Gateway partners with Kenton Co Public Library
Gateway Community & Technical College and Kenton County Public Library announced today a memorandum of agreement establishing an educational partnership which will benefit Gateway students, faculty and staff, and allow both entities to better serve the community.
Susan Mospens, Kenton County Public Library board chair and Dr. G. Edward Hughes, Gateway Community & Technical College president/CEO, signed a memorandum of agreement that provides Kenton County Public Library resources which will enhance academic support and increase opportunity for student success.
This agreement with Kenton County libraries will make it very convenient for students, faculty and staff to access resources they need, when they need them, said Dr. Ed Hughes. We are always pleased when we can join with our community partners to provide a better educational experience for our students at no additional cost.
Both the Kenton County Public Library and Gateway share a common mission to enhance the quality of life and community in Northern Kentucky through access to information and education, said Susan Mospens. We are proud to formalize this shared mission by signing an agreement that aligns our purpose, resources, and mutual commitment to the citizens of Northern Kentucky.
Students, faculty and staff will have access to all resources at the libraries in Covington, Erlanger and Independence by obtaining a Kenton County library card, even if they are not Kenton County residents.
This is a wonderful example of two government agencies cooperating to reduce costs and duplication of services, said Kenton County Public Library Executive Director Dave Schroeder. For more than a century, the Kenton County Public Library has been providing residents access to information. This is another step forward in our evolution of meeting the needs of our diverse community including our partners at Gateway Technical and Community College.
The many mutual benefits of this partnership include
- Collaboration by Gateway and Kenton County library staff in providing use of library resource and database instruction to students and staff
- Access to a large collection of databases at Kenton County libraries
- Teacher cards, allowing Gateway faculty to check out larger quantities of resources to use for instruction
- Reserve shelves at Kenton County libraries where Gateway faculty may hold resources for students to access
- Collection of library usage data to better serve the community needs
- Shared facility space for programming, instruction and meetings
- Gateway internships at Kenton County libraries
Partnerships between academic and public libraries are rare and we are fortunate to have one of the best public libraries in the Commonwealth located directly across the street from our Urban campus. Our goal is to provide students with the resources they need now and in the future. We encourage our students to become lifelong learners and library patronage doesnt end with graduation, said Denise Fritsch, Gateway director of library and information services.
