time.
Maryann Stacey: I have been working at the college full time for 19 years. I worked part time for two years before taking the full time position. I was a student that graduated from the CJ program and never left.
Maryann Stacey. (Justus Canto)
Timothy Gerolami: I have worked at the college for 15 years. For the first 10 years I was a librarian, and for the last five I have been the director of the Library and Academic Support Centers.
Timothy Gerolami. (Justus Canto)
Anne Cifilli: I started working here in Jan. of 2019, so almost five years ago!
Anne Cifilli. (Anne Cifili)
Q: What is your favorite part of working here?
Harris: The myriad responsibilities and breadth of interactions with others.
Stacey: I love interacting and working with the students; it is the best part of my job.
Gerolami: The students! 4C’s students run the gamut from dual enrolled students to senior citizens and everyone in between. While some students are spending time here taking intro classes and figuring out what comes next, many of them know what they want to do. 4C’s students often have other responsibilities-jobs, family members they are taking care of-and they are not afraid to seek our help when they need it and when we give them help, we know we are making their time at 4C’s just a little bit easier.
Cifilli: Helping students is my favorite part of working here; also, my fellow library staff members. We're a good team!
Q: How would you describe your role here?
Harris: My role here is manifold: I run Instructional Media Services, which encompasses the library's loanable equipment, such as TI-84 graphing calculators, digital recorders, internet hotspots, and short-term laptops for emergency use, as well as the library's DVD and CD collections, and our still extant VHS collection. I also handle Interlibrary Loan requests, which means I track down materials we do not own or otherwise have access to, like books and journal articles, and contact other libraries who do own them to see if they will lend or copy the needed thing. I manage the physical serials collection as well, which are the journals, magazines, and newspapers the library subscribes to, and perform a few other duties here and there as needed.
Stacey: I have multiple roles here. I am the Administrative Assistant for the library; however, I also work at the circulation and reference desks. I am also the Chief Steward for the AFSCME Union on campus.
Gerolami: As the Director of the Wilkens Library and Academic Support Centers, my role is to supervise the professional staff in the library, Math Learning Center, Reading and Writing Center, and Tutoring Center. I work with the staff to develop our budget, set policies, hire part time staff, and determine which collections and services are priorities. I am the Wilkens Library and Academic Support Services representative to the college administration, bringing their needs and concerns to college leadership and implementing their directives and requests as part of larger college initiatives. I also represent the library in our partner organizations, CLAMS (our local library network) and MCCLPHEI (Massachusetts's public higher education library organization). I am the librarian for the Funeral Service and Aviation Maintenance Technology programs. I work with the registrar to ensure that courses are marked as “no textbook cost” or “low textbook cost” and I represent the college in the state's Open Educational Resource (OER) Advisory Committee, which seeks to promote the use, creation and adoption of OER (i.e. free to students) materials. Finally, most days you'll see me for an hour or two working at the front desk or the reference office, answering a reference question or directing someone to where they can get help!
Cifilli: I am a part time Reference Librarian. I work two evenings a week, plus Sunday afternoons. My primary role is to support students—that could be anything from helping students use library databases to restocking the printers with paper. There's a sign outside the reference office door that says, "Ask Here" and we mean it! Just ask!
Q: How would you describe the library?
Harris: It's a fun and intriguing place to be, full of knowledgeable people who will try their best to answer any question anyone might have.
Stacey: The library is a welcoming place with lots of resources and great staff.
Gerolami: The library is made up of three things: a staff, a collection and a place. Staff members are available seven days a week to answer user questions, guide them in using the collection (and far, far beyond thanks to the internet and our agreements with other libraries) and teach students how to do research. The collection is both physical-the books, periodicals, media and equipment that we lend-and virtual-our subscriptions which give us access to eBooks, ejournals, newspapers, magazines, streaming videos. We select the collection to support the curriculum and also to provide access to academic materials to the community. Finally, the library is a third place...a place to do work that is not home, work or the classroom. You can find quiet places to read, study and work on our second and third floor. You can find spaces to collaborate on the first and ground floor. Need a place to take a zoom or other remote call? Ask our front desk, we have space for that too!
Cifilli: Available! We have open hours seven days a week and there's always a librarian on duty.
Q: Anything else I should know?
Harris: I earned my associate's degree at 4C’s and liked the place so much I decided not to leave.
Stacey: I am very fortunate that after 19 years I can still say that I love my job.
Gerolami: As the director, I love to hear from students about requests for resources, questions about the library, and ideas on how we can improve the space. I also want every reader to know that we are here to help you and we look forward to doing just that-so never be afraid to ask how to use a resource, tell us that you can't get into an online resource, ask where something is or how you can find information on a topic. It's our job to answer questions, we're good at it, and we love to do it!
Cifilli: Pumpkin pie is my favorite!
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