Maroon Opinions

William Sumner Pott

Just a correction: On this webpage, which is part of your Guide to the Harley F. MacNair Papers, the name should be "Pott" and not "Potts." I found this while doing research on Dr. Pott, who was a graduate of the University of Virginia and one of the first students of Asian descent there.

Whoops! We've notified the good people in our Special Collections Research Center, who maintain the finding aids.

Grammaire Egyptienne

I want to tell you that there are some problem about the Champollion's book "Grammaire Egyptienne"  ref PJ1135.C45
* instead of p. 7 we read the p. 11
* p. 460 is missing

I want to tell you that  you site is very interesting.

Thank you for the observations -- we've passed them along to our EOS librarian, who maintains this collection.

The Auto-Flush Toilets

Terrible. Flushes at least 2 times per visit to the bathroom. What a waste of water.

As we've noted before, we agree that most of the auto-flush toilets are quite earnest about their job. However, University Facilities (who maintains the toilets) generally considers over-flushing to be the lesser of two evils -- with the alternative being nasty and unpleasant. This being said, we'll pass your observation along.

Room for Improvement

I am conducting a research study on the University of Chicago's library, and I have found glowing reviews of the library. I was just wondering if you feel there are any areas the library could improve upon, or if they have any subjects that are not as strong of a collection.

At the risk of airing our dirty laundry in public... while we take great pride in our collections and our staff, there are always opportunities to improve [as regular readers of this blog have doubtless noted]. Following are a few concerns that occupy our thoughts, that might be relevant for such a study:

Earlier this year we participated in LibQUAL+. Although analysis is still ongoing, we were surprised to see that some patrons feel we don’t have the print and/or electronic journals they need for their work. This may indicate actual gaps in our collections, or an information and publicity problem: patrons may not be aware of all that we can offer them. In the coming school year, we’re hoping to do more analysis and data gathering to better understand this issue.

LibQUAL+ also revealed that many patrons believe we could improve the Library’s study and reading areas. In part, this sentiment is caused by construction: over the past year we have been renovating the HVAC system and installing ceiling sprinklers in our main library -- noisy, dusty, and disruptive work. However, these concerns also illustrate the varied needs of our patrons. Some patrons strongly prefer a traditional library environment of quiet, individual study. Others want collaborative space where a certain noise level is tolerated, if not encouraged. Since the library is supposed to be a resource for the entire campus, we are trying to juggle these competing needs.

Finally, we face the same challenges shared by all large academic libraries, such as spiraling prices, space shortages, and communicating our value to users (not all of whom give us glowing reviews). But at least we have patrons who care about the Library. Not all libraries can say that.

The Making of the Modern World

Thank you very much for bringing back the Thomson-Gale "Making of the Modern World" database! As I have discovered over the past week, the Early English Books Online is no substitute.

You're very welcome. EEBO has its virtues, but we're happy the Making of the Modern World is back as well.

More Clock Frustration

The "Printer" sign on the first floor of Regenstein Library is blocking the clock.

Discussions are underway about new locations for the clock, sign, or both. (The Plan suggested in a previous post is under review.)

Tamil Dictionaries

i want to see tamil dictionary

There are several Tamil dictionaries available as part of our Digital Dictionaries of South Asia project: http://dsal.uchicago.edu/dictionaries/list.html#tamil

Cold in the A-Level

Why is it so cold in the A-Level?

[Thanks to Library staff KH and DC, who submitted this question in-person.]

The A-Level is indeed colder than we would like it -- low 60s (F) are common -- and the reason has something to do with the MacLab. John Pitcher, the Library Facilities Manager, explains:

While it may be possible to moderate the temperature on A level, it will be possible to bring it up to the same level as the rest of the building only when 1) we are again in the heating season, or 2) University Facilities supplies the MacLab with its own dedicated air conditioning. The explanation for this is very complicated and even somewhat paradoxical, and I won't try to go into it here. We have been pressing University Facilities fairly hard to do 2).

The Office staff can add that Crerar faced a similar situation when USITE/Crerar was designed,  and this resulted in the USITE lab also having its own dedicated air conditioning.

The New Signs and the Clock

The new sign for the printer blocks the clock on the 1st floor. Can it be moved?

The crack staff at the new "Ask a Librarian / Reference" Desk have already spoken to Building Services on this front -- the plan is to make some of the old Reg pictures go away, and move the sign flush with the wall, next to the clock.

Clogged water fountain

Just wanted to let you know that the water fountain in the northwest corner of the 3rd floor reading room appears to be clogged. It's not quite overflowing yet, but I'm predicting it will any day now...

Thanks for the heads-up -- we'll be in touch with Facilities to get this fixed.