Virtual education has exposed a gap between class struggles and education.

The Luria Library at City College is providing students with Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hotspots, so there will be some relief from the many obstacles students have to worry about while navigating this new online terrain.. 

For a multitude of students, having access to a working computer or a stable internet connection is a struggle which became more evident once the campus closed and cut off their access to the many labs and resources that had helped them complete their schoolwork.  

“We want to make sure students are able to have access to resources when they need it,” said Kenley Neufeld, a faculty librarian at the Luria Library. 

In addition to providing Chromebooks and Wi-Fi hotspots, Neufeld said that there is also a “curbside pickup” service for books from the library’s reserve. Students can select and request the book on OneSearch, and pick-up the books from the back of the library. They are also able to mail books to students outside of the country.

Along with the curbside pickup service, the library also has a Live Chat service, where students can go with any questions and concerns, in an effort to continue 

The library has always been a resource for students who needed assistance navigating the City College campus or finding a specific campus resource.

Neufeld and the rest of the library faculty are doing their best to continue being a hub for all things City College related in this new virtual space. They are available to answer any questions during the library’s working hours.

They are also providing Library Tutorials and Get Help pages on a range of topics.

In a new service, students are able to make an appointment with a staff librarian on Zoom and be assisted with any questions they may have for their classes. 

Students visiting the library’s new curbside check-out will ring the back doorbell and hear a “Fur Elise” jingle before being greeted by Kip Evert-Burks, a member of the library’s faculty for 19 years, behind a cart full of hand sanitizer, cleaning wipes, masks, and gloves. 

Evert-Burks said it was nice for him to have a bit of interaction with students, and that admittedly, his colleagues are a little jealous that he is able to do so. 

He said to keep students and staff safe, materials that are checked back in are cleaned and placed in a sort-of “quarantine” for up to a week before being sanitized and prepared to be checked out again. 

Neufeld said that a lot of the library’s purchases this year are going towards e-books instead of physical copy textbooks.

Neufeld encouraged students, “Visit the website, chat with us, make an appointment. We are here to help and want to take care of you.”