The PSC Library is open M-F 8am-4:30pm and will be closed from December 22 through January 2 for the Winter break. You may contact us at library@prairiestate.edu.
Library services are popular on campus. According to Thane Montaner, “around 44% of all active PSC people (students, faculty, and staff) have logged in to use library e-resources in the past year.” In October 2025 alone, there were 7,208 searches on the library’s website. Our circulation desk checked out 2,225 physical items just to the campus community so far this year. (This doesn’t include interlibrary loans.) Our reference desk had 2,960 reference interactions running the gamut from in-depth research help, to tech troubleshooting, printing, and asking for directions. This year, the library hosted 6 Lunch ‘n’ Learns, with a total of 128 guests. In our 5 other programs we had 250 guests, and this doesn’t include Finals Fest, which hasn’t happened yet. Finally, the library had 7,454 patrons so far this year. Thank you for making good use of the library and stay curious PSC.
The PSC Foundation gave us a Spark Grant to spend on board games for events. Join us to unbox the games and play them! Unbox, and unwind with us on Wednesday, December 3rd from 11:00 AM - 2:00 PM in the library classroom. Bring your own lunch and snacks.
Finals Fest returns to the library for the week of finals. From Monday, December 8th - Thursday, December 11th we will have beverages to keep you going. This event is free and the coffee will flow until you turn in your last final.
Did you know that 1 in 10 people will have a seizure at some point in their lifetime? Please bring your lunch to the library to join the Epilepsy Foundation of Greater Chicago in a Seizure First Aid training session. We will learn about how to recognize different types of seizures, seizure first aid, and ways to support students living with epilepsy. This lunch ‘n’ learn will take place on Wednesday, January 21st from 12:00 - 1:00 PM in the library classroom. This event is free, open to all, and classes are welcome.
Did you know that 851 students in 64 classes had a library session in 2025?
The library has teaching faculty to guide our students through college level research. We have long-standing relationships with several departments and love having your classes visit. However, we can work with classes outside of English, Health Sciences, and Communications.
The library has a ton of resources you might not be aware of. Did you know that we have an archive dedicated to the history of the college, and surrounding area? Recently a history class worked with Archivist Alex Altan on their research projects. For more information on the archive, contact Alex Altan, at (708) 709-3553 or aaltan@prairiestate.edu.
We have subscriptions to the Chicago Tribune, historic newspapers, and magazines. We have resources for business, and histories of social movements. There are even a couple of databases for car repairs, one called Auto Repair Source. The point is- if you have any sort of assigned research project, we want to set up a session with your class.
To request a library session, email Professor Anderson at danderson38@prairiestate.edu with at least two week’s notice so we have time to prepare a session just for you.
Cataloging Librarian, CJ Raich has been ensuring our DVD collection is as accessible as possible for students with disabilities. While most professors use online videos for classes, it’s important to note that we don’t have access to everything online. Sometimes the best option is a DVD, and like all class materials, these also need to be accessible.
To ensure this, he is going through each one to find which have accessibility features and which do not. These include closed captioning and subtitles for those who are hard of hearing or have audio processing issues, and descriptive audio for those who might have visual impairments. Throughout this process, he also learned that many DVDs advertised as accessible are not and vice versa. The end goal is to have a list of accessible DVDs for professors to access and use as part of course materials. This list will have the title, release year, accessibility features (and the languages they cover), and spoken languages listed.
In parallel he’s weeding out DVDs with dated information, or that haven’t been checked out in the recent past. This is a common practice, and one we’ve been doing elsewhere in the library to keep our items relevant. This makes room for more relevant content that you and your students will actually use. Library shelves only have so much space. Bodies of knowledge are always growing, and so weeding old items makes space for newer ones.
On a related note, we moved our old school tube television with a DVD player into the main library. It is available for anyone wanting to play a DVD, but lacking the equipment. There is no checkout for this and headphones are available at the front and reference desks.
By Valerie Moore, Outreach and Engagement Librarian, Professor
Adult Education and the Library just wrapped up a semester-long project involving silent reading time in their class. When I was a grade schooler, this was called DEAR, an acronym for Drop Everything And Read. Professor Willows and I collaborated to create a more adult version of this reading program for her students. This was a group effort and would not have been possible without the contributions of Dawn Sterning, CJ Raich, and Thane Montaner.
The first step was to create a bespoke cart of about 100 books just for the Adult Education classes. The titles needed to have a vocabulary and reading level accessible for Adult Education students while still incorporating high interest themes for an adult audience. We wanted a variety of titles and genres, so that students would have the freedom to explore and take chances. Survey results indicate that they did take chances. We also know from anonymized sheets that students picked up the same titles over and over, progressing through books. 100% of those who filled out the exit survey said that there were enough titles to explore.
To avoid taking 100 titles out of circulation for a full semester, Thane ordered additional copies, and CJ coded them in our system. They were dropped off in the ATOC and Professor Willows incorporated the reading time into her class. It got immediate positive feedback, with students asking for more time, and bringing in their own books. Professor Willows also reinforced that they could read ebooks, listen to audiobooks, or read print books. It’s all reading.
Finally, to ensure these students have continued access to the library’s collection, Dawn Sterning got them a community library card. I finished off the class with a tour of the library, and time to browse. Many checked out books, and I showed them how to look up titles on the library’s website.
The goal of this project is for students to gain reading agency. We defined "reading agency" as students being able to direct their own reading, selecting titles and subject matter that speaks to their lived experiences and interests. We also wanted them to become more comfortable reading with more practice. To be successful college students, they will need to be comfortable reading many texts on diverse topics. College students read to learn. How they read is up to them, and we wanted to give them practice reading in different formats if they desire so they’ll be ready when they return to us post GED.
There’s one commonality among all the holidays coming up in the next few weeks, and that’s sharing food with friends and family. Food nourishes, bonds us to one another, shares cultural values, and just tastes good. From the library to you, we present a delicious selection of cookbooks and books on food culture. Bon appétit!
 Honey, Olives, Octopus: Adventures at the Greek TableChristopher Bakken, Mollie Katzen |
 Books That Cook The Making of a Literary MealJennifer Cognard-Black, Melissa A. Goldthwaite |
 Food on the PageMegan J. Elias |
 In a French KitchenSusan Herrmann Loomis |
 Early Jewish CookbooksAndrás Koerner, Barbara Kirshenblatt-Gimblett |
 Manly Meals and Mom's Home CookingJessamyn Neuhaus |
 A History of CookbooksHenry Notaker |
 The Saltwater TableWhitney Otawka, Emily Dorio |
Lastly, the library is here for you; reach out with any questions at Ask a Librarian!
