‘I love that about our library’: Lindell Library changes get noticed

As the first academic library in Minnesota to move to a “self-serve first” model, Augsburg’s Lindell Library is using technology to advance a people-centered goal: to be a place where every Auggie feels supported and at home. 

In October, library tech leader Bibliotheca profiled the recent changes at Lindell, which include retiring the circulation desk in favor of self-service access to library materials. Through “James” and “Jean,” the new self-checkout station and smart locker named for library benefactors James G. Lindell ’46 and Jean G. (Tigwell) Lindell, students can check out and return books, retrieve holds, and pick up interlibrary loan materials without needing staff support. As a result, library staff have more time for meaningful work with students and the Augsburg community.

Beyond James and Jean, Lindell also recently migrated its catalog to a new platform, refreshed its physical spaces with more color and new furniture, debuted a board game collection that students can borrow or play while inside the library, and developed the Talon Trail to help students discover and navigate library resources. 

Sara Fillbrandt, electronic resources and metadata librarian, said students have noticed the changes.

“We are seeing so many more students coming in and engaging with us and with our spaces, now that we’re not the place where you have to be quiet. Come in and talk and meet with your friends, and laugh, and do research for fun or for academics, or play a game, or work on the community puzzle.”

“[W]e are seeing so many more students coming in and engaging with us and with our spaces, now that we’re not the place where you have to be quiet,” she told Bibliotheca. “We do have a quiet floor on the library, but otherwise, come in and talk and meet with your friends, and laugh, and do research for fun or for academics, or play a game, or work on the community puzzle.

“We’ve got sensory-friendly areas in the library, now, along with our 10 study rooms on the third floor. We have meeting spaces and all of our IT folks have moved into the building, and we’re working on turning the library into the information center on campus. You can come in and ask somebody at the service desk if you need IT help. The research support desk is right there, too, so if you have a research question, a librarian is there. If students need academic advising, those folks are on the second floor of the library. Disability specialist offices are on the second floor, along with our TRIO support team, all in the same building.”

“You come to one spot and you get the help you need right there, and I love that about our library.”

Read more about Lindell Library from Bibliotheca or visit the library website.