New features at the Bailey Library

The Seed Library in the Bailey Library allows students to borrow seeds to grow their own gardens. Sara Faraj | Washtenaw Voice

By Danny Villalobos
Staff Writer

The Bailey Library at WCC is allowing students to print 100 pages for free each semester. Students can print anywhere in the school as long as they have their school ID with them.

The decision to provide students with 100 free pages came from the IT department, Finance Department and the Bailey Library according to Joyce Hommel, the director of the learning resources at WCC.

Hommel said the choice to give the first 100 pages for free was to simplify the previous on-campus printing system, where printing charges varied depending on the location students printed from.

“It’s really exciting to us because it’s building some equity across all of the campus now,” Hommel said.

The new system in place will warn students that they are reaching their limit once they have printed more than 75 pages.

“When you’re getting down to 25 pages, it’ll pop up and warn you the amount you have left,” said Hommel.

According Hommel, the 100 free pages would cover the majority of student’s total printing needs.

New changes and features are also up at the Bailey Library.

“Each semester we’re creating an exhibit and it’s something that’s a hands-on exhibit, and it goes along with whatever our theme is for the year,” Hommel said. “Our overall theme is ‘cultivating conversations’, and then each month we have a specific theme.”

The current theme is “skilled innovators” and the exhibits on display reflect that.

“The skilled innovator month is to highlight the skilled innovation work we do here on campus and the types of courses offered for those,” Hommel said.

Currently, the library has a heating system and an electric circuit system set up for students to examine and learn more about how those systems work, said Hommel.

Another featured exhibit is the 3D printing machine on the second floor of the Bailey Library. There, students can see the function of a 3D printer and possibly get a chance to take something that the printer made.

These exhibits give students a chance to apply what they’re learning in their classes to real life, Hommel said.

“What you may be learning in that math class may not seem relevant to what you’re going to do outside of class, but that 3D printer we have does apply a lot of what you’re learning in that class,” said Hommel.

The Seed Library will also be a key feature that students can take advantage of. The seed library will be open on Feb. 12 and Mar. 13 for students, where they can borrow seeds to plant their own garden.

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