Downtown Mount Pleasant library welcomes CMU students

There’s more to libraries than encyclopedias and micro film.

Most CMU students utilize Charles V. Park Library on campus for their educational needs, but may overlook what’s beyond the surface of the library’s off-campus counterpart.

Lise Mitchell, executive director of library services for the Chippewa River District Library, said in addition to educational materials, Veterans Memorial Library, 301 S. University Ave., offers recreational materials and programs, such as a large fiction collection, book discussion groups and downloadable audio e-books.

“Everything you need for your major you can get at CMU’s library, but you can’t check out CDs,” said Rob Wang, marketing and communications manager for the Veterans Memorial Library. “We see everybody coming here for the fun stuff.” (Photo by Leah Sefton/Staff Photographer)

“Everything you need for your major you can get at CMU’s library, but you can’t check out CDs,” said Rob Wang, marketing and communications manager for the Veterans Memorial Library. “We see everybody coming here for the fun stuff.”

In addition to CD check out, library cardholders can also check out movies from the DVD collection for $1 apiece and a weeks time limit.

All students living in the library district area are eligible to sign up for a library card and access everything the library has to offer. To sign up, students must provide proof of residency in the city of Mount Pleasant, the Mount Pleasant school district or Union Township.

“A lot of students use the library,” Wang said. “Every year we see more and more (students). They’re coming for the recreational reading.”

The downtown library also offers private study rooms, soft seating reading areas, tables and free wireless internet throughout the building for patrons. Ten new iMacs were installed in the building, free to use for library cardholders, after a three month renovation period during early 2010. Mitchell said this makes a more welcoming environment.

“We’ve rearranged the whole library,” Mitchell said. “It’s now much brighter.”

Another appeal of the downtown library is the accessibility, Wang said.
Students with a library card have access to online content and the library’s printers. Mitchell said card holders are allowed $2 of printing every day, which usually amounts to 10 color pages or 20 black and white pages.

The downtown library offers free computer classes and similar programs for adults, Mitchell said.

“Sometimes we find that people have had a lot of hit and miss computer training,” she said.

The classes are designed for participants to brush up on different topics with quick hour and a half long classes.

Wang said recreational programming is also an option for students.

Throughout the year, Veterans Memorial hosts video game nights such as Guitar Hero tournaments and Super Smash Brothers Brawl tournaments. At the beginning of every year, a Lego contest is open for all ages, including a building session, display, judging and award ceremony.