The Ozuna Library: More than books

As the semester continues, students' workloads continue to grow, yet the end of the semester may be starting to feel within reach. Palo Alto College's Ozuna Library is a substantial student resource, offering books and much more to help students be successful.

In addition to physical books inside the on-campus library, there are thousands of electronic resources – such as e-books, databases, and videos – that are available to students wherever they may be.

"In [my] teaching not too long ago, there were several students who were not aware that so many resources can be accessed from anywhere through the web," said Tosca Gonsalves, database and electronic resources librarian in the Ozuna Library. "Really, the library is not very far away."

Another major resource is the librarians themselves. Although librarians are happy to help students find sources to use for their next big assignment, they hope their help can go much further.

"We are a support system for our students," said Cynthia Sanchez, lead instruction and reference librarian. "In your personal life, you may have to research a medical condition that's relevant to you... If you obtain some information literacy skills, that will help you in researching those types of things. It's a life skill."

The Children's Library is another valuable resource, housed on the first floor of the Ozuna Library and Learning Center building. They offer a vast collection of literature for children, plus technological learning equipment. They even host fun, educational events that are free and open to the community.

In addition, the Ozuna Library offers unique supplemental resources, including the PACreates Zone, an area equipped with advanced technological equipment for learning and leisure; and FitDesks, stationary bikes with desks attached to jointly facilitate productivity and activity.

Tina Mesa, dean of Academic Success for the Ozuna Library, says she and the library staff are committed to bringing new, innovative ideas to the library to benefit students and the community.

"Those [supplemental resources] are the sorts of things I'm always thinking about because I can count on the librarians to build up the regular collection [of books and academic resources]," said Mesa. "I just like to think of things outside of what we normally do."

Mesa said many of their innovative ideas come from involvement in professional organizations, such as Texas Library Association (TLA), the largest state library association in the country. Mesa's involvement in TLA and work in the Ozuna Library led to her being selected to serve as Chair-Elect of TLA's College and University Libraries Division this year. Gonsalves, who is also involved in TLA, was also elected to serve as a counselor for TLA's southwest region. Students and the community benefit from Palo Alto College librarians' involvement in professional organizations. The librarians learn the latest library trends and advancements, and they bring those ideas back to the Ozuna Library for everyone's benefit.

Whether a student is working on an assignment, researching for life in general, or looking for leisure learning resources, the Ozuna Library has everything that they need. For more information about the Ozuna Library, click here.