Letter to the Editor
DeNobile, Mike
Issue date: 5/2/07 Section: Opinion
Dear Editor,
In the April 18, 2007, edition of the MounTimes, an article entitled "Outdated Books, Outdated Students?" was written depicting the Mount library with outdated and limited books and comparing it to the library on Manhattan College's campus, ultimately coming to the conclusion that the Mount library has inadequate sources and needs major updating.
As a concerned member of the Mount community, I feel that our library and the library's director were painted unfairly. Being that I have personally worked with Dr. O'Hara over the past four years at the Mount, there are a few major points from the article that I would like to point out and clarify.
First, as director of the library, Dr. O'Hara constantly goes out of his way for students on campus on a weekly basis. Whatever resource a student or staff member may need, he will try to get his hands on it, and if he can't, he will suggest options suitable to the given situation. I needed a movie for my senior seminar class recently, and upon request, he researched where and if he could purchase it in time for me. Unfortunately, the movie was out of production and not being sold on the Internet, but Dr. O'Hara personally gave me a list of locations in the Riverdale area where I could find the film; I was able to present my seminar the way I wanted to.
Speaking of movies, a student is paraphrased as saying that the "only thing that seems to be expanding in our library is the DVD collection." This remark, in my opinion, is inappropriate and inflammatory. Dr. O'Hara started the DVD collection here at the library for the students here at the Mount, where students could rent popular movies at no charge for a seven-day period-a great rate compared to any video store anywhere, if you'd ask me. I also provided an initial list of about 100 movies for Dr. O'Hara that I felt were popular movies that could also be used for educational resources; this collection has now expanded to over 1500 films, including documentaries and drama productions. Bottom line: The DVD collection at the Mount library is expanded for the benefit and luxury of the student body.
In the April 18, 2007, edition of the MounTimes, an article entitled "Outdated Books, Outdated Students?" was written depicting the Mount library with outdated and limited books and comparing it to the library on Manhattan College's campus, ultimately coming to the conclusion that the Mount library has inadequate sources and needs major updating.
As a concerned member of the Mount community, I feel that our library and the library's director were painted unfairly. Being that I have personally worked with Dr. O'Hara over the past four years at the Mount, there are a few major points from the article that I would like to point out and clarify.
First, as director of the library, Dr. O'Hara constantly goes out of his way for students on campus on a weekly basis. Whatever resource a student or staff member may need, he will try to get his hands on it, and if he can't, he will suggest options suitable to the given situation. I needed a movie for my senior seminar class recently, and upon request, he researched where and if he could purchase it in time for me. Unfortunately, the movie was out of production and not being sold on the Internet, but Dr. O'Hara personally gave me a list of locations in the Riverdale area where I could find the film; I was able to present my seminar the way I wanted to.
Speaking of movies, a student is paraphrased as saying that the "only thing that seems to be expanding in our library is the DVD collection." This remark, in my opinion, is inappropriate and inflammatory. Dr. O'Hara started the DVD collection here at the library for the students here at the Mount, where students could rent popular movies at no charge for a seven-day period-a great rate compared to any video store anywhere, if you'd ask me. I also provided an initial list of about 100 movies for Dr. O'Hara that I felt were popular movies that could also be used for educational resources; this collection has now expanded to over 1500 films, including documentaries and drama productions. Bottom line: The DVD collection at the Mount library is expanded for the benefit and luxury of the student body.
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