Breaking Down the Knowledge Center: A resource guide for incoming freshman.

By Natalie Weckesser

Amanda Aragon sits on the fourth floor of the knowledge center in same carrel desk every Thursday. She peers out the window at the University of Nevada, Reno campus and studies for her finals.

“I really like studying in the library. I get way more done than I would in my room, and everything I need is there.”

Aragon is a freshman at the University of Nevada, Reno. She plans to participate in the nursing program.

“Nursing is a crazy competitive major, so I basically have to get a 4.0 to be eligible. That why I spend so much time at the knowledge center. I get my work done, and if I get stuck on something, or need help, there are always people around who can help.”

The Mathewson-IGT Knowledge Center, located on campus at the University of Nevada, Reno, is a huge resource available to all of the university’s students.

This library is home to thousands of books, all stored in a temperature and humidity controlled back room referred to as MARS or the “book robot.”

“One thing that is pretty cool, even though you can’t see it is the book robot… keeping things in the book robot still makes them available, but its not cluttering up the floor and desks,” said Erich Purpur, the GIS Librarian.

Purpur can be found sitting at the Research Help Desk, in the DeLaMare Library or at @One.

Also referred to as the KC, the Knowledge Center is not just a home for books. The KC is home to numerous resources such as @One (at one), the Research Help Desk, and the Special Collections department.

@One, named for its location on the bottom floor of the KC, is a hub for all media and technology.

When first walking into the neon sigh lit @One, you are met with sea of computers, the buzz of printers, and the @One Desk right in the middle.

“The main service desk is for poster printing, digital media and stuff like that,” said Purpur.

The printing services in @One are perfect for creating posters for presentations, making prints for an art project, or just making something cool to hang up.

Brian Turner, a student worker at the multimedia desk said the “sheer amount of resources” is his favorite part about @One.

“We have everything from camera and video camera check outs to Wi-Fi hot spots to free DVD rentals.”

The Multimedia desk has over 5000 different Video DVDs. There’s everything from the first season of Game of Throne to Juno to classics like Citizen Cane.

@One also offers technological support.

“There is always help down here. Most people don’t know, but we can help with everything from web campus password to just simple class projects, and how to use your programs,” said Turner.

Moving up, the second floor of the KC is home to the lobby, computers, printers, and the main help desk.

This floor also houses the Research Help Desk.

The Research Help Desk helps with everything from trouble finding a scholarly source, to citing sources and compiling a bibliography.

“It can be daunting to try and navigate the library’s resources, so don’t be afraid to ask. That’s why we are here, to help people with their research, classes and stuff like that,” said Purpur.

Moving on to the third floor of the KC, the Special Collections Department and University Archives are located just at the top of the stairs.

This department is home to many historical items available for students use.

Jessica Maddox is the librarian technician in the Special Collections department.

“We’re not scary,” Maddox said with a giggle. “We are here to be able to help people, we are here to provide answers, and if we can’t help you directly we are happy to point you in the right direction.”

Special Collections is home to many of the rare materials, and primary sources, that you wont find anywhere else in the library.

This department houses a Cuneiform tablet, a 3000-year-old script that contains one of the earliest known forms of writing.

In the words of Maddox, “you can’t beat 3000 years old.”

Not only are there rare items such as the Cuneiform Tablet, there are also many items that are more available to the general student body.

“I think its really amazing that we have over 250,000 photographs, and that’s something most people don’t realize. We have books that are special too, but the amount of information that you can find here, that you literally will not find anywhere else is really cool.”

The Special Collections department is the place to look into the rich history of Nevada, its people, and the surrounding states.

“We have the history of the University too, so even if you’re not interested in Nevada history, we have the history of UNR, how we started, and we have, I think, the coolest collection, the most unique collection.”

So no matter what it is you are looking for, there is help located in the University of Nevada’s Knowledge Center.