Maroon Opinions

Noise on the First Floor

I am utterly shocked how LOUD students are permitted to be on the first floor in the Regenstein library. Most of the noise comes from student gatherings, small groups intent on engaging in gossip rather than study, all the while being disruptive to those who wish to engage in the latter. The librarians do nothing about this; they just sit idly by surfing on the net seemingly oblivious to the raucous just feet away from them. Given the University of Chicago's academic reputation, I am disappointed in this sort of behavior being accepted.

Although we try to keep the entire Library as a place of quiet study and research, the heavy traffic in and out of the building on the first floor as well as the large open floorplan make it almost impossible to eliminate noise in this area. However, if a particular group of students is being extremely loud, please feel free to ask them to quiet down or take their conversations out to the lobby. If they refuse your request, please notify a librarian so we can take appropriate measures.

Coughing and Sneezing

Would it be possible to prominently display those health posters regarding coughing and sneezing around the libraries? You would think with the threat of H1N1 people would be more cautious about spreading germs, but some are not and are still having to be told to cover their mouths.

There certainly seems to be "something going around" (which, we note in passing, has not spared the Suggestions Office). We do have signs posted near the entrance to Regenstein, asking people to cover their cough and then offering hand sanitizer for their hands.

Smoking outside the Reg

Please post a guideline for city/university smoking policy at the library. I am especially concerned about the East entrance of the Regenstein library, where people smoke right at the wall of the building. I have to hold my breath when entering/exiting the building to avoid inhaling smoke.

***

I just walked into the Reg Library and through a cloud of smoke. Seems just outside the doors to the lib is the smoking spot. As a medical student I am aware that 2nd hand smoke "bad", as I am sure you are also aware.

I suggest posting signs and directing the smokers to an area where everyone does not have to walk through the smoke. 

We do have signs posted on the Regenstein doors, warning smokers to stay at least 15 feet from the entrance to comply with University policy and City of Chicago ordinance. However, the policy also states: "Smoking is permitted outdoors at least 15 feet away from the entrance or enclosed area of any building". When it's nice outside, we notice that many smokers do wander farther away from the doors, but when it rains or is cold, I'm not surprised that they stay as close to the entrance as possible.

This being said, the University policy also states that complaints about smoking can be made to the University's Safety and Environmental Affairs Office (702-9999). If you're repeatedly having to walk through a cloud of smoke, I'd suggest calling them.

College Librarians at the Commons

If you've been over to Harper recently, you might have noticed certain essential library features (like books and a circulation desk) have disappeared. Harper Library has been transformed into the Harper Memorial Library Commons, with new carpeting, desk lamps, and the "Common Knowledge" Cafe.

While the books have disappeared, the librarians have not: we in the Suggestions Office are happy to announce the College Librarians at the Commons. Staffed by our amazing colleagues in Reference, the College Librarians are present 2pm-5pm, Monday-Friday. You should come visit.

To help promote this new service, the Suggestions Office staff will be holding OFFICE HOURS on Friday October 9, concurrent with the hours of the College Librarians (2pm-5pm..remember?). For a limited time, you can register your complaints in person! 

(If that's not enough incentive to haul yourself over to Harper, we also note that the College Librarians are offering a "Soup Up Your Laptop" promotion on Friday afternoon. Free food MAY be involved.)

More lamps in Harper?

I would strongly suggest that you add more lamps to the Harper Library Commons. They are fantastic and really foster an environment where you would actually want to sit and read and study, but there aren't enough. The middle of the room is dimly-lit, and if the lamps are all taken, it isn't very inviting to newly-arrived people. Having, then, one person at a 14-person table is extremely polarizing and isolating! Having two or three lamps per table will make Harper more communal, more inviting, and really capitalize on what the aims were for this study space. I hope to see these soon!

[Obligatory Bureaucratic Note: when the Harper space was renovated in summer 2009, the Library turned the 3rd floor over to the College -- this is why the circulation desk is now a cafe. So even though the space is the Harper Memorial Library Commons, and we do have a reference librarian working there certain hours, the Commons isn't managed by the Library. Clear?]

We forwarded your comment to Michael, the Director of the Commons, who had this to say:

Thank you for your suggestion. We've been planning to add a second lamp on each of the tables in Harper. They should hopefully be installed within a week.

UPDATE: The College folks managing Harper have their own suggestions and comments form as well.

Ex Libris closing during interim

I find it baffling that eX Libris will be closed from 8/29-9/29.

We feel your pain. The Suggestions Office staff regularly patronize eX Libris, the coffee shop in the basement of the Reg, and wonder how we'll survive an entire month without the peculiar blend of music, coffee, and flourescent lighting. (Sorry Reynolds Club, things just aren't the same across the street.)

Despite being inside the Reg,  eX Libris is not administratively "owned" by the Library. Instead, the shop belongs to a division of ORCSA, the Office of the Reynolds Club and Student Activities. For various reasons, ORCSA demands that the coffee shops break even or show a profit. 

While the shop does OK during the academic year, it doesn't generate enough revenue to cover summers and interim -- and this summer the shop has reported a significant loss every month. With many students getting away from campus in between Summer and Fall Quarters, the shop's managers could not justify staying open during this time. Thus our need to venture outside the Reg for a cup of joe -- until Tuesday of first week.

More Copier Complaints

I am disappointed in the copiers. Here are my gripes:

1. It was unclear where to swipe my card, because there are all sorts of card readers all over the place. In general, there are far too many user interfaces (keypads, screens, etc.).
2. It was unclear that my copy card would not work and that I would need to buy a new one--with a deposit.
3. I could not print from a workstation on the second floor, because the computer I logged on to only listed a color printing option.

