The Center for Library Resources and Educational Media: The Free for All Learning Resources of Walailak University
The Center for Library Resources and Educational Media supports the academic institution of Walailak University and serves the university as a hub for learning resources and information services, particularly in the library. This center assists students, staff, and external individuals in their broad research and lifelong learning for free. It free provides public access to information resources within the library, books, publications, computers, and other equipment. Its primary mission is to develop and provide information resources and various educational media, produce educational materials for teaching and university activities, and offer academic assistance to the local community near the university. In addition to providing free library access, it also supports basic accessibility features for people with disabilities, including wheelchair ramps and Braille books. In the year 2022, the Academic Resource and Media Center recorded 1,821,813 visits.
The center offers a website that enables the public to independently access various information resources. It includes the Union Catalog for borrowing books among educational institutions, a collaboration between the Ministry of Higher Education, Science, Research and Innovation, and Walailak University. Since 2017, the center has been dedicated to diverse forms of distance education, online course offerings for open education, and lifelong learning, alongside the Thailand Cyber University (TCU) initiative. It produces online courses and study materials for shared use and online courses for open education, known as WUMOOC, to the public.
The facility provides spaces for educational activities to enhance learning skills, such as exhibition areas, training rooms, seminar rooms accommodating 20 to 80 participants, and projection areas for student presentations. It also features audiovisual equipment and conveniences to facilitate a wide range of activities. Knowledgeable staff are available for assistance and support for event planning.
In 2022, the center expanded its services by creating a green-themed library, the “Green Library for Learning and Environmental Conservation” for Ban Khao Wang Border Patrol Police Company School and installed an automated library system called “Senayan,” solar panels both inside and outside the library to be the renewable energy. In addition, there are activities such as knowledge baskets for reading materials outside the library and a hanging boat that contains learning activities for students who want to acquire further knowledge.
Moreover, the center contributes to the local community by organizing community service initiatives, such as the “Corporate Social Responsibility of Green Library: Project for Community and Environmental Conservation of Learning.” This program promotes collaboration and fosters a sense of responsibility in the community by providing knowledge on waste reduction, energy-saving, green knowledge, ecological footprints, and DIY activities. Fifteen secondary schools in Nakhon Si Thammarat province have participated in these initiatives.
Related link of evidence:
https://www.wu.ac.th/th/news/1032
https://library.wu.ac.th/?page_id=5783
https://library.wu.ac.th/?page_id=2516
https://library.wu.ac.th/?page_id=5643
https://library.wu.ac.th/?page_id=2559
https://th-th.facebook.com/walailakclm
Goal 11 : Sustainable cities and communities
Goal 4: Quality education
Goal 17: Partnership for the goals