No argument here...

This is the time of year when English teachers (and others) begin to dream of students writing major papers often about opposing viewpoints.

It's also a time of year that fills many students with dread.

It doesn't have to be that way! Most students are fairly good writers but often do not believe themselves to be writers. Some worry about organization, some worry about having enough resources, and some worry about whether or not they have something to say.

The library can help with all of those.

Most of our English teachers use the notecard system to help students organize their work. The notecard system is fairly simple to use and provides students with a way to keep track of their sources and organize their notes. I am often called upon to teach the system to the students and if you ask them about pickles, they will probably groan, since I use "the history of pickles" as the starting point for teaching notecards. The library can also help with supplying notecards so students always have access to them.

The library thrives on the amount and type of resources that we can provide. Along with the thousands of print books and ebooks, there are dozens of databases which were specifically chosen to bolster the types of papers students usually write. And always, there are helpful people in the library to guide them on how to use them.

When a student has thoroughly researched a topic, it is easier for them to write about that topic. I try to remind students that they are becoming our "resident experts" on a topic and we expect them to know their stuff.

By providing materials, space, extra hours of being open and helpful people, the library is the place for students to have as the starting point for their successful paper writing.

You'll get no argument here about that!