By Mariah Bennett | Assistant News Editor
Baylor is full of countless resources for students to get ahead on their writing, research and assignments. The university has several research libraries, institutes and centers. Moody Memorial Library and Jesse H. Jones Library — the main research complex and libraries on campus — provide over 3.5 million physical resources and over 1.3 million electronic resources to students.
As final paper deadlines quickly approach, Houston junior Sanjana Natarajan found that OneSearch, Baylor’s unified search platform for research resources, has been the best online resource she’s come across for students.
“The university libraries give me access to papers and books I can’t find online,” Natarajan said.
Moody and Jones also host the University Writing Center, which offers students free personal consulting in all areas of writing and composing at any stage of the writing process. The center offers multiple consultation options, including in-person tutoring, video consultations and written feedback.
Austin senior Cassandra Shin has worked as an undergraduate consultant for the Writing Center for one and a half years. She said she thinks the Writing Center is vital to students’ success due to its lack of judgment toward the quality of the work.
“We are solely here for the purpose of helping students with their writing and work to improve their skills holistically,” Shin said. “I think that this is what makes the Writing Center unique from other resources … We look at the student holistically and work with them to improve their skills, not their assignments.”
Sacramento, Calif., junior Josefine Green went to the Writing Center to have a group presentation looked over.
“I saw a really helpful girl named Justice,” Green said. “Her comments were really thorough, and I was very grateful I went.”
Students can check out more than books and research from Baylor’s libraries, specifically at the Helpdesk+ at Moody’s garden level. Natarajan said she believes it is an underused resource at Baylor.
“They have a lot of stuff you can rent out and borrow at Baylor,” Natarajan said.
Specifically, the Helpdesk+ provides technological support and allows students to check out equipment for audio/video production, 3D printing, and other maker services. These tools are provided in both the Media Lab and Maker Space.
Through these tools, Baylor libraries aim to accomplish a mission “that undergirds scholarship, fosters teaching and learning, and builds communities,” according to its webpage.