Thank you for your "gripes." I apologize for #1 and #2 -- we admit we often don't know where to swipe our cards either, yet! We hope to have clearer instructions soon. Also, there is a Canon Associate at Circulation who can take the value of your old card and credit your new card, so you don't lose money you've already paid.  In the future we hope some of the circulation staff will be able to do card exchanges, thus allowing us to offer this service in the evenings.

Regarding #3 -- could you let us know the specific name or location of the workstation? We can then pass along to our IT people and Canon to investigate.

Where did the scanners go?

I would like to protest the removal of free scanning from the library. Unlike printing, scanning does not utilize ink or paper and thus is far less expensive. Students should not be handed over the cost for tightened library budgets.

**

I am writing to voice my disappointment with the library's decision to replace the free scanners with a pay service. Free scanning was an economical, convenient, and environmentally friendly alternative to photocopying. Requiring students and faculty to pay for scanning reduces the accessibility of the library's materials, especially reserve items that cannot be checked out for longer periods.

Given that upkeep to the scanners and scanning computers is surely not a major additional expense to the library, one must conclude that the university sees the new pay system as a new stream of revenue. Unfortunately, this additional money will come at the direct expense of those who can least afford it, the university's students.

I am no doubt not alone in my feelings on this issue. I hope that the library will reverse its decision and revert to the old, free scanning system.

**

Bring back the free scanners!

We’ve received several complaints recently about the disappearance of the 3 flatbed scanners that used to be on the first floor of the Reg. The scanners were removed because of the Library’s transition to a new copier vendor (Canon) in early August.

The new pricing model institutes a small charge ($0.02/page) for scanning, while keeping constant the black/white printing cost ($0.10/page), and reducing the color printing cost (from $0.50 to $0.15/page) and the photocopying costs ($0.12 to $0.10/page). By keeping scanning to only 1/5th the price of photocopying, we hope patrons will continue to use this service while at the same time allowing us to meet our minimum revenue obligations under contract.

Several of the complaints have suggested that the Library is trying to make money from students by instituting this change.  We would like to correct this misperception.  The fees collected for scanning, copying, faxing, and printing are designed only to cover the cost of making these services available - not to provide funding for other Library offerings.

For several years Library patrons have requested the ability to scan portions of Library books and other materials. (We remind you that scanners and photocopiers should be used consistent with copyright law. See the University’s Copyright Information Center for more information.) Consequently, when our multi-year copier contract came up for renewal, scanning capability was high on our list of desired features.

Unfortunately, providing equipment to handle our scanning volume isn’t free. Scanning carries a cost – admittedly, a miniscule cost compared with traditional photocopying -- but there is wear and tear on the equipment, and staffing costs associated with machine maintenance.

We already experienced some of the costs when we put out the 3 flatbed scanners last year. Because the scanners were heavily used, they were starting to break down: at the time we removed them, only one scanner was fully operational (one had been removed several weeks ago and a second was leaving large black streaks on scanned images).

Thus when the new equipment arrived, the cost of scanning was set at $0.02/page – a cost necessary to cover our monthly fees with Canon. While this does impose a cost for a previously free service, Canon is replacing all the photocopiers with multi-function devices that copy, print, scan, and fax. So instead of 3 scanners, we will have 10 in the Reg alone – and more elsewhere on campus, since the University’s contract with Canon covers the Library, University Housing, and (printing only) NSIT. Further, the multi-function machines (unlike the flatbed scanners) are more suitable for heavy scanning activity. Finally, since the machines are free-standing, we get back 3 additional PCs on the first floor previously occupied by patrons scanning materials.

The Annoying Closing Bell

I suggest that you stop using the bell to kick people out of the library. It's very annoying (though that may be the purpose of using it). Why not try to use a more "civilized way" like what they use in the department store? Open a record that tells the library users more politely.

PS. You should try listening to that bell, it's noise pollution!

We presume you are referring to the Regenstein closing bell. The closing bell at Crerar is a soft chime that we speculate you would consider quite "civilized."

The JRL bell is intentionally loud, to awaken slumbering students and encourage them to leave the Library. We are afraid that a softer bell would mean encountering students coming down the main stairs at 2 AM, yawning and explaining they "slept through the bell." We already encounter this situation occasionally, and while our night entry control staff usually cock a skeptical eyebrow at the person employing this excuse, we usually give students the benefit of the doubt and let them go home.

We admit that a loud bell may not be as necessary during the summer, especially when the Reg closes at 5 PM. However, seasonally changing all the bells -- the volume isn't centrally controlled, as far as we know -- would be a time-consuming and expensive process.

Unfortunately the Reg does not have a public address system, so we can't make a voice announcement about closing. (One member of the staff fondly recalls his hometown public library, which did have a PA system. The staff would announce closing time, then play music as patrons left.) So it's the bell or nothing at all -- and our experience overwhelmingly demonstrates that U of C students need some encouragement to leave the Library.

[A side note: louder than the closing bell, and quite distinct from it, is the fire alarm. Suggestions Office staff sometimes observe -- in passing, as we flee towards the exit -- some students defiantly ignoring the alarm and continuing to study. We understand the desire to prove one's dedication to the text at hand, but PLEASE vacate the building when the alarm goes off. Even when it's a false alarm, the Chicago Fire Department gets very upset with us when they find people inside the building.]

A Note of Appreciation

Dear U of C Library,

I just wanted to drop a note about the wonderful experience I just had at the Regenstein return/check-out desk.

I returned some CD's, one of which actually belonged to me, though I didn't notice it in the pile. As I crossed the street in front of Regenstein, one of the employee's rushed outside in the hot afternoon sun, and caught up with me, just to give back my CD I had mistakenly given to the library! What a great guy! One of my favorite CD's.

So, extra special thanks go to the person working at Regenstein returns on the afternoon of Thursday, July 16th!

Thank you! We will pass along to our Circulation staff.