by Stephen Stelmak
Staff Writer
One may expect to find nothing but musty books and dark corners at the University of Houston's M.D. Anderson Library, so students may be intimidated by the computers and other research materials that take up the building's first floor.
The library contains a massive amount of research data, but finding out how to use that data can be a problem for some.
Starting in the Fall 1995 semester, the library opened up a program designed to help people unsure of how to use the library.
"The classes have been growing each year," said Gretchen McCord Hoffman, coordinator of library instruction. The free classes are open to the public.
Since the library's catalog and research computers can be particularly intimidating, two classes are given specifically for finding information on the Internet.
There is an introductory information-finding class for those new to the World Wide Web. This semester, the library added an additional workshop for people already familiar with the Web.
Classes for general library use are also offered. Like the Web classes, the library provides both advanced and beginning general-information courses.
The workshops are open to the general public, so even non-UH students can attend.
The classes normally have about six to 15 people, Hoffman said. "When the groups are small, we can let the people get hands-on training on the computers. We like to have smaller groups."
In the future the library hopes to add more advanced research classes dealing with the library database network.
Those wishing to attend a class don't need to sign up - walk-ins are welcome. To find out when classes are scheduled, stop by the library reference desk or link to info.lib.uh.edu/local/classes.htm for a full schedule.