© 2013 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University
[The library should provide] Library cats to pet.
While this might be an interesting thing to try, and it may have calming effects on some patrons, the logistics of it would be beyond anything we would want to take on. Between feeding the cats, and providing litter boxes, I don't think these are proper activities for a University Library. There is also the problem of what to do with the cats when the Library is closed, and people with severe allergies. So while a nice idea, this is not likely to happen.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
Library Cafe.
The building of the Library Cafe on the first floor is close to starting. The process is out for bid, and is hoped to be finished by the start of the Fall Semester.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
Computers are always broken on the 3rd,4th, and 5th floors. Can your IT Dept. be more proactive and check the PCs?
If you find that a computer is not working anywhere in the Library, report it to one of our service desks on the 2nd or 4th floor, and we will see that the computer is put back online promptly.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
How about a vending area for students?
Our vending room on the 6th floor is meant primarily for Library staff, so is only open 8-5, Monday through Friday. Students are welcome to use the vending machines there during these hours. When the Study Cafe opens in the Fall, students will be able to buy drinks and snacks there whenever the cafe is open.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
Free printing in the Library.
While the Library would like to offer free printing to our patrons, the cost of doing so would be prohibitively expensive. The costs of the machines, their maintenance, staff, supplies and paper are far more expensive than the Library can afford. We must re-coop the costs of this service.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
Have library floor maps posted at each stairway.
I have discussed ways to have additional floor plan maps on each floor with several people. Additional signs will be installed during the summer.
Bruce Obenhaus, Government Documents Librarian
Have the ability to print from our own computers.
We are investigating this right now. The issue is that the wireless network is owned by another department on campus. We would first need to gain access to place wireless printers on their network. Then we will have to look to purchase or write some kind of software that would allow us to manage printing over a wireless network and receive compensation for those printouts printed. Not a difficult one, but a great deal of logistics involved. If it is possible, we hope to have answers and a possible solution ready by next fall.
Curtis Carr, Head of Library Systems
Get more outlets in the Library.
I think students would appreciate more electrical outlets in study areas, particularly on the 3rd and 5th floors. Seats with access to outlets can become scarce during exam weeks.
We have attempted to address the problem of more outlets for laptops. This past summer we wired the 2nd floor commons area to accommodate more students and laptops knowing that groups of students would be using the area to work in groups. We also retrofitted a large number of the student study tables to accommodate 4 laptops at one time. These tables are located on the 2nd and 4th floors.
It is difficult and expensive to retrofit an older building to meet growing demands for more and more outlets and modern technology. As our budget will allow we plan to increase the number of tables to accommodate more laptops on the other floors.
Don Kenney, Associate Dean for the University Libraries
You should order Little Mermaid on DVD.
It is important to note that our top goal is to support the research and instructional missions of the university, so we will never be a substitute for Blockbusters or FYE.
For movies, we have generous ongoing support from a film-loving alumnus in Roanoke which we continue to use to build the collection of a film as an art form. Academy award, foreign, Sundance, and documentary prize winners, films much admired by the best reviewers (Ebert, Turnan, Travers in particular) account for most of our buying.
Disney movies will occasionally meet our criteria and we are happy to buy them when they do.
Thanks for writing.
Paul Metz, Director of Collection Management
(1) Longer hours all year long. VCU and ODU are open 24 hours. The emporium is open, but the bus ends at 12 am on weekdays and 2 am on weekends.
(2) Library should be open 24 hours regardless if it is exam week or not. It will promote studying. I promise.
(3) Please be open 24 hours a day at least a week before reading day.
(4) The Library is great!!! I am a graduating senior, but I know that students would love for the Library to be open 24 hours a day.
We are open 102 hours a week with extended hours during exams. Many of our resources are available online 24/7. Given our finite budget we must balance expenditures for services, collections, and physical facilities. Our hours are comparable to many other research libraries our size. Additionally, the extended hours we stay open during exams seems to be adequate, given the number of students still in the Library at closing time.
Don Kenney, Associate Dean for the University Libraries
The coffee and hot chocolate during finals is wonderful and would be great all the time.
Thank you for your comment. Construction will start this summer on the library's study cafe in the former lobby on the first floor. We expect the cafe to be serving coffee and other drinks by the start of fall semester. I will be encouraging the management of the cafe to stay open late during exams to match the extended hours of the library.
Robert Sebek, Library Marketing Team
Free beverages were a great idea. Thanks for including hot chocolate and tea for those of us who don't partake in coffee. Also, kudos to whoever thought of providing lids.
Thanks for your comment. We hope the drinks helped as your prepared for exams.
Robert Sebek, Library Marketing Team
Leaky faucets -- Every single time I'm in the men's bathroom on the second floor all three of the faucets are leaking, in a major way. Please fix the sinks. You are wasting way too much water.
The last time this issue was brought up, I notified our maintenance coordinator, and someone was sent to fix the faucets. I just checked the faucets in the 2nd floor men's room, and they all seemed to be working fine. Two of them were leaking, but I just turned them off and the leaks stopped.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
PC 303 has a dead mouse.
Thanks for bringing this problem to our attention. I have reported it to our systems staff and it should be fixed right away.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
Donuts. Please serve donuts with the free coffee during the extended hours.
You may not have heard, but we are building a study cafe on the first floor of the Library that should be in place by the Fall semester. That will be your place for coffee and snacks during the Fall exam period.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
Suggestion: I would much prefer it if your staff had a better attitude towards transsexuals.
Dear library user,
Thank you for your comment regarding library staff attitudes towards transsexuals. The University Libraries offers training to all its personnel to ensure that they provide good customer service, which includes respect for all. In line with university-wide efforts, the University Libraries actively promotes diversity and inclusion. If you feel that you or someone you know was treated inappropriately, please contact me directly using my information below. The comment we received did not provide sufficient detail for us to be able to follow up on the implied issues.
Your comments are very important in helping us provide the best service possible to all of our users.
Sincerely,
Lesley Moyo, Director of Research and Instructional Services
Tel: 540-231-2708
E-mail: moyo@vt.edu
Buy HBO's "The Wire"
Thank you for your suggestion. We have expended our funds for DVDs for the FY08 but will soon be getting expenditures for the FY09. When our new funds become available, this title will be evaluated for purchase.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
It'd be great if users could look-up their checkout history under "My Library Record" as well as see their fines. I'm always trying to remember good books I read a year or so ago that I want to check out again, but always have difficulty remembering the titles & authors.
The feature to view your past checkout history is possible with Addison but a library administrative decision was made to turn the feature off. The feature is an "all or none" feature so if it is on for you it would be on for everyone.
The reason for this decision was basically for the patron's privacy. If for some reason the history of a patron's past library use was questioned or subpoenaed by the courts, the library would have to give up this information. It was decided that the university did not want to be in that situation.
Hope this explains the reason to you, if you have questions give me a call.
Brenda Pratt, Head of Circulation Services
I just wanted to say how much I truly appreciate the ILL staff. They are fabulous! It would be a great benefit to my research if the circulation desk would be able to retrieve ILL items when the ILL office is closed. This used to be the case before the circulation desk moved. Not being able to retrieve ILL items over the weekend or after 5 p.m. can be a real problem, particularly if I'm facing a deadline.
Please contact the ILL office and let them know ahead of time and they will have your items held at the Circulation Desk.
Buddy Litchfield, Reference Librarian
© 2013 Virginia Polytechnic Institute and State University