Library name honors longtime professor
The original part of the library, the upper level of which now serves as the Instructional Technology Center, consists of about 18,000 square feet and was completed in 1960, at which time the building was named Link in honor of Professor J. T. Link, longtime professor at Concordia.
An addition to the building was completed in 1981, expanding the square footage to 55,000, the collection capacity to about 250,000 volumes, and seating for 400 students and faculty. Found on the main level are reference and periodical collection areas as well as microform services and electronic access to a variety of databases through both CD-ROM and online means.
The upper level houses the nonprint and curriculum collections, plus the Renata Koschmann Children's Collection, and has available several individual and group study/conference rooms for use by students and faculty.
The general book collection occupies the major portion of the lower level, with much of the remaining space allocated on a temporary basis to the college archives, the Bartels Museum and Academic Support Services.
Link's collection totals about 232,000 volumes, of which 166,000 are books, 27,000 bound and unbound periodical/journal materials, 20,000 nonprint, multimedia items, and 19,000 vertical-file materials. In addition to the listed periodical/journal back-file materials, the library subscribes to about 550 current periodical and journal titles, and a dozen newspapers from major metropolitan areas.
Seven OPAC terminals and a number of personal computers provide electronic access to the collection within the library, while similar access is available to students and faculty anywhere on campus from a variety of sources, including PCs within dormitory rooms.
For materials not found within the Link collection, access is available via Internet to a database containing in excess of 35 million records on books and journal materials. Delivery of book materials is via surface mail while periodical/journal articles generally travel to and from the campus via fax or Ariel software, with the latter used for transmission over the Internet to a recipient's laser printer.