Welcome students! Come on up to the top of the Gateway at Truax and explore your ultra-hip, brand new library! Stop in for a visit, take a look around, and discover why the library and library commons areas are THE place to be on campus. We’re the go-to place for everything you need to help you succeed on your educational journey. This is your one-stop destination for studying, research, reference help, meeting up with friends and classmates, working on group projects, and finding awesome resources for class assignments and leisure time.

Not a student at Truax, but at one of our regional or branch campuses? No worries! You’ll find new libraries and awesome spaces at Fort Atkinson, Portage, Reedsburg, and Watertown as well. These libraries are beautiful, newly equipped and furnished, and feature all sorts of resources. Highlights include cloud computers, PrintSmart printing, and “green” librarians, to name a few. Not sure what that means? Read on.

Cloud computers can be found all over campus, including the libraries. Cloud computers, if you aren’t familiar with them, are pretty awesome. Let me describe how they work. Picture a computer lab with all of the towers moved to the center of the room. OK, now transform that huge pile of computer towers into one large super computer. Now put that super computer in the Technology Services back room, and there you have it! A cloud computer looks like a regular computer monitor without a tower. It allows for greater flexibility, accessibility, security, and ease of updating.  For more help, check out the student computer help desk located in your library.

While you’re in the library, you can familiarize yourself with Madison College’s new PrintSmart initiative. Reducing the amount of paper is an important part of the College’s ongoing efforts to have a more environmentally friendly and greener campus. Also, as a not-for-profit, taxpayer-supported institution, the College is committed to recovering costs wherever possible.  That’s where PrintSmart comes in. Each semester, students will receive 100 free black-and white prints, plus an additional 50 pages to allow for problem prints. After that, printing costs just a nickel per page. Check out the library’s home page and click on the PrintSmart icon for more information on how your College is going green.
Speaking of green, all of your librarians and library student help staff will be wearing green lanyards so you can identify us more easily. If you see someone in a stylish green lanyard, feel free to ask for help. That’s why we’re here.

There has never been a better time to be a student at Madison College! This semester you’ll find your campus libraries looking better than ever and offering all sorts of new, greener features and services to help you succeed with your educational goals. See you in the library!