Pogue Library offers a variety of resources which may be unknown to some students.
Located in the heart of the Quad, Pogue Library offers a place to study along with a variety of resources that may be unknown to students.
Special Collections, a law library and University Archives are housed in Pogue and can be used as a resource for students and those in the community.
LaDonna Hamontree, a Pogue Library assistant, asserts that while the number of visitors to Pogue is relatively small, the library is in no more danger of shutting its doors than Waterfield and still sees many students.
“The numbers are growing each year. It is just a matter of getting the word out about the benefits of Pogue,” she said.
“We have a quiet place to study here, with couches to get comfortable, and especially on days like this (hot and humid), it’s a lot cooler in here than in Waterfield,” Hamontree said.
In addition to a quieter atmosphere and couches to study on, Pogue also has laptops for checkout like Waterfield. Still, most students head into Waterfield to study.
According to the Library Statistics Reports, the number of students coming in and out of Waterfield has nearly doubled in the last four years, bringing the number from around 300,000 visitors per year to nearly 600,000 visitors.
While the number of students going to Pogue has increased steadily as well, it has been on a significantly smaller scale. According to the LSR, the number of visitors to Waterfield consistently nears 15 times the number of visitors who go to Pogue.
While Waterfield shot toward 600,000, Pogue grasped for 30,000 for the 2011-12 calendar year.
One of the resources available in Pogue is the Special Collections.
According to Pogue’s website, these collections contain county histories, published and printed regional information and items that are unique to Pogue.
University Archives contain official and unofficial records of the history of Murray State. According to Pogue’s website the archives “aim to support research, teaching and public awareness of the rich heritage of Murray State for students and researchers.”
Finally, the James O. Overby Law Library is housed in Pogue.
This library has basic legal materials such as codes, statutes, reports, citations and regulations.
For some students though, misconceptions and a lack of knowledge about the library steer them away from Pogue’s doors.
Corey Fisher, a sophomore from Memphis, Tenn., said he thought students had to hand over IDs at the door.
While there is a sign-in sheet, and students must show their IDs, they are not held at the desk. Hamontree said the sign-in sheet is so Pogue has a record of who came when because of the high quality of books housed there.
“We have books here that can never be replaced, like a Jesse Stewart Collection,” Hamontree said. “It has a collection of manuscripts from Jesse Stewart himself. It’s irreplaceable.”
Hamontree said books are almost never taken from the library.
Keeping a record is just a preventative measure.
“I’ve never had a reason to go to Pogue before,” Fisher said. “It never even crosses my mind to go there.”
Pogue Library is open Mondays and Fridays from 8:00 a.m.-4:30 p.m.
Story by Amanda Grau, Staff writer, and Rebecca Walter, News Editor