Tomsk State University: The Pre-courses Department visited the Research Library

The visitors were met right at the entrance and acquainted with the rules of the library: where to leave their outerwear, and how to get a reader card. And just as important – the way to the library.

The guides – Vyacheslav Schubert, head of the RL Educational Center, and Le Thi Phuong Mai, a volunteer for the International Resource Center and a student at TSU Higher School of Journalism – showed the students the reading rooms and other locations, introduced them to the library’s resources and services. The visitors learned about booking rooms for study and project work, and about speaking clubs, exhibitions, and the unique Book Museum.

The future university students came to Tomsk from various countries – China, Turkey, Egypt, Lebanon, Pakistan, Afghanistan, Vietnam, Mongolia, France, India, Jordan, Zambia, Zimbabwe, Yemen, Nigeria, and Singapore. Therefore, the excursion was held for three groups in three different languages: in English, in Vietnamese, and in Chinese. Vitaly Glinkin, a senior lecturer at the Faculty of History and Political Studies, interpreted for the third group.

After the excursion, the students were asked to answer some questions online and share their impressions.

“We would like to thank the Research Library staff for organizing such an interesting and informative excursion. Many students liked the combination of modern and classic styles, the thought-out and well-organized library space. They especially liked the old building’s architecture, the new building’s frescoes on the walls, Information Center 24/7, and the German reading room,” – said Lyudmila Dubtsova, an education and methodology specialist at the Pre-courses Department, “The students also noted a comfortable space, a wide range of resources, Internet access, and laptop loan service.”
The visitors were impressed by the opportunity to participate in different events but noted that it is also important to have spaces to study and work in silence.

Some expected the library to have a Spanish reading room, others a separate space with books in Chinese and huge wooden bookshelves. Still, we are sure that it will not prevent future university students from successful studies both in the library and with remote access to its resources.