Penn State University - La Vie Yearbook (University Park, PA)

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22 V ISING THE EQUIPA'IENT in Cl'lmcgic building. UighU Humor Martin goes m'cr his film production. HARPENING his communication skills, wclow Jim Romoshcr prucliccs his I'h-nch. Ii Rm: UNI VER 91 n I EARNING CF NIF R. woumm Liberal Arls Trend Slcvc Kreppa Slew: KW LISTENING CAREFUL: v H .Iudum A tape in the k Slcvc Krtl

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t. T l INF A Gateway To ORMATIO he inscription on the ancient stone face of Pattee Library is deep and bold. It states with time-worn certainty that A TRUE UNIVERSITY IS A COLLECTION OF BOOKS. The assertion on the outsnde only begins to reveal the wealth of Information available inside. Through the wide portals of Pattee lie the Sltbjects 'of countless research papers, theses and dissertations. all accessible through the LIAS system. lleAS can serve as a gateway to t'nformattonfl said Jim Neal, assistant dean of libraries. . LIAS, developed at Penn State and lmPlemented in the fall of 1983, is a computer Innovation aiding the extensive network of Umversnty libraries. Frantic hunts for a book in the stacks are effectively eliminated by the computer's up-to-the-minute information. The convenience offered by LIAS is matched by fts simplicity. his quick and easy, said senior Lori Engle. illtls user-friendlyf' said Cordy Swinton, head of lending services at Pattee. For those leery of computers, fear not. . Perhaps the reason for the six percent Increase in library usage over the last three Years atiPattee can be attributed to the ease :Vlth which LIAS disseminates its information. When the system is down, the library empties, Swmton noted. ' Students may leave the library when the ?YStem. IS down, but the information does not. tems including government documents, and 5231 ? Papers and microforms have not been 3 ded t9 the LIAS database. In the future, as evlelopmg and planning continue, the libraryls entire collection to date and new formats such as software and computerized tape will be catalogued. llLlAS is a forward-looking system? king new ground in library said Neal. ltlt's brea systems. .New wrthout gr0und cannot be broken. however, People to help break it. In a university situation, a librarian must maintain contact with the universityis educational programs, objectives, and needs to establish collections. llLibrarians play an important role in outreach, Neal emphasized. In this age of information, a librarianls outreach extends far beyond the university. The LIAS system has opened lines of communication between all Penn State campuses. Students can acquire books and other materials from branch campuses as well as 3,000 other libraries nationally and internationally. Since 1982, the number of catalogued volumes has increased by more than 110,000 volumes 3 year, presenting an expansion problem, The LIAS system has freed some space for storage and seating, but additions to the system may change the space situation all over again. Attempts to solve the seating situation and to create storage space for the normal acquistion of information will be undertaken in the future as planning occurs and funds are allotted. The University Faculty Senate Committee on Libraries proposed several remedies for library expansion. These suggestions included the completion of the East Wing of Pattee, the creation of an applied sciences library to replace the Earth and Mineral Sciences and Engineering libraries, and the formation of a special collections library to accomodate the present Rare Books, Penn State Room. Historical Collections and Labor Archives. The collection of over 2.5 million volumes at University Park and its branch campuses, continual additions and renovations to their buildings and the dedication of hundreds of professional. technical, clerical and student staff have all made Penn Statels library system work. llCollections, facilities and people make the library go, Neal stated. Layout b y- m Pat H ogg Article bye-Lisa Hubbzfj SURROUNDED BY BOOKS. junior gcncml urtx and sciences major, Steven .Inncs catches up on his reading in thc Muthcnmtics Library il um Jones Sm: Marlin Sun M.ttlm LIAS' POPULARITY tlltr Icl'tl is readily apparent, II was often hard to find 1m open terminal in the information mum on the ll'rst l700r of Paltcc. CONFICNTRA TING ON HER LESSON, this student listens carefully at the Lcurning Lab in the Ifngincw'ing l,ibmrj', Then: were close to I 00 recorders mid headsets available for student use this year, l Ibrurles 2l

