Author Archives: Steven Bell

How About Adding Internet-Connected Computers in Media Services

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As a suggestion, a computer terminal is needed in the basement for internet usage.  If you’re working downstairs on microfilm or whatever it becomes time consuming to have to stop what you’re doing to go upstairs to use a computer to retrieve information.

When the Media Services department was being planned in 2007-2008, thought was given to adding a few regular computer workstations to the area that are similar to the ones on all other floors of the library. Why didn’t we add them? We had only a limited budget for the project, and only a limited number of connections we could add. Yes, at Temple University there is a significant cost associated with adding a new Internet connection plus the ongoing monthly cost for each connection. We wanted to have at least two quick lookup terminals for those who wanted to check for videos on our library catalog. Those two devices are working out well. But you can’t use them for checking e-mail or other applications – by design. Admittedly, it can be a hassle to go from Media Services up to the first floor if you need to connect to the Internet. We will take your suggestion into consideration, and it could be a possible future enhancement for that area. In the meantime, if you are going to be in the Media Services area for an extended period, consider borrowing a laptop or notebook computer from the Circulation/Reserve Desk. There is wireless connectivity in the Media Services area, and equipped with a laptop or notebook, you’d never need to leave. Thank you for your suggestion.

A Microwave Oven Would Be Nice To Keep My Coffee Hot

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I spend most of my days and nights in the library completing research for my thesis, however. Often times during these long sessions I am accompanied with coffee which often gets cold fast. In order to heat it up, I have to leave my stuff unattended (of pack it all up with me) and run over to 7Eleven. With all of this said, I would love it if the library could add a microwave on the first floor by the lounge eatery section. This would be a great amenity. 

If we understand this request correctly, you’d like to have us add a microwave oven to the Paley Perk, which is the Paley Library cafe. It’s an interesting suggestion and we will follow up on this. However, please bear in mind that the Paley Perk is operated by the Sodexho food service organization, and therefore it would be up to them to decide if (a) they would buy and add a microwave and (b) if the University would allow a microwave oven to be supplied in that area. So we can make this request/suggestion, but we really don’t know if it is possible. We can only ask. While we agree that it would be nice for those who want to heat up their cold beverages, we do admit to just a bit of concern about others using it to heat up their pizza slices, cold pork lo mein and just about any other substance students might throw into an unsupervised microwave oven. Besides possible unforeseen hazards, would you be willing to come and clean the insides of the microwave oven once a week?

If We Had More Outlets No One Would Trip Over My Power Cord

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I often study on the first floor where the new study carols (study desk) have been added. While studying, in less than 20 minutes six people tripped over my laptop cord, one of which almost knocked my laptop to the floor. It is my hope that more electrical cords will be added in a more convenient place (i.e. floor, side panels of the study desk etc.). 

The issue of the need for more electrical outlets has been addressed in a previous post to our suggestion blog. You can read it here. 

As was indicated in that earlier post, we’d love to add more outlets to meet the needs of students who need to power up or charge their technology devices. As we noted:

Adding a lot of outlets is impossible in the current building since we are now at full electrical capacity and cannot add any more circuits to existing panels. 

So unfortunately we have no easy solution here. If you are planning to study at the library, charge up your device ahead of time. Get to know the areas of the libraries where more outlets are found. And by the way, please be careful about those power cords. We really want to avoid having someone get hurt because they tripped over your power cord.

People Are Hogging The Computers

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Is there something that can be done to prevent students from claiming computers for a very long time? Students actually using the computer for hours are not a problem but those who leave their jackets and backpacks at a computer and leave for up to half an hour or more is a problem. The computers just sit on screen saver while others must wait to find an open computer. Everyone should get a fair chance at using a computer in the library. Is there something that can be done? It would certainly cut down on a lot of frustration experienced by library users.

 

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. One thing we do know for sure is that the computer areas of the Paley Library are quite crowded for most of the day. We greatly appreciate that you and other students find the Library a great place to do your academic work. That said, we are close to the maximum number of computers we can have in the Library. Therefore we are going to have times when every computer is occupied.

