In a new joint initiative sponsored by the Student Government Association and the Ralph Brown Draughn Library, students studying for post-graduate admission tests may check out test preparation books for three-hour use in the library, free of charge. The books will cover tests for the MCAT, LSAT, PCAT, GMAT, DAT and GRE.
“These books are super expensive, and on top of all the other expenses to be here, buying these books just simply isn’t within some students’ realms of possibilities, honestly,” said MB Smith, SGA assistant vice president of academic affairs.
The initiative is part of an ongoing plan set by former SGA President Jacqueline Keck and former Assistant Vice President of Academic Affairs Griffin Osborne in the latter part of spring 2017 to add test preparation books to the Textbook Reserve Project.
For the upcoming year, SGA ordered nine books, one book for each test excluding the MCAT, GMAT and GRE, which will each have two, due to the tests’ more ubiquitous demands. According to Smith, the books cost a raw total of $772.12, with SGA paying $506.67 and the library paying $265.45.
Smith is working on a resolution so that in the subsequent years, SGA will pay a certain amount of money to purchase new books to ensure the books remain up to date and the initiative can continue to aid future students as well.
“If you test poorly, or you just didn’t prepare, but you have a great GPA, and you have great involvement, and you’re a really hard worker, it’s going to hurt you when it shouldn’t,” Smith said. “So, I think it’s really important that Auburn provides these materials for our students because when some of us succeed, we all succeed.”
The library's Head of Circulation and Reserves Anthony Pendleton said the demand for test preparation books has always existed. However, older versions primarily composed the reserves, leaving students in need of new material and information due to the tests’ yearly modifications. With the new initiative, he hopes students will view the library as a better resource and place of interaction across the board.
“There’s a lot the library has to offer, and the more folks come over, and the more we interact, we can highlight some resources with the staff, the librarians and the dean that are here,” Pendleton said. “We’re here for students’ success, success for Auburn in general, but there’s a lot that we have, and a lot of things that we have are driven by students.”
The library and SGA have worked hand in hand on many projects for student performance in the past, including the Textbook Reserve Project and the Up All Night initiative formed for finals week. Dining, seating and use of space within the library have also been student-driven through SGA’s coordination with the library.
“I think SGA is invaluable in just being that conduit for the students, just telling us what they need to succeed because sometimes we don’t see it right here at the ground-level,” said Jayson Hill, director of communications and marketing for RBD.
According to Pendleton, the books are expected to arrive sometime in November and will be ready for student use by spring 2019, potentially earlier. Students only need their student IDs and to go to the circulation desk located on the first floor to check out the books with the yearly addition of updated versions. Books over two years old will go onto the library’s standard shelves to be checked out as regular books for use longer than three hours.
Smith said SGA will remain vigilant in gaining student feedback on the books’ use and accessibility, so they can better serve the student body.
“It can definitely seem like the end of the world when you’re working on a grade for class right now, but really what’s important is not necessarily what happens within your four years, but what happens after it,” Smith said. “This is so important because obviously it could make a huge impact on your future career.”
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