Some feedback about the library

The whiteboards that we put up for students to use while studying for finals are also being used as feedback boards, which is great.

This one is currently on the Third Floor (click on images to enlarge):

A zoom on the important part, as far as we are concerned:

Sorry for parking services, but glad that you all are loving the library.  Keep the feedback coming, the good, bad, and ugly.

Special Collections and Access to Library Materials

I think a lot about how libraries are perceived these days.  I have met students who see libraries as wonderful welcoming places, and others who find libraries intimidating and institutional.  It’s not just students who feel that way about libraries–a scholar and librarian writes in the Chronicle of Higher Education that he, had an encounter with a special collections librarian that made him feel unwelcome.  I should say here, I’m pretty unsympathetic to his dilemma, descending as he did on a private library of unique items, and expecting to be able to page through the books right off.  However, I think it’s interesting fodder for conversation.

In fact, I think the most interesting part of that column is the comments section–it contains a lively discussion about what librarians and patrons want from Special Collections.  I think that many of the same points can be made about libraries generally.  It can frequently be difficult to balance what patrons desire with what is necessary to keep the library functioning well, and to provide access to information.

So, how do you feel about libraries?  How do you feel about Atkins in particular?  Now that people are using the library 24/7, it seems busier than ever.  I think at least some of you are here because you like it.

Or am I wrong?

A Safe Library

Now that the tower has wireless access, there is a lot more opportunity for students to work up there.  The prospect of more people working in the tower, plus the 24 hour library during the month leading up to finals, has led to some people wondering about the ways that the library is trying to keep people safe.

So I asked around, and learned several useful things from our security chief.
First, security patrols the entire building every hour, but not necessarily at the same time each hour, because they don’t want to establish a pattern.  When it’s after dark, and they find people by themselves in the tower, they usually add one round on that floor to the usual sweep, to check on that person.  Sometimes, they let the person know that they are alone on that floor, in case they want to move.
There is an emergency button near the elevators on floors 5-8, that can be pressed if there is a need for police/security.  Even if a person does not talk, it’s registered that the button has been pushed, and security has to tell the police not to come, if they find out it’s a false alarm.   Otherwise, the campus police come automatically. 
There are emergency buttons in each elevator, as well.  They look like this:

Our security chief said, too, that this is a very safe library—since the 24 hours experiment has started, there have been no incidents.
Is this your experience of the library?  Did you know about the emergency buttons?  
If your experience is different, please let us know.  Problems unidentified are problems that don’t get fixed.

Weekend Pop Culture Library References

Well I work in a library now, so I can’t help but notice references to librarians, libraries, etc in my everyday life.

NPR’s Wait Wait Don’t Tell me had not one but two library-based riffs this weekend:

a question about really old library fines,
and
in their Limerick Quiz (second question):

And Doonesbury features an archivist and an important primary source.

Wordle, Reference Desk Help

A representation of what you all asked for from our reference librarians, in the space of one week in March.  (with the help of  www.wordle.net).
Anything look familiar?



Wordle: Reference Desk


And here’s a wordle that includes what the reference librarians did, not just what they were asked:


Wordle: Reference Desk 2