 

But we agree that occasionally there are students using the computers to play games or other activities that might frustrate you when you need a computer to write or print a paper or do some real research. We’ve been asked before to limit the computers to just research and you can read our response to that suggestion. However, unlike the TECH Center we have neither the staff nor the layout that affords us the ability to monitor how long students are leaving computers unattended – yet occupied. Further, we’ve not heard a complaint about this from any other Library user. Keep in mind that when you see an unoccupied computer station, that student may have gotten up to stand in line for the printer – and that can sometimes take 5-10 minutes. An empty seat need not mean the person will be gone for an extended period. Still, we are concerned and will discuss how we can monitor the situation, and explore some of the things they are doing about this in the TECH Center.

 

Here’s the best suggestion we have for what to do in this situation. If you come to the main floor of Paley Library and you can’t get on a computer, please proceed to the “Ask Here” desk and request assistance. Our library staff will be glad to help, and we can ask a student who may be simply killing time to give up the computer. We can also investigate a situation where it appears someone has left their personal belongings but isn’t using the computer.

 

Here are some other things to consider. Are you aware we have computers on the second and third levels? Often students only look for computers on the main level. Consider looking for a computer on the upper levels (we just got some new models). Perhaps you can use a laptop computer. The Paley Library Circulation/Reserve Desk has 75 laptops and netbooks available for loan. If you can’t find a computer available consider borrowing a laptop or netbook, and use it wherever you like. We hope these strategies will enable you to have a better experience when you use the Temple University Libraries.

Please Post Your Fines So We Know What They Are

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Why aren’t the fines/prices for overdue items posted anywhere on the website?

 

We do in fact have this information available on our library website, however I will be the first to admit that it isn’t particularly easy to find. You would have to know to click on ABOUT, then go to POLICIES, and then find the policies for borrowing our materials. It also doesn’t help that it’s a PDF that requires you to find this link after 3 or 4 clicks. We need to do a better job and make this information more transparent. We’ll assign this problem to our Access Services department and ask that they develop a web page that will make this information more clear, and we’ll find a way to make it easier to get to – or at least find should you choose to search our website. Thanks for letting us know how we can do a better job of making your library experience a good one.

Please Ban Cell Phone Use in the Library

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Why are students allowed to use cell phones in the library and Tuttleman? It seems to go against the whole concept of a library. When people talk in the corridor between the two buildings and in the elevator lobbies, it echoes and makes studying difficult. I shouldn’t have to move as not to be bothered by cell phone users in the library and Tuttleman.

Thank you for sharing your concerns about noise in the library. We have responded to this type of suggestion previously and I will point you to our response. Please read it for more information on this matter.

In general, this is a problem not only in libraries but all types of public places. We speak frequently to our colleagues in other large, research libraries. Those that have posted signs prohibiting cell phone use have found them ineffective. If someone wants to talk on their cell phone, they will. The good news is that more people are being sensitive to this issue and either take their cell phones outside or talk in a quiet voice so they won’t disturb others.

As our prior post suggests, you can do three things. One, seek out our quiet zones and do your library work there. The area you mentioned is heavily trafficked so it tends to have more noise and activity. As in any public situation, if someone is being loud and disturbing you, please ask that person to be quiet or go elsewhere. Most people are not aware they are disturbing others and will be glad to comply. Third, if you prefer not to speak to that person, go to someone at one of our public service desks and report the situation. Our library staff are ready to speak to patrons about these noise matters or any other situation that makes it difficult for you to do your work in the library. We will do our best to create and keep a library environment that is productive, secure and inviting for every member of the Temple University community. If it isn’t working out that way for you, please let us know.

Why Doesn’t This Library Allow Me To Recall A Book

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Somebody checks out a book, and it’s not due until the end of the semester. Why isn’t there an option to recall the book at this institution?

The short answer is, we already offer that option. If you desire to recall a book that is currently on loan to another patron just visit the “forms” area of our website and choose “books checked out to someone else“.

But before you head over to the form, please consider a suggestion we have for you on how to get that book you want with a fast and easy solution that doesn’t mean inconveniencing the person who already has the book (and believe me when I tell you that we get suggestions telling us to forbid anyone to recall their book).

Instead of submitting a recall request, try using E-ZBorrow first. E-ZBorrow is a way any Temple student or faculty member can request a book from one of 60 academic libraries that participate with us in this loan program. It’s a great way to request a book we own that is currently unavailable for any reason – or to get a book we don’t currently own. If you request and receive a book from E-ZBorrow you can borrow it for 4 weeks with one additional 4 week renewal period. And while you may need to wait up to 2 weeks for a recalled book (that’s how long the current borrower can keep the book once the recall is set), you could get a book through E-ZBorrow in just 3-4 business days.

