Library should be open longer hours on the weekends. (multiple comments)
There are many factors that go into deciding what the Library’s operating hours will be each year, including number of patron visits, ability to provide services and staffing, funding, safety concerns, and the enormous cost (both financial and sustainability/energy related) of operating a building of this size. The Library analyzes data from the door counters to determine when the building is being used and when it empties out, and we have a good idea of what hours work well for the vast majority of students. We also know that at times some students would like us to be open later and/or earlier.
The Library’s hours remained the same from about 2003 until 2013. In 2013, due to a lack of space elsewhere on campus, U-Course was temporarily held in the Library on Friday evenings and Saturday mornings. This resulted in a temporary increase of 10 open hours per weekend. In 2014 U-Course relocated elsewhere on campus; without the need to stay open for the U-Course, the Library retained the extra hours as a courtesy to students. Few students used the Library during those times (especially at 10am on Saturday and Sunday mornings), and it became increasingly difficult to justify the enormous cost of operating a building of this size when it was being used the least.
For the 2016-17 school year, it was decided that the Library would eliminate 9 of the 10 extra hours that were added in 2014. In exchange, the entire Library (all four floors) will now be open additional hours the last two weeks of the semester. This will include staying open until 2am on Sundays-Thursdays. The entire Library has never been open past midnight before this semester, and we feel that students will appreciate the extra hours as they prepare for exams.
The first floor computer lab & The Grove are operated by IT Support Services, not the Library. Last year, the computer lab & The Grove were open until 2am most nights. However, University Police and other entities on campus expressed concerns about safety on campus in the middle of the night, not only for student employees who would be required to work those hours, but also for any students who need to leave the Library at 2:00am. A difficult decision was made to close the lab & The Grove earlier. The Library, ITSS, and the University Police Department will be having discussions on how we can provide a safe study space, and safe transportation, to allow the computer lab & The Grove to stay open later.
Thank you for all the work you do for us students! Signed – A Masters Student who just finished his thesis project. Thank-you, and congratulations on finishing your thesis!
Better food in the vending machines. (multiple suggestions) We’ll pass your suggestion on to the vending machine company. Thanks!
More plants in building. (multiple comments) We agree that plants improve the study environment in several ways and it’s been awhile since we’ve brought new plants into the library. Thanks for the suggestion!
More iMac or Mac Mini desktop type computers please. We’ll pass your suggestion on to IT Support Services (ITSS). Thanks!
Free doughnuts. Free pizza. (multiple comments) The library had over one million visits last, so I’m sure you can understand why it wouldn’t be practical for the library to serve free food. However, at times we’ve provided cookies and other snacks to students when studying for exams.
All university computers should automatically configure all installed browsers to never save passwords. We’ll pass your suggestion on to IT Support Services (ITSS). Thanks!
Please clean the computer desks, computers, keyboards and also please replace the headphones and keep extra. Thanks. We’ll pass your suggestion on to IT Support Services (ITSS). Thanks!
More tables and chairs; new sofas; more bean bags; more “ball” chairs. We have been purchasing new furniture as funding allows. When we make our next large furniture purchase, we’ll look into getting additional bean bags and “ball” chairs. They do seem to be popular!
Install a water bottle refill station. Good news, three new hydration stations were recently installed in the library. They’re located near the restrooms on the first, second, and fourth floors.
The computers need new mouse pads and headphones they are a mess and broken. We’ll pass your suggestion on to IT Support Services (ITSS). Thanks!
Make the printers work. As of this writing, all printers within the library seem to be working correctly. The printers are tested several times a day but if you ever need immediate assistance with a printer, please contact the ITSS computer lab assistants, at the help desk in the first floor lab.
3rd floor bathrooms: get rid of the sensor lights. It turned off when I was using the bathroom & it was a scary experience. Thank-you for letting us know. We’ll notify Facilities Management & Services. They can adjust the sensors and the timing so that hopefully this doesn’t happen again.
Have chargers for phones on all floors similar to that on the 4th floor. We plan on purchasing two additional charging stations in the near future for the other floors.
The women’s bathroom on the 2nd floor has a door (on the handicapped stall) that has long been a problem. We have notified Facilities Management & Services of your comment. Thanks!
For the printers that we can print from on our own (not in 2nd floor copy room) it’d be nice if each printer had their name above so we know we’re printing to the right places. THANKS! We’ll pass your suggestion on to IT Support Services (ITSS). Thanks!
PLEASE get a card reader for the print card machines! Not having $1 bills or a card use ability is very limiting when needing to put $ on my print card. We’ll pass your suggestion on to IT Support Services (ITSS). Thanks!
Microwave available for students to use. Hot water for tea, cocoa, instant noodles, etc. (multiple comments) We have received several requests for a small kitchenette somewhere in the library that students could use. We are looking into the feasibility of this idea.
Noise on 3rd floor. (multiple comments) Library staff and student employees regularly walk the third floor to ensure a quiet atmosphere, but many times it isn’t obvious that a student or group is being too loud. The fastest way to inform library is to call or visit the circulation counter in the lobby, 898-6501.
Don’t make it so cold in here!! Due to the size of the building, it is difficult to maintain consistent temperatures throughout but occasionally certain areas ca become uncomfortably cool or warm. Please let us know when you experience this and we can pass this information on to Facilities Management & Services.
Fix charging station by 2nd floor stairs; cable is broken or improperly installed and does not charge. The charging stations are repaired regularly and the broken cables were replaced over the summer. It does appear as though several cables are again damaged and no longer functioning. These stations get a lot of daily use and the cables get damaged easily. We will replace these cables ASAP.
Have a section of a floor dedicated to ethnic studies and hold books up for people to enjoy. We are planning on creating a multicultural area or room in the near future. In the meantime, we love your idea! The library recently purchased two mobile display cases which could be used for this purpose.
Wipe down tables; sanitizer wipes; clean labs. (multiple suggestions) Our student employees and custodians regularly clean the table surfaces, but with the increase in the amount of food consumed in the library recently, it seems like a good idea to wipe the tables down on a more regular basis.
Thanks for the suggestion!