Director's Corner

Welcome to the first issue of The Eclectic Mix, the newsletter of the  Educational Resources Lab (ERL) . We hope to share a little about who we are and what we do, as well as share interesting features about people, books and events. We plan to publish two or three times each year to coincide with the beginning of each semester.

My name is Barb Campbell, and I am very excited to be the new director for the ERL at Oakland University. I began in January after a whirlwind move over the winter break. I was born and raised in Cleveland, Ohio but college and marriage eventually landed me in Iowa City. I received a BA in English and Education from the University of Iowa and my MLS from Kent State University. My careers include experience as a high school English teacher, an elementary school teacher librarian and a children’s and young adult reference librarian for a facility very much like our ERL at the University of Iowa, College of Education. My move from Hawkeye to Grizzly seems a perfect fit, and I haven’t even had to switch team colors – I can keep my black and gold wardrobe!

The ERL is part of the School of Education and Human Resources (SEHS) at Oakland University, located on the third floor of Pawley Hall, just inside the front door. Our primary mission is to provide resources and services that support the curriculum needs of Oakland University's SEHS and we are available to the entire university community.

Although we have an extensive collection of print materials, we are much more than just a library. The ERL is a professional development laboratory which contains state-of-the-art multimedia resources, 60+ networked computers with access to the Internet, to color and black and white printers, and production equipment such as a laminator, bookbinder, fax machine, Ellison die cutter, copy machines and scanners. We like to think of ourselves as “one-stop shopping” for your professional needs. Professional books include hands-on strategies and lesson ideas for teachers in most subject areas, with cross-curricular volumes related to counseling, classroom management, teaching special populations and more. All professional materials circulate except textbooks, reference books and journals.

Our circulating children’s and young adult book collections feature notable and award winning titles across genres and subject areas. We have established the ERL as a trade book examination center so we regularly receive review copies of the newest titles as soon as they are published. The Special Collections Room houses our Award Books, where the best books for youth are arranged by prestigious award name. Books in this room do not circulate and there is plenty of room to sit and read or study. We often have a circulating copy of these titles, as well. Our collection of pop-up and toy books does not circulate due to their fragile nature, but this section is worth taking time to browse; the paper engineering and creative design ideas are stunning as well as fun and engaging.

Most days you will find students from all over the campus meeting, studying and working in the lab. We often host events and workshops for professional development, entertain guest speakers, or host public school and community groups. We are usually not too worried about the “SHHHH” factor found in many libraries – we take pride in our ability to be an active, vibrant place where students can work together in groups, use technology, and engage in group activities. We also have nooks and spaces where students can study or read if they prefer some quiet. So welcome, one and all, to our ERL.