If E-ZBorrow should fail as a resource, now you know you can always submit a recall request.

Lockers Would Be A Great Addition To The Library

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A good number of lockers should be available some where in the library, so if students wanted to keep books in the library overnight (and possibly longer) they would be able to do so.

Thank you for sharing your suggestion about offering lockers in the library. There are academic libraries that offer lockers to students, and there certainly is some utility in offering students the ability to store books or personal items while in the library. Short of saying “We tried this before and it didn’t work”, perhaps the best response to your request is that we’ll look into possible options for offering lockers. A few things to share:

1) Did you know that Paley Library had lockers when it first opened? You can actually still find some of these (no longer operational) lockers on the south side of the 2nd and 3rd floors. Many others were removed long ago. Why were they removed? That’s the “it didn’t work part”. Students would routinely store books without checking them out, so many books were thought to be missing. Additional staff time was then needed just for locker checks – not an efficient use of staff. And students would also store perishable food in their lockers leading to oders and insect problems. But perhaps a better system can be devised.

2) Is this a wise investment of University funds? You have probably heard by now that the Temple University Campus 20/20 plan calls for a new library building. While that is not yet finalized, if we were to build something new that would become operational in three or four years, does it make sense to spend a considerable sum on lockers that would be in use for just a few, short years?

3) We would want to avoid allowing long-term lockers; at best day-only lockers might work. One concern is the loss of valuables that students might store – such as a laptop or cellphone. This became a problem with the original Paley Library lockers.

We can certainly explore the options and costs, see what other university libraries are doing and then make recommendations to the University’s facilities management group. It’s not clear if adding lockers is necessary – we don’t get many requests for them. But we will look into it. Thanks for your suggestion.

Study Rooms Need New Chalkboards

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The chalkboards in the breakout rooms in the Paley Stacks are horrible. They seem to repel chalk unless the chalk is very soft. Even then, anything written is very hard to read. Could dry erase boards be installed? The inability to use the chalkboards takes away most of the purpose in using the private breakout rooms.

 

Thank you for bringing this to our attention. We know that all the Paley Library study rooms get great use, and we certainly want them to facilitate student learning. In responding to your suggestion it seemed logical to examine the chalkboards. We found that most are actively used, and it appears that they work well. Students appeared to be writing away on them with no particular challenges. That said, we discovered that at least two study rooms out of eleven have questionable chalkboards that could benefit from replacement. We did not include the three Media Services viewing rooms; all of them have whiteboards.

 

Since it looks like most of the rooms have space for whiteboards we will certainly look into having one added to each study room. We will also look into adding a mobile whiteboard or two (there is already one mobile whiteboard in room 207 that can be taken into any study room). Whiteboards do present some challenges. They require dry erase markers. Currently we do not provide chalk; students must bring their own. We’d likely do the same with markers, but we will examine the options. Whiteboards also need regular cleaning, so they require more care and attention than chalkboards.

 

Thanks again for your suggestion. We will seriously consider adding whiteboards to our study rooms. If other students have thoughts about this or like the idea, please use the comments feature to let us know. Students who would like to speak with a library staff member about the study rooms may contact Steven Bell, Associate University Librarian.

I Want to Read The Economist

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I am wondering why issues of current magazines are not on the shelves. I know there was a different post below but for the past 3 weeks I have not been able to access the current issue of The Economist. It is never on the shelf and rarely is there ever any issues at all on the shelves, and when they are they are always in poor condition. I have a suspicion that other students are taking them out of the Library. Can popular magazines like The Economist be signed out for periods of maybe 2 hours then returned so they can be kept track of? A second suggestion would be to order a second or third issue so more people can read it. Can something please be done about this?

Thanks for sharing your frustrations about your inability to get a hold of issues of The Economist. We are frustrated by this as well. Unfortunately, it appears we are losing these issues to a student or students who are absconding with these recent issues. We do not allow these issues to be borrowed from the library, so if your suspicions are correct then a student or some students are being unethical in their use of what is a community resource. All I’ll say at this point is that your suggestions are well taken, and that we are going to step up our efforts to keep The Economist issues here in the Library where they belong. Thank you for brining this problem to our attention. Please know that we are concerned and are taking action.