Maroon Opinions

Cold in the Reg and Mansueto

It's been freezing on the third floor for several days now. I was there today and had to keep my down coat on all the time. Still, my hands were too cold to type. I see the people around me wearing coats and scarves too. Is the heat not working?

The heating is way out of order. Mansueto is freezing as heat rises and so it stays cold low. Fourth floor Regenstein was utterly freezing today (sunday). In the classics reading room my fingers were getting numb and I was wearing a hat and scarf. What is up with that?! Just uncomfortable. Gotta fix the heat and get it nice and consistent at a comfortable temperature. It's just too cold throughout right now. I was not the only one wearing layers. Several people were wearing their winter coats. And this is normal in mansueto...

We received several complaints about the cold temperatures over the weekend. One of the heating units in the Reg malfunctioned on Friday. The University's building engineers sprang into action and completed repairs on Saturday, but further complications meant that heat wasn't full restored until Monday.

The above problem MAY also be the cause of the ongoing cold on 4th and 5th floors of the Reg (in particular, the Classics Reading Room) -- we're investigating.

Having said all this, we remind readers that the Reg and Mansueto are essentially huge open spaces, and it's hard to heat or cool them quickly. When the outside temperatures swing wildly, as they've been doing, it takes some time for the interior of the Library to return back to our target range of 70-75 F, even with the HVAC on full blast.

Kudos for Scan and Deliver

I just wanted to let you know that Scan and Deliver is the most amazing innovation of the Library ever. I am a doctoral student doing research abroad and it has radically improved my ability to get access to the secondary literature I need. Thank You!!!

[We're left with literally nothing to say, except "Thank YOU."]

Snacks and the Cafe

I am very happy that Ex Libris is finally open and there is a place I can get fresh coffee in the library. However, I have noticed that the cafe carries a wide variety of small snacks (package of nuts, chocolate bars, etc.) and am concerned that it encourages eating in the reading rooms. Every time I am in the library, there is not a single day when I don't see someone eating at the desks. Now that the cafe has moved from the basement to the main building, it is far easier for users to grab a snack and bring it into the reading area. Small snacks are designed to be carried around and enjoyed wherever you please. If you get a small package of chips, it just doesn't make sense to sit down and take time just for eating it. If the library administration wants to maintain the rule that eating is not allowed in the reading areas, they should request the owner of the cafe to stop selling small snacks. As regards eating in the library, I should also note that the rule is not presented in a clear and compelling manner. There are only a few posters on each floor and the notices on the desks are tiny. To any concerned patron of the library, the current policies put in place display nothing but the administration's inaction and unwillingness to enforce their own rules.

We agree that small snacks are easily concealed and carried about to other parts of the library. However, we are hopeful that patrons will "self-police" and choose to consume their snacks in the cafe area.

(The Suggestions Office wonders if the old setup was more conducive, perhaps, to disobeying the food policy. It might have been slightly harder to get your M&M's, for example, but generally people didn't want to linger there.)