Madigan Library Campaign
Dedication, September 12, 2006
REMARKS BY LISETTE ORMSBEE, DIRECTOR OF THE LIBRARY
Thank you Dr. Gilmour.
With all my heart, I thank each and every person who made this library possible -- from Senator Roger Madigan and Representative Brett Feese to the Commonwealth of Pennsylvania, and the Senior Administration of the College, to our generous donors, and diligent planners, to our most energetic and creative architect, Benedict Dubbs, to designers and builders, including our Construction Manager, Andrew Richardson, to our wonderful vendors, including Brodart for the fabulous furniture and shelving, to our movers, gardeners, and custodians and so many more... And my deepest thanks go to the staff and librarians of the library, who endured the many last minute requests, the organizing, the packing and unpacking while we carried on the so-called routine life of the library --thank you-- To each and every person who made this library a reality--I am most honored to have worked by your side.
Argentine writer, Jorge Luis Borges, who was also a cataloger, and Director of the National Library of Argentina, is often quoted as saying “I imagine that Paradise must be some kind of library." Well, the dedicated staff of the library and I welcome you to some kind of wonderful Paradise here in Williamsport!
Our Paradise offers more than intellectual satisfaction, beauty, and
functionality, including of course, the ability to have a latte late at night,
in the Bookmarks cafe.
The dedication of this gorgeous building in honor of Roger and Peggy Madigan
underscores the real and active role of the academic library in this
undergraduate college, Pennsylvania's premier technical college.
First, The Madigan Library supports the mission of the College -- one of opportunity to fulfill dreams and keep those dreams alive through lifelong learning.
All programs and disciplines come together in the library--in the collections on the shelves and online. At a glance, those collections give us the big view of the academic programs of the college that make dreams become reality. When students graduate and become alumni, they can always keep those skills and knowledge fresh each time they come back to the library or visit us online. The addition of the College Archives captures and preserves the history of the college which is of course the history of those alumni and moments like today.
Second, the Madigan Library is an extension of the classroom. Faculty introduce students to new ideas in coursework and the library extends that introduction by plunging students more deeply into those ideas. The Gallery, the classrooms and the open computer complex further expand the learning spaces.
Last week, Architectural Technology students spent their class time sketching perspective views of the building interiors; next week students may be researching BOCA standards for masonry or browsing through our e- books on plastics, or checking out one of the 3000 titles in our culinary arts collection.
Or students will consult with a librarian about how to use our more than 85
database alternatives to Google, as they work on their term papers, using the
library's 250 computers!
Teaching and learning live in the Madigan Library!
Third and finally, The Madigan library extends the reach of the Penn College
community.
Through our Circulation and Document Delivery services, Madigan Library books
travel the world-- to researchers in libraries in southern Australia, the far
reaches of Russia and Japan and, of course, as near to us as the Brown Library
and Lycoming College. And the other good news is that the books come back to us!
Articles in the Journal of Dental Education subscribed to by the Madigan Library
and just 6 other libraries around the world, are sent electronically within
minutes to a researcher at the University of Pretoria, South Africa. And of
course, we do the same for the students, faculty and staff here. Within a
relatively short time a book or article arrives in your hands or on your desktop
from a library in Alaska or Great Britain.
We are all connected to the world through the Madigan Library!
But as we dedicate this paradise today, remember that this library is much more than the inspiring building you see behind us, much more than its knowledgeable and helpful staff, and much more than its collections and the access to many more collections in libraries throughout the world. The Madigan Library gives witness to the mission of the College and the opportunity to partake more fully in lifelong learning and the human experience. And as such the best way to enjoy this Madigan Library is to use it.
For without all of its users, this is just a light-filled elegant building with excellent collections and services. With all of us together, as individual and collaborative users, teaching and learning thrive and the mission of the College is lived!
Thank you.