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Nutmegdog1959 t1_jcj417j wrote

Another missed opportunity to continue post-secondary education in VT.

The VT State Colleges should have taken over this property and combined it with the lame CCV. VSC could have offered 2 and 4 year degrees in addition to non-degree training programs. VT needs post secondary education that is AFFORDABLE.

That makes 4 or 5 VT colleges that have closed in the last few years. Marlboro College, College of St Josephs, Green Mountain College, Southern Vt College, VT College of Fine Arts is now virtual only, no on campus classes, so it might as well be closed.

The VSC or whatever it's being called now has announced it's closing it's library until someone explained to them that colleges usually have libraries.

VT used to be a destination for college students. Unfortunately, the VSC and UVM have received so little support from the VT Legislature they are both some of the most expensive community colleges, state colleges and universities in the country.

These campuses could have been used for learning institutions, business incubators for entrepreneurship, and affordable housing for communities or seniors.

Goddam shame how VT could manage to screw up something so simple.

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arlowner t1_jcjubyv wrote

The Vermont Library Association has been explaining to all of them, in various ways, over the last three months that colleges/students/everybody needs libraries and they are blindly believing they can more affordability offer library materials through contract services available online. No physical books for our students- they are too archaic! ( that’s an attempt at sarcasm btw). Imho this is not forward thinking though because contracts for library materials are very expensive and get more expensive as you grow and want more access to materials. Not to mention- if you don’t have library staff- who will help navigate this very clunky databases? It’s very shortsighted on the side of those in charge.

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PsychologicalEar0 t1_jckhtvr wrote

i live in vt and i went to college in vt and i have never used a library even on campus for anything other than their printers so i believe this statement is wrong. rather than funding libraries, why cant we use online literature databases?

its not like you can check out your college textbooks and highschools give books to their students.

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arlowner t1_jcklq6r wrote

What did you get your degree in?

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PsychologicalEar0 t1_jckp4yf wrote

engineering

i believe there are digital libraries where all documents/books could be available to the public (and more than possible in person) for cheaper and easier public access, am i wrong?

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Nutmegdog1959 t1_jckxsbj wrote

Engineering? Really?

Are all engineering publications FREE online? How about engineering software, also FREE?

You are incredibly naive about education to think that everything online is free and no licenses are required.

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KITTYONFYRE t1_jclt086 wrote

none of my comp sci physical books were free, either

thank god for LibGen tho lol

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PsychologicalEar0 t1_jclbw6j wrote

lmao i had to buy my books f9r class i said i didnt use the library once they dont s5ock engineering books

i didnt once say free i said a pay service

if u think kibraries have engineering siftware u r crazy and actusly engineering sweets r free for personal use and or inckuded in tuition

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arlowner t1_jcl5hfm wrote

Yeah, you are wrong. I suggest you call a real librarian, maybe at the state or uvm, and ask them how much a contract is for a year for an average library database - examples jstore or Lexus nexus. In my knowledge they can range from 1,000 to 100000 annually. Then ask them how much is available for journal archives in the subscription contract. Because sometimes that costs more. Then ask them how many databases they have for a comprehensive digital collection.
A few years ago I heard a statistic- something like only 25% of the world’s information is available online. That’s a small world if your limiting yourself to just that. Oh and do you want to talk about lack of reliable internet services, especially here in Vermont? Libraries are great for their printers but behind the scenes they do more than you can even image. Go visit one sometime. Librarians love to show them off.

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PsychologicalEar0 t1_jcld4mw wrote

i got cable from dsl this year so they r working on it

those numbers you gave me for a digital library r cheeper than the cost to maintain the states libraries

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bonanzapineapple t1_jcmy6y1 wrote

Not everyone in VT has reliable internet access. You'd be surprised how much literature has not been digitized.

If it matters, I graduated from college in 2021 (tho not in VT)

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Cobdain t1_jcmlh9p wrote

Power is out, I want to read a book… oh shit forgot all books are better suited to be online only now. 😄 I do understand what you are saying though. Issue is you are one person with one opinion, lots of people appreciate libraries! Also the books are already paid for, they aren’t going to make much IF any money selling them. It’s stupid, and dangerous to dispose of books.

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PsychologicalEar0 t1_jcmsrof wrote

thats not even what i mean obviously if u have no libraries u will still have entertainment books. power goes out alot at my mountain house and i keep gameboys. im not saying books r bad what im saying is library infrustructure is expensive and rarely used. i havent been to a library in like 10 years.

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vexing_witchqueen t1_jcmcmue wrote

I don’t know, I got a physics degree and I used the library constantly. Maybe engineering is a basic degree that you can get in exchange for some homework problems, but most majors involve research and a physical library is essential for that

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PsychologicalEar0 t1_jcnf0zo wrote

lmao u r something

you are right, no one with a physics degree has ever graduated without using a physical library

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PsychologicalEar0 t1_jcner54 wrote

lmao well arnt you pretentious.

i bet noone has ever gotten a physics degree without going into a library my bad

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mountainofclay t1_jcmao7i wrote

I’d have to agree. Back in my New Jersey high school days all the cool kids wanted to go to Goddard. We know where that ended up.

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Nutmegdog1959 t1_jcmfmvp wrote

In any given year there are about 30,000 college students attending classes in VT. 35,000 if you count CCV. But almost all CCV are in-state.

Out of the 30k about 10k are VT residents. That leaves 20,000 college students traveling to VT for college. If ONLY 1% of them stayed, that would be 200 new young people moving to VT annually.

And if 5% stayed, that would be an additional 1,000 college educated young people moving to VT every year.

That is the best opportunity VT has to grow. And what do we do? We charge the highest tuition, have the most expensive housing for students. Hit them with godawful fees and do almost everything possible to drive them out.

I've spoken with countless students, and after four years of being treated like an ATM on two feet, they've had enough. They happily admit they will come back to visit regularly, but they don't want to live here.

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mountainofclay t1_jcmzpwu wrote

Yeah! give those kids a break! As they drive daddy’s beemer over to Stowe to ski and drive up rental prices for the poor locals.

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Necessary_Cat_4801 t1_jcvbvac wrote

seriously. Drive around student housing at UVM and its BMWs with New Jersey plates. If any VT tax money is going to a school that is Functionally a state university of NJ and MA, VT should take those kid's parents for all they're worth.

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