1. Could you please air condition
the library at all times? Sometimes it is so warm in here, studying here
is uncomfortable and unpleasant.
I know just what you mean. In my office,
I need to keep a fan going all the time. The air conditioning was installed
in the building in the early nineties, and frankly, it has always been
uneven and inconsistent. Physical Plant has tried unsuccessfully to repair
it many times, but all we've ever been able to do is call them to send
someone over to adjust it when we get a report that it's too hot or too
cold (the ac works great in the winter!!) somewhere in the building. It's
very discouraging. However, if you report to the front desk when you are
uncomfortable and tell them where the problem is, we will notify Physical
Plant promptly and do what we can to get the temperature adjusted
2. The library is too cold! Please turn up the heat.
Another of our perennial problems! What is it with these campus buildings?
We are continually calling Physical Plant to adjust the temperature, and
they are diligent about following through, but a long-term solution to
thermostat control has never been found. Yesterday, for example, the library
was too warm (but the dining room in the University Center was freezing)!
The best thing to do is to dress in layers. Also, report the problem when
it occurs, so that we can call for an adjustment (we can't adjust the temperature
ourselves).
3. Please check to make sure all study
carrels have working lights.
It is part of our routine to check the carrels for burned out or missing bulbs at least every two weeks. We report them to the facilities department as soon as we become aware of them. As we build up our student work force during the school year, we have more hands on deck to do this on a regular basis, and we are able to do a better job. Unfortunately, not only do bulbs burn out, but they also go missing. Makes you wonder, doesn't it ...
4. Why on earth don't all the copiers/computers/printers/card readers
work all the time? With tuition as high as it is, we have a right to expect
them to be reliable.
Copiers. The Print Shop has instituted a plan to replace all
of the copiers that are over two years old with new, high end copiers during
the summer of 2001. Unfortunately, they will no longer be able to hold
the price line at 5¢ a copy. The new price will be 8¢ a copy
with a copy card and 10¢ with cash.
Computers. With the installation of Windows 2000 on all lab computers in Spring 2001, performance of the computers has improved drastically. To ensure continued performance, staff check the connection on each computer every morning and run the Virus Scan software every night. The Virus Scan software is never more than one week old to protect against newly developed viruses. In these ways, we try to respond to the problem with some individuals who use the lab try to alter the system parameters to use the computers for other purposes than those for which they are programmed. Once they do this, the computers "lock up" until someone can "clean out" the system and reset it properly.
To improve accessibility, the student lab assistants are now stationed
in the lab at the blue desk in the rear and identified by a placard. The
Electronic Services Assistant's office is now located at the entrance to
the lab, and the Electronic Services Librarian is in the office opposite
the lab. If you have any problems in the lab, please contact the nearest
one of these staff members.
Printers/Card readers. Problems with printers and card readers should also be brought immediately to the attention of the lab attendant, the Electronic Services Assistant, or the Electronic Services Librarian. They provide the first line of troubleshooting assistance and call the Print Shop when they cannot fix the problem. The Print Shop responds to all complaints about printer problems and makes regular maintenance checks to make sure the card readers are working properly. They also make refunds for any money lost due to copier or printer problems.
5. The library is much too loud. The
entrance, even though intended as an area of consultation, should be generally
quiet. The computer area is also much too noisy. This is a place of study
and should be respected as such. If people need to communicate, they should
do so quietly.
There are indeed certain periods, often
when classes let out, when the Information Services area becomes very boisterous
as friends greet one another and start conversations. We try to deal with
this in several ways: When staff members are present, they try, as politely
as possible, to get people to lower their voices. During the extra intense
study periods of finals and just before the bar exam, we put up a huge
banner in the atrium proclaiming "Silence Is Golden," and we hang extra
signs reminding patrons to keep quiet. Finally, because we cannot "police"
this kind of behavior throughout the library, we provide free disposable
ear plugs to library patrons to block out any noise distractions.
I hope that you will be able to study
in the library without distraction from now on. If you have any additional
suggestions about how we can maintain quiet, please let me know. We're
willing to try new ideas.
6. Please, we need at least one 24-hour study room.
Did you know that you can reserve law school classrooms for nighttime
study, including the two classrooms in the LRC building, at Bill Anderson''s
office, Room 204, in Warren Hall. Closing at 10:00 P.M. has been the library's
practice since before I came here in '92. Only occasionally have students
questioned this practice. None of them were aware that they could reserve
a classroom, and when they found out, they were not only satisfied with
that option, but some of them found it preferable to sharing space with
others in the library. I hope that this option will work well for you.
7. Please provide more seat cushions.
We are budgeted to get more. In fact, our attempts to do so this year became bogged down by a failure to perform on the part of the upholsterer. We are in the process of engaging one who will be reliable and more reasonable in cost.