Issue link: https://www.e-digitaleditions.com/i/119308
different Libraries strive to connect with international students Kasun Fritti arrived at Central Michigan University as a new student in a new country. He is here from the Democratic Republic of the Congo to finish his international business studies. ���The library has become one of my main assets,��� Fritti says. ���I usually come every day to study and do homework. Some of the books I borrowed also helped me in research.��� The number of international students attending CMU has increased by 10 percent within the last five years. They are coming from across the globe for reasons such as CMU���s learning atmosphere and its outstanding programs. Rebecca Pearce of Australia says she chose Central because it ���offers a great outdoor recreation program with a wide range of courses.��� With an increasing number of international students new to the university, Park Library provides an ideal study environment, writing resources, access to newspapers worldwide and friendly librarians and staff to ease students adjusting to a new environment. Studying human resource administration, Peiran Li of China says one of the Park Library resources she uses most is the Writing Center. ���The Writing Center is very useful,��� she says. ���I often need to write papers or essays, and the Writing Center is such a helpful place where they give me suggestions about my writing.��� Tour takes students closer to home At the beginning of each semester, new international students are taken on a library tour. ���It is important for international students to tour the library because it is the main source of information for students,��� says Victor Finch, director of international graduate student services. ���They have access to computers where they can Skype with their families, and they have the facilities for a good study environment.��� Aparna Zambare is one librarian who can relate to the transition new international students face. She originally is from India and began working at CMU in 2001. ���Some time back, I was just like you getting the library tour when I first arrived on campus,��� Zambare says as she leads students on a library tour. ���It seems like a lot right now, but it all will come together for you.��� She says leading a library tour is among her favorite interactions with international students. ���At the end of the tour I take them to a media tech classroom and have them click on the ABYZ user link,��� Zambare says. ���I then tell them to click on their country, and then they can read newspapers from their countries and stay in touch with home. Their faces light up.��� Increasing the number of international students is important for the CMU student population, according to Finch. ���International students bring diversity, including different backgrounds and different cultures, to domestic students here on campus,��� he says. Through it all, the Libraries continue striving to meet the needs of this important and growing university population. �� ���It is a good place to study, and people are very friendly,��� Fritti says. ���I like the work area in the library, usually on the third floor. I will sit and study and do my work better than I would in other places.��� Left top: Democratic Republic of Congo student Kasun Fritti. Left bottom: China student Peiran Li. Right: International student library tour. 9