Please note: This is NOT the most current catalog.
Academic Resources
Together, the St. Olaf Libraries and Information
and Instructional Technologies provide a variety of carefully selected
resources (ranging from Luther's Grosse Katechismus to the World Wide
Web) that seek to mirror the breadth and depth of the undergraduate
curriculum. The partnership between the Libraries and Information and
Instructional Technologies provides access to regional, national and
international networks, databases and other sources of information.
A strong system of libraries and computing center laboratories and access
to the campus network from residence halls and faculty offices ensure
the availability of academic resources to the entire community.
St. Olaf's Libraries and Special Collections
Twenty-five library faculty and staff and more than
100 students work to purchase, organize and make available a rich blend
of materials and access points. The collections contain over 600,000
books and bound periodicals and over 275,000 nonbook items (CDs, videos,
sound recordings, software, microform, etc.), housed in three separate
libraries: Rolvaag Memorial Library (the "main" library), Halvorson
Music Library and Glasoe Science Library. The libraries receive more
than 1,700 print periodicals, as well as hundred of electronic publications.
The libraries are a partial depository for federal government publications.
While the collections provide the basic resources required for undergraduate
study as defined by the college curriculum, they have unusual strengths
and emphases which reflect unique elements in the college's tradition.
Therefore they are especially strong in the fields of religion, Scandinavian
literature and history, mathematics and music. St. Olaf is one of the
few places where extensive materials can be found for the study of the
culture and church life of Norwegian Americans.
In addition to the St. Olaf collections, the libraries
also provide access to materials held across the state, the nation and
the world through their home-pages, the on-line catalog system, a variety
of CD-ROM and online services and the Internet. Strong consortial relationships
ensure the availability of supplemental materials that enrich undergraduate
study and research.
The St. Olaf Libraries are distinguished by an
instruction program which teaches students research methodologies and
evaluation techniques applicable to a variety of disciplines. The instruction
is used immediately as students work on assignments dealing with a world
of rapidly proliferating information and delivery systems and will also
provide a foundation for lifelong learning after they leave the college.
Librarians work with specific assignments in classes and provide research
assistance at the reference desks -- Rolvaag (over 60 hours per week)
and the science and music libraries as posted. The libraries are open
95 hours per week when class is in session -- with extended hours late
in the semester and during exams.
Kierkegaard Library:
The Howard and Edna Hong Kierkegaard Library, located within the Rolvaag
Library Building, is one of the major research libraries in the world
for the study of the thought of the Danish philosopher Soren Kierkegaard.
The library was presented to St. Olaf College in 1976 by the Hongs,
St. Olaf alumni and internationally noted Kierkegaard scholars and translators.
Howard Hong is a professor emeritus of philosophy.
College Archives:
Located in the Rolvaag Library Building, the Shaw-Olson Center for College
History contains official records and publications, private papers,
photographs, books, periodicals, audio and visual recordings and museum
artifacts that record and illustrate the history and life of the college.
These materials provide historical information about the Board of Regents,
the faculty, the student body, alumni, academic departments, the curriculum,
administrative offices, campus services, college organizations and campus
activities. The mission of the archives is 1) to preserve materials
that reflect the college's identity; 2) to make these materials available
to scholars, students, alumni and other interested researchers; and
3) to promote attention to the college through public history projects.
The archives web page includes a search engine for the completed on-line
index of the Manitou Messenger, the student newspaper. The archives
also provides work study opportunities for some students and a limited
number of internships for majors in appropriate departments and programs.
The Norwegian-American Historical Association:
Housed in the Rolvaag Library Building, the Norwegian-American Historical
Association (NAHA) has been sheltered by St. Olaf since its founding
in 1925. With an international membership of nearly 2,000, NAHA has
two goals: to publish scholarly books on Norwegian-American history
(90 books have been published so far) and to be a national center for
research in Norwegian-American history by collecting and maintaining
printed and manuscript materials produced by Norwegian-Americans or
concerning their history. Printed materials are incorporated in the
college library collection and other materials (such as diaries, journals,
newspapers, periodicals and records of organizations) in a separate
archive. The oldest, out of print publications are available on the
NAHA website at: www.naha.stolaf.edu. Both students and the public
are invited to use this center for research in Norwegian migration.
Information and Instructional Technologies
Information and Instructional Technologies (IIT)
provides computers, software, A/V technologies and support services
to the entire St. Olaf community. Nearly 250 public Macintoshes and
PC-compatibles connect to a campus network that provides free access
to e-mail, software servers, printing resources and the Internet.
Public labs are located in all the academic buildings
and residence halls and provide equal access to equipment and software
for all students, whether or not they are enrolled in a course requiring
the use of the computer. In addition to the public facilities, 19 departments
share or have their own specialized computing labs. This brings the
total number of computers available for student use to more than 640.
Computing use is not limited to out-of-class assignments
as 91 percent of the St. Olaf faculty rely on some form of computing
technology in their teaching, e-mail notifications or discussions and
web assignments being the most popular. The college is working to ensure
that classrooms are equipped with the appropriate technologies and,
at present, 27 classsrooms have a computer-projection system and other
related technologies. Additional classroom teachnology installations
are added each year.
Over 82 percent of all students have their own
computer on campus; most also have their own printer. Students who own
a computer can connect to the campus network and the Internet in their
own rooms in all of the eleven residence halls.
IIT employs 22 full-time professionals and nearly
70 student employees who support the computing needs of the entire campus
- students, staff and faculty. A campus Help Desk is staffed nearly
66 hours per week during the academic year.
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