A lot of libraries have more books and most have more videos.  Some have more recordings or computers.  A few have more maps.

Associate Dean David Tyckoson and Julie Hernandez welcome you to the Madden Library.

One thing that the Henry Madden Library has that no other library in the state can match: a staff totally dedicated to service and to being the friendliest, most welcoming and helpful library staff.  We are - quite literally - “Here to help.”

It starts when you get here. Just through the doors of the new Table Mountain Rancheria Tower is the Welcome Desk, where staff greet visitors, provide directions and a map and answer basic questions.  The Welcome Desk is designed to be your first stop in the new library.

This welcoming environment extends to every section of the library through faculty, staff and student assistants, all ready to answer visitor’s questions.  Each worker wears a red Madden Library badge and lanyard and each is available to help anyone find materials, use the compact shelves, print from a computer or find the elevators.

For more in-depth research assistance, for the first-floor Reference Desk’s reference librarians and student assistants always are available to help locate a specific book, look for articles on a topic, retrieve statistical data, identify search terms or brainstorm a research topic.  The Reference Desk is available by phone and online for those who can’t get to the library.

The new Henry Madden Library at California State University, Fresno.

How people get in touch isn’t as important as ensuring that when anyone needs research assistance, the new and improved library offers it, as well as specialized research in certain subject areas.

* The Music & Media Department (third floor) serves anyone studying or enjoying music.

* As its name implies, the Teacher Resource Center (third floor) provides lesson plans, children’s books and instructional materials for K-12 teachers.

* The Maps and Government Information Department (first floor) contains the largest collection of maps at any California State University library along with relevant publications from federal and state agencies. 

* The Special Collections Research Center (fourth floor south) is home to rare books, local history and several specialized and unique collections.

* The Arne Nixon Center for the Study of Children’s Literature (third floor south) contains the largest collection of historic children’s books west of the Mississippi.

Each area is intended to provide sophisticated assistance to support programs and researchers in those areas.  There are also liaison librarians assigned to specific colleges or departments for advanced research in specific areas, which is especially useful to graduate students working on theses and faculty undertaking research projects.

Although staffers provide a variety of ways to help library visitors, there are many ways for them to help themselves.  New iMacs throughout the library run either Windows or Mac operating systems at the user’s discretion.  Need something more portable? Laptops, available for student and faculty checkout (Collection Level) for four hours at a time, may be taken anywhere on campus.

Reference librarians are available to assist students.

“Here to help” is integral to the design of the new library, too.  The goal was to give people the best spots on each floor, so study areas are near the windows and the books and other materials are in the back, away from the light.  In addition, the building is designed to meet a variety of study needs and learning styles.  There are quiet areas, group and individual study rooms, lots of power outlets for laptops and wide-open study rooms. 

The library is a large and complex place. The Madden Library staff is committed to making certain this beautiful new university center of knowledge meets everyone’s individual needs by staying true to three little words: “Here to help.”

- David Tyckoson is Associate Dean of Library Services at the Madden Library

For more on this story, visit Fresno State Magazine.