How Does MWCC Provide for its Prospering Community of Readers?
By Elysian Alder | Assistant Editor
Collections and Instructions Librarian, Matt Raymond, says that the Mount’s LaChance Library has recently purchased “over 800 new books,” adding to an already substantial inventory of “about 30,000 titles.”
The selection process is a meticulous and thoughtful one. Although Mount Wachusett Community College does not currently have student life organizations dedicated solely to literature or book clubs, there’s no shortage of avid readers willing to offer up suggestions or requests to the collections librarians like Raymond.
“I’ve been trying to make a community-focused collection, so I’m really trying to get feedback from students and faculty and gather suggestions from them,” said Raymond. “I want the collection to be informed by their habits, as well, as opposed to just me and the library staff deciding what we purchase.”
LaChance Library has made great strides with exploring new genres, topics, trends, and keeping their selection as diverse as possible, while always including works that have the potential to educate, such as the prioritization of including titles relevant to Diversity, Equity and Inclusion, also known as ‘DEI’, which are “popular among the faculty, since the school has made those topics a priority for their work,” said Raymond.
Although word-of-mouth has been the primary means for the collections development librarians to discover new literary trends at the Mount, some of the suggestions do filter in from MWCC students who frequent the popular TikTok subcommunity, BookTok.
It’s exactly what it sounds like. BookTok is a trend on the video-sharing website, TikTok, where users and creators upload videos reviewing, discussing, or creating memes about the books they’ve read or are in the process of reading. The subcommunity has had a significant impact on the literary world— one statistic by NBC news estimates that videos posted under the hashtag #BookTok have been viewed a total of 12.6 billion views.
“We do have some students who’ve given me lists of books from BookTok,” said Raymond. “And from them, I’ve learned a lot about the new trends in literature now that people are reading. It’s been really helpful. I like learning it from the people that are here, as opposed to me going on TikTok and trying to figure them out on my own.”
While Raymond and the other library faculty might not be figuring out BookTok, they’re constantly and rigorously focused on figuring out innovative ways to adjust and adapt to the needs of the community when it comes to exposure to the library and what it has to offer. For individuals who have an easier time with visuals and don’t feel that ‘traditional’ literature is for them, the LaChance library has a growing collection of books, such as Margaret Atwood’s The Handmaid’s Tale, adapted into graphic novel format, for example. Former Assistant Dean of Library Services, Elliot Brandow, said that it’s important for “the community to see that a library is more than a quiet study hall and dusty book depository, but can be filled with vibrancy, fun, and engagement, and that use of a library is not zero sum, but graphic novels and board games and button-making can lower the intimidation barrier for research and learning consultations.”
And the Mount’s avid readers don’t have to feel confined to the LaChance library in their pursuit of new books to read, either. Carla Morrissey, Circulation Supervisor for the library, also helped organize a ‘Take a Book/Leave a Book’ program on-campus.
“When the libraries were closed during the height of the pandemic, many of us bought books. When we began to return in person, Shelley, Director of the Brewer Center and myself were chatting about this phenomenon and wanted to provide a way for everyone to share the books they no longer need,” said Morrissey, “The idea of a free library arose and we took it from there.”
Take a Book/Leave a Book is exactly what it sounds like: a free library on-campus where students and faculty can browse the available books, take which ones they’re interested in, and, in return, deposit a book from their own personal library for someone else to enjoy. “Anyone can leave books and anyone can take books,” explained Morrissey, “It does not have to be an even exchange. The only rule is that it has to be books, not DVD’s, et cetera.”
Whether it be via the library itself or the related ‘Take a Book/Leave a Book’ program, MWCC is keenly aware of not only the avid and voracious readers within the community, but also the need to disrupt the literary industry, defy traditional library expectations and diversify in accessible, necessary, and progressive ways.
“We are here as a resource for anybody that needs help,” said Matt Raymond. “And if anybody wants any pleasure reading, they should come stop by and take a look at the new books we’ve purchased for everyone.”
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