During freshman orientation, Lane Zimmerman '11 missed the tour of Dartmouth's libraries. So when it came time to use the resources in Baker-Berry Library, he found it difficult to navigate the building.
"There are so many differently-named places in the library that it's hard to figure out where you need to go," Zimmerman said. "It's not difficult to get lost."
Students like Zimmerman now need only to pick up their cell phones and call the Dartmouth College Library Audio Tour in order to get assistance in locating books and library locations.
The new library program will allow students to get directions through the library by dialing a local number on their cell phones. Students are then prompted to type the zero key, the first letter of the call number of the desired book and then the pound key.
"You can hear directions, or you can have the option of getting the same instructions in a text message," reference librarian Andrea Bartelstein said, adding that instructions for this process can be found on flyers that will be posted around the library by the end of this week.
Once students have dialed in their book search, a recording will lead them to the book's location. The directions originate from the reference desk on the first floor of Berry Library and include cardinal directions and instructions on which elevators or staircases to use. The recordings also include points of reference such as the information desk, the Kiewit Instructional Center and the brick wall in Berry Main Hall, Bartelstein said.
The primary impetus for installing the new features was the difficulty that many students have when navigating Baker-Berry Library, Bartelstein said.
"You've got these two connected buildings; even I couldn't find things when I first came here," she said. "The structure is very complex."
According to Bartelstein, the system was inspired when Guide by Cell, the company currently used by the library to provide students with cell phone-guided tours of the facility, added a text message function to its services a few weeks ago. This development led Bartelstein to consider many new possibilities for helping students at the library.
"We wanted to extend the usefulness of the tours," Bartelstein said. "When you go on a tour, it's probably something you'll only listen to once, but these services can be used by students every day."
The cell service, however, is still in its fledgling stages and needs to be improved, Bartelstein said. For example, the new service only offers directions to books using Library of Congress classifications, whereas students who need books with the Dewey Decimal System or the Dartmouth's old classifications will still have to go to the reference desk for information. Books located in libraries other than Baker-Berry are not included in the directory.
Bartelstein said she hopes students actively provide feedback, which they can do through the Guide by Cell technology, by posting on the library's website or by sending an email to the library's reference desk.
Alongside the new directions and feedback options, Bartelstein said her future plans include recording podcasts of library tours and creating a text message notification system that would allow students to learn about upcoming workshops, classes, speakers and seminars at the library.
