Library information center gives students assistance, Web training

By Chhun Sun

When students are in need of help with either a school project or term paper, Ross LaBaugh is one of several people that can help.

He has translated foreign languages into English, and vice versa. He has helped students create after-school programs for troubled teens. He has helped students design irrigation systems. He has even counseled abused women.

Whatever the question may be, LaBaugh is likely to find the answer.

He is not superhuman with superhuman abilities. He is the coordinator of the Information Competence Center, located on second floor of the Henry Madden Library, and he works his magic when a computer is near.

LaBaugh’s area of expertise is computer literacy.

“ The kind of literacy that we’re talking about is literacy that equips people with the ability to identify, find, evaluate and use information,” he said. “And we do that in a lot of different ways.”

LaBaugh said the information on the web is “exploding” so fast that many students become overwhelmed. This is where he and his assistants come in.

They help students gather information by having them attend workshops related to their subject. Whether the subject is English, anthropology or linguistics, the workshops are a way to become proficient in library research.

But the best results come from their one-on-one work with students.

Nelina Patino is one assistant who helps students three times a week at the IC Center. The linguistics major monitors the lab and troubleshoots problems.

“ A lot of people don’t know how to use the translator in Microsoft Word, so we help them with that,” Patino said. “We also teach them how to use Excel or how to use the formulas, and how to use the Internet to find books in this library; stuff like that.”

Attendance at the IC Center increases yearly due to the fact many students depend on computer-based information for their research. But questions asked in the center have declined, because many are gaining comfort in their research.

However, LaBaugh, who can be found behind the reference desk, still wants students to come to him and his assistants for help. Now, the influx of students at the library is growing, because the semester is coming to a close. “I can feel it,” LaBaugh said. “It starts a little bit before the break, but it gets bigger after the break.”

A week ago, LaBaugh encountered a student who was searching the library for two hours for information, but couldn’t find it on his own. The student then went to LaBaugh.

“Whatever he was looking for, I found it in minutes,” he said, snapping his fingers.