His favorite part of his job is how the library does all of the above. “I think it’s that there is not as many boundaries for the libraries as there could be for other departments because we can really go out there and work with the entire institution,” Fleschner said.
Julius Fleschner, dean of the libraries, has a goal to maintain a good work environment with all library staff.
“I work with everyone in the library including our chair, faculty and associates,” Fleschner said. “That includes selecting the materials, deciding what we’re going to loan and making sure that we’re meeting the needs of the curriculum and the teaching faculty.”
Libraries connect to students through renting and returning. Students also use the library for sources of information and as a quiet place for reading and studying.
There is an official website alongside the four locations that students can use to request materials, reserve study rooms and search for their course textbooks.
“They’re wanting the physical spaces, but students also want the content that we provide digitally,” Fleschner said. “We interact with folks a lot through the website and it gets over 100,000 hits a year, which is huge.”
The tasks of the libraries go above and beyond to interact and work with everyone in the institution, helping students with things like finding articles or books and registering for classes.
“So we help check things in and out at the desk but a lot of students come to the library just to ask questions,” Fleschner said. “A good library should not be separate on its own island over here. A good library needs to be collaborative with everybody in the institution.”
