Bird's Eye View December 2025
A Newsletter from the Grace Van Dyke Bird Library
As the semester draws to a close, your dedicated Library team is delighted to share an update on our activities and accomplishments. In this semester’s issue, you will find:
Fresh Faces at the Library
We’ve got some new librarians who are eager to serve BC students on all of our campuses. Stop by and say hello to them next time you’re in the library!
Elijah (Eli) Enos ~ Adjunct Reference Librarian
Eli Enos is an adjunct librarian who can be found most often at Bakersfield College's
Southwest campus. Having moved from Sacramento to Bakersfield after beginning his
career at the Sacramento Public Library, Eli previously worked at CSUB for four years
as a Reference, Instruction, and Outreach Librarian. In his spare time, he volunteers
at the Kern County Museum, attends local movie theaters and enjoys listening to classical
and rock music.
Lyric Nicolini ~ Adjunct Reference Librarian
Lyric (they/them) is a Reference Librarian at BC's Southwest Campus. Lyric graduated
with their B.A. in English Literature from Northwest University and their M.S. in
Information Studies and Library Science from the University of Texas at Austin. Their
professional experience ranges from being a Children's Librarian in rural Texas to
working in public schools as a teacher and librarian. When they aren't staffing the
reference desk, Lyric can be found hanging out with their service dog at coffee shops
around town working on their next novel.
Christopher Chrobak ~ Adjunct Reference Librarian
Christopher Chrobak joins Bakersfield College as an Adjunct Reference Librarian in
fall 2025. Originally from Michigan, he moved to Bakersfield in 2014 and holds a double
major in Creative Writing/Literature and Philosophy, with a minor in Polish Language,
Literature, and Culture from the University of Michigan. He earned an M.A. in English
from CSU Bakersfield in 2020 and completed his Master of Library and Information Science
at San José State University in 2025. In addition to his library work, he teaches
English composition and literature at both CSUB and BC. He is passionate about critical
thinking, information literacy and supporting students as they navigate research and
academic writing. Outside of work, he is a multi-instrumental musician and an avid
fan of literature and film, especially the Criterion Collection.
Rural Campus Spotlights
Find out this semester’s happenings at our rural campuses.
Delano
The Delano Library’s newest program, Chess in the Library, kicked off in September and is quickly becoming a popular spot for the campus community, attended by students, staff and faculty alike. We meet once a week to play, learn and enjoy this classic game of strategy. All skill levels are welcome so that beginners can learn the basics and experienced players can find worthy opponents. We also have mini-lessons and puzzles. Can’t make the weekly meeting? No problem! Chess boards are always set up in the library, ready for anyone who wants to drop by and play anytime.
Shafter Library & Learning Center
As part of ongoing efforts to ensure the library reflects the vibrant community it serves, the Shafter Library and Learning Center is adding new books to the collection, generously funded by the Friends of the Shafter Library!
In June 2025, reference librarian and Shafter Library liaison Ariel Dyer attended the American Library Association’s annual conference in Philadelphia. There, she met several unique book vendors: ¡Chau, Luna!, a Spanish children’s book vendor, and Dyslexic Books, a company that prints books for children in a dyslexic-friendly font.
In ordering titles from Dyslexic Books, Dyer prioritized books geared towards third-grade boys. Of those who are diagnosed with dyslexia, 60% are male, and an estimated 70-80% of those with limited reading proficiency have dyslexia. Dyslexia is commonly diagnosed in elementary school, and a lack of third-grade reading proficiency has a strong correlation to failing to graduate high school. The addition of these books is a small step to making the Shafter Library more welcoming and inclusive to readers with dyslexia.
Additionally, after adding picture and board books with Braille tape last spring, the library now proudly has available for checkout 10 fully Braille chapter books due to a patron request.
Visit the Shafter Library soon and explore all the possibilities we have to offer!
Arvin
This fall, Arvin Educational Center and the James C. Young Library hosted two open
mic events, titled “The Story of Arvin.” Students and community members shared stories,
poems, artwork and music. The goal of the effort, spearheaded by English faculty Alex
Avila, is to create a community-centered series that will ultimately culminate in
an art gallery featuring interactive digital stories, a published book highlighting
student and community work and a short documentary capturing the voices and lived
stories of Arvin.
Librarian Spotlight
Joey Merritt Presents at Open Ed Conference
Joey attended the Open Ed Conference at the end of October. Open Ed is an annual conference
for educators to learn more about Open Education. Open Ed leans heavily into OER resources
and all the resources and services that are out there to support faculty in their
courses. Joey presented with speakers from ISKME, one of the leading global supporters
of OER and CAST, the primary company supporting accessible learning environments.
Their presentation, What’s Worth the Time? Adapting Sections of OER to include UDL,
highlighted how Universal Design for Learning (UDL) intersects with accessibility
and OER to create better learning opportunities for students.
2025 Media Literacy Event: Table Talk
The library successfully hosted "Table Talk: Navigating Misinformation During the Holidays," an engaging and timely event focused on helping attendees recognize and communicate about tough topics during the holiday season.
We had an excellent panel: Helen Acosta from Communication, Lisa Harding from Nursing, BC mental health clinicians, LMFT’s Rubi Haro and David Seymour, BCSGA students, Lisa Brown and Erin Griepsma, Librarian Faith Bradham, and Librarian Laura Luiz as the host.
The program drew a great response from the BC community, with students and staff attending the panel discussion. The discussion focused on practical strategies for verifying claims, boundary-setting tips, and strategies when addressing challenging conversations with family and friends.
Your Library in Action: 2024-2025 Statistics
The library had a very busy 24-25 school year! Look below for some notable highlights.
Reference
Faculty librarians answered 8,230 questions from students.
Instruction
Library research skills workshops: We taught 70 research skills workshops to 1,247 students, marking a significant 51% increase in attendance from the previous year (23-24).
Library courses: Librarians successfully taught 5 sections of LIBR B1 and multiple cohorts for two non-credit certificate programs: Emerging Media Literacy (3 courses) and Academic Research Skills (2 courses).
Library Orientations: Library orientations were customized and delivered 232 times (a 13% increase) across all 4 campuses to 4,868 students (a 9% increase) across 16 different disciplines, with English courses accounting for 47% of all sessions.
Group study rooms
1,986 students reserved study rooms 4,187 times, a 47% increase from 23-24. On average, each study room was checked out 8 times per week (14 times per week at Panorama).
Physical book circulation
We had 5,626* book checkouts: a little over half were reserve textbooks. Reserve textbook checkouts increased by 28% from 23-24.
*A 13% increase overall from 23-24
