Library Suggestion Box

Paint instead of markers for the board in the atrium. But other than that its GREAT!

HAha, We had no idea how much our students liked paint! The paint shall return next year!

1) In addition to having a "cash to deacon card" machine near the circulation desk, I think we should have one in the Cafe 24 Hour Room. This way, people can easily put money on their card if the machines need exact change or if they need to pay for prints.

2) I don't know if the library already supplies this service, but I think they should rent out headphones for free. People should be able to borrow a pair of headphones, in exchange for their deacon card and when they return their headphones, they'll get their card back. If this system is already in place, it should be better advertised. People should be able to rent them out from the circulation desk.

It would be nice to have a second "cash to Deacon card" machine in the library, but the cost is prohibitive. They are expensive to own and operate!

We do circulate headphones from the circulation desk. Here is the policy from the Access Dept. web page:

"We circulate headphones for 2 hours at a time to enable students who want to watch DVDs in the library on their laptops."

You may be right that we need to advertise this service more. Thanks for the suggestion.

Thank you to everyone for keeping the coffee, sugar, and creamer filled and fresh!! You all save my life by keeping the library open all night. I am grateful to whoever it is that works to help us graduate students have a place to do our work at 3 in the morning. Thank you again!!!

You are entirely welcome! It is our pleasure to create an environment where our students can succeed. Library staff take turns volunteering for the midnight shift. Not many students take the time to say thank you. We appreciate your kind words!

New database suggestion: ARTSTOR (http://www.artstor.org/); as an art major, it is often very difficult to find images of particular works of art or architecture. Databases like Grove Online just do not cut it beyond general reference use, especially for foreign artists and architects. Anyway, just a thought, I completely understand there are budget restrictions and such. Thank you!!!

Thank you for your suggestions! In our collaboration with the Art Department, they have advised that ARTSTOR would not be the best purchase for us to make so we have not pursued it seriously.

However, librarian Kaeley McMahan gives these additional tips and you may contact her for additional info:

The Visual Arts Library in the Art Department is a place to locate images. Martine Sherrill may have the image already, or readily know where to locate it. Also, beyond the encyclopedia-related images in Grove Art, there are two other image databases available inside of the Grove Art database: Art Resource (90,000+ images) and Bridgeman Art Library (100,000+ images). Also, in the art databases section, we have access to CAMIO, which is another art images database that contains museum images.

Hope this helps!

Lynn Sutton

Why is the library only open until 1 am on Saturday the 8th? Most of us have exams the following Monday and will have no where to study once the library closes.

We have used all the resources we can muster to stay open until 3:00 am during the week and 1:00 am on the weekend before exams. We have never been open so many hours before! The good news is that ZSR will open at 10:00 am on Sunday 12/9 and stay open continuously until 5:00 pm the next Saturday. Library staff work these shifts on a voluntary basis and are glad to give up their sleep so that students can study. They also raise funds throughout the year to provide the late night snacks at 1:00 am.

I am working the first shift on Sunday and hope to see you there. Enjoy!

Lynn Sutton, Director

Most of the time I find it really hot in the 24 hr. room. Is there a way to lower the temperature to the mid or low 60s?

Thank you for letting us know. We will put in a request to Facilities, though I think if the temperature went all the way down to the mid or lower 60’s we would have more complaints that it would be too cold! Temperature regulation is one of the most frustrating things about our aging building. Often, when one area is adjusted, another area in a different part of the building is affected in the opposite way. We’ll see if we can reach a better balance in the 24 Hour Room.

Lynn Sutton

I am a work study student who works at the circ desk. Students have complained about noise coming from an office window that is open in the atrium. I believe that the window is in the interlibrary loan department.

Thank you for alerting us to this concern. We have spoken to the staff whose windows open onto the atrium and you may be assured that the noise will stop. If you notice it again, let us know.

Lynn Sutton

First of all, thank you for having the 24 hour study rooms as a great option for students to come to study. I do have one suggestion to improve them, and that is to put “white noise” machines in them. Student health services as well as the learning assistance center use them throughout their offices to reduce the presence of distracting noises. A lot of distractions in the 24 hour study rooms comes from the sounds of computer keys, people shifting their things around, and other basic noises that could be drowned out by a white noise machine. If you have never been around one before, they can be annoying for about 30 seconds until you adjust to it. I just thought that I would pass along that suggestion to you all. Thank you again for having these rooms available, I use them quite a lot.

Thank you for your suggestion. This is actually a great idea! We will buy two white noise machines for each room and see if they help. Let us know.

Lynn Sutton

I think that the entire library should be a quiet zone, and that designating 6, 7, and 8 as silent study zones makes it seem like you should be able to talk and giggle anywhere else.

In our experience, many students would like the library to be entirely quiet, but just as many would like it to provide a more collaborative environment for group study and discussion. Most modern libraries provide spaces for both and that is our stated goal. In the coming years, you will see the renovation of library spaces for both individual, quiet study and collaborative group study. We will try to keep them separate and distinct and ask for tolerance of varying learning styles among students.

Lynn Sutton

Replace all tampon and napkin dispensers in women’s bathrooms - many are broken and some don’t have any machines at all.

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We took this issue to Facilities Management and they said that, in fact, the filling of these dispensers was discontinued ten years ago campus-wide but the broken dispensers were never taken down. They said these products were hardly ever used and it was not feasible to begin this service again. After discussing the issue with the highest levels of Facilities Management, they agreed to remove all of the dispensers and patch the walls.

Lynn Sutton