COCC Bend and Redmond campus libraries to host “News You, News Informed You” event

In honor of free news sources and the benefits of being a student when accessing online news, the Central Oregon Community College Bend and Redmond campuses will be hosting a “News You, News Informed You,” event on Feb. 5-6. The event will be happening to help students access free subscriptions to the Wall Street Journal and New York Times with their student accounts, as well as a talk from the librarian and free swag and giveaways.

The Broadside spoke with Kirsten Hostetler, the librarian at the Bend campus Barber Library, regarding the event, which is in its second consecutive year at the Bend campus, and its first year being hosted at the Redmond campus in addition. Hostetler stated that COCC pays for student subscriptions, so it’s a useful opportunity for students to learn how to access them for free.

“I think it’s very important we pay for journalism, I think that’s essential to pay for. I think it’s essential, right? That we pay people for the content they create, but your tuition does that, right? Your tuition is paying that subscription so that you don’t have to pay additional out-of -pocket costs to access those resources,” said Hostetler.

The events at both campuses will take place from 10 a.m. to 6 p.m. on both days, so students can drop in at their leisure. There will also be snacks and giveaways for news-related swag at both locations.

According to Hostetler, this is the first year that the COCC Redmond campus has a librarian in their library space.

“Having someone there with the know how [and] access to the Bend campus and all of that kind of stuff. It’s been a really essential service to you know, and not just the Redmond students but as a more accessible middle ground for students in Madras in Prineville,” she said.

“I’m always excited to share library resources with students and faculty, and to bring greater awareness of what services the COCC library system provides,” said Jared Shucha, Redmond Student Commons Instruction and Outreach Librarian.

Shucha will be the librarian in the space for the Redmond campus’s portion of the event, in the Redmond Technology Education Center, RTEC 224.

“I’ll be particularly happy if this event brings in students who haven’t yet utilized the Redmond Student Commons, or weren’t aware that we’re here. It’s an opportunity to show off what we have to offer,” Shucha said.

Shucha said that the goal of the event will be to help students through the initial sign-up process for the subscription services, as well as any other questions they may have regarding library services.

“The main idea is to bring awareness that, as a student or employee of COCC, you have access to New York Times and Wall Street Journal digital basic subscriptions through the library. These would cost over $100 a year to subscribe on your own,” he added.