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L l l l in. Sea mh Of ERAL ART omen hadn't flocked to the beauticianls chairs to have their hair ?;bbed since the l920ls-they did lS year. Large rou s of colle e studentshadnlt raised their gprotgst signs against Ahd. Pglicy smce the l960ls-they did this year. ov e .ucators hadnit preferred liberal learning er scuentifc snnce pre-industrial daysethey l 1d this year reentifrgok are a time of change and of has puff ? or ways of the past. This decade tech ' e into light the tenswns between TE'Cal education and liberal learning. PTOfeESisgurlce of this illumination was the Specializgg world which found its very . analysts t Eomputer techmcrans anti operations and figuro e the very best at working formulas COmmunies 'flnd the very worst at Weak in cation. These college graduates were Communiana ysllS antl deduction, were unable to Clearly ancgtefln their own or any other language many Wer e fectively, anti along with it all, hiStory an: unsure, If not Ignorant of their own Thes culture. Specificefpelgple were very well schooled in a TOUnded '8 . but were not educationally well- World co liltpf frustration, the professional number :nnp :tned to the birthplace of these In res ac Ines-theiumversnies. unive home to the cries of employers. rsmes looked to the shadows of the past for r to the graduates shortcomings. A refocUsin philosophg on the minor rol lead and edueators arts, literature, and Yxthose fields that had taken on a 6-80 that the sciences could assume the and technological advances. University lechelogiiflros; the nation feel scientific anti of living les a yances hatfc made the-condltlons CduCatiOn ls tedious and time consuming. The time to e: sentiment IS that man again has things wh'JOy dance, muSIc, drama. and those tell he once had to reserve for his rare 0!: leisure time. The new language of SCienccs and Man has enthralled himself in the time for h' made his maehines, but now It IS 1m to broaden hlS intellect so he can better undt3rStand the w ' . - m ' or achmes exisLn 1d in Wthh hlS hr v ' ofOUgh educators influences there is now less a ttindency to think of technology and Slcvc Krupp: liberal arts as being at odds. Instead, people are beginning to realize the two complement and supplement one another. The Universityls Dean of Liberal Arts, Hart Nelson. said that the increased interest in liberal arts extends beyond the universities. It was a nationwide trend. uAs a nation we're asking how our resources should be spent, so were asking whatls important. and liberal arts and sciences are importantf' he said. Dean Nelson also said study groups like the National Institute of Education and the American Association of Colleges were researching the impact liberal arts training had on the specialized fields and added support for more liberal learning. Penn State followed the national trend, Dean Nelson said. liThe University is asking questions about how we can make the baccalaureate experience more meaningful. The fact that welre making an examination, as a university, shows our interest in reasoning and training? The Yuppies were also partially responsible for the renewed interest in liberal learning. These career-oriented individuals wanted high paying executive jobs and were influenced by liberal arts graduates. People are success-oriented, and they define success by the kind of income one makes. Seeing speeches from GM and ATKLT executives on the success of liberal arts graduates in their companies will encourage the college student to. if not major in, then to take liberal arts courses, to take philosophy, history. and writing, Dean Nelson said. Dean Nelson also said the University realized its job to perpetuate the liberal arts trend. ul know parents often tell their children to come to college to major in whats going to get them a job right away. It may be difficult for parents to see job possibilities from liberal arts as opposed to business or engineering. We at the University simply have to communicate to the parents that it is the broad training that serves the student so well and that there are very fine jobs in the liberal arts area. Article by-Lisa Lyles Layout by-Jan Cromo Maj- JimiT-VV'ExX'-'ik111?: :amuav '2-52 SPARKS BUILDING houses many Liberal Arts departments as well as the C ollcgc of Liberal Arts' Center for Computing Assistance. .. . mam. 1:35.11; sue: i-l: Eel ll; 3i l'w l3 ll ii L l' 1 12!; 52:; 115'E32iw Li! .,, L Steve Krcpps A SECOND LA NGUA CE, a requirement 0f the Liberal Arts degree. will be an asset to $00!! Davidson in any work he pursues. Liberal Arts Trend 23