The steady howling of wind could be heard even through the thick glass windows of the library building. The huge trees that surrounded the campus swayed their heavy branches wildly, as if trying to alert the students of the oncoming storm.
Despite this, the ambience in the library was nothing but cozy. Students doing their best to be productive in between classes. Above all, the librarian staff keep an eye on anyone that needs help.
One of the staff members at the ready is Sally Chuah, the chair librarian for the Luria Library. Chuah is in her final semester serving as the chair librarian, as her two-year term began in the spring 2021 semester. She takes her job very seriously, having a pretty important role at City College. As chair of the library, she is one of the most influential staff members for students and professors.
“There’s only so much one person can do,” Chuah said. “Among some of the things that we do is working with teachers to know what students need, making sure that they have print or online resources to support the students in their classes, and reaching out to students that are not aware of the resources that they have access to.”
@thechannelssbcc Introducing: Sally Chuah, the Library Chair of the Luria Library at City College! Filmed and Edited by Bailey Schroerlucke and Sunny Silverstein #thechannels #sbcc #vitalvaqueros
Chuah oversees all of these activities and more, and ensures that the staff working in the library are happy and doing their best to help the students and parents that need assistance.
“When the staff is happy and comfortable, they are able to help more enthusiastically and with a better understanding of what is needed,” Chuah said as she smiled to herself, looking out of the conference room to the library main room where dozens of students are completing assignments and studying.
Simple observers may just see the interactions between staff and students but the biggest part of the library system does not seem to be the studying or tutoring. The Luria Library prides itself on the intricate catalog system for the many resources and databases for research projects.
“There are so many benefits of the system that we have, one of them being the cost,” she said. “All the same community colleges close to the area use the system, ExLibris, which is nice because it helps all of us help each other if needed. Staff and students are able to ask questions that they have even from a different college in Ventura, for example, and are able to have it answered here.”
Through all and all, there are still some students that have no idea of how much help they are able to have with difficult class assignments.
“It is a lot easier to use the databases than just using Google as a search engine,” Chuah said, taking on a much more serious expression than before. “The students should know that we are here for them. All staff members have one goal in mind at the end of the day, to help students succeed in their journey here at City College.”
Chuah is definitely one of the most influential people that are on campus, still remembering some students that have come up to her after she assisted them. “The best experience is helping students and getting to know them,” she said. “It gives me gratification knowing that they come to me and seeing them move on to help themselves.”
The smile on Chuah’s face is so wide it stretches from one side of her face to the other, seemingly lighting up the room. A big contrast to the rain starting to fall outside in the main lawn.
