Graduate students
Apr 13th, 2009 by Chris Dixon
Any academic library is integral to campus life and learning needs of its students, and so any library building project needs to ensure student needs are met. We hope you will attend an information and feedback session during the campus visits by the architectural firm Shepley Bulfinch and tell us exactly how you envision a new library will meet your needs. However, this supplemental virtual space is provided in case you had lingering comments or questions after an Open Forum session, or if you couldn’t attend in person. We welcome any and all feedback as we the vision for a new Fenwick Library.
Open Forums (held in the Johnson Center Library Instruction Room #228):
Thursday, April 16th, 2:30 - 4:00 p.m.
Monday, April 27th, 1:30 - 3:00 p.m.
Tell us what you think:
- What currently draws you to Fenwick Library? What are your primary uses of Fenwick Library (research, study, group work, social gathering or something else)?
- What about the current library is working or not working?
- How much of your studying or coursework happens in the library versus outside the library? Where do you study if not in the library?
- How satisfied are you with the availability of any of the following resources?
Monographs (print)
Periodicals & Journals (print)
Electronic resources (e-journals, e-books or databases)
Access to librarians & staff
Group meeting spaces
Media production & technology
Exhibit space
Library instruction - What additional resources should be located at Fenwick?
- Are there additional services that would encourage you to use the library?
- What types of spaces should there be at Fenwick that are not there now?
Right now, both Fenwick and Johnson center libraries have a culture of undergraduate study: trays of food and loud “fun” groups studies even in the areas marked as “Quiet Study”. There is only one place (quite small) in Fenwick that specifically reserves the place for graduate research (fourth floor), but that place is stripped of windows and every time I pass by I don’t see any PhD students working there. But this is not all. The library student-employees who work to restack the books are generally noisy while doing their job (because they have Ipods in their ears and cannot assess the amount of noise they make) and when approached and asked to be more gentle or may be do this type of work at hours when there are less students working, they all cite that they only fulfill their supervisors’ instructions.
The study rooms in Fenwick do not have white boards. You can’t really have effective group studies without a white board. If you do a survey of these study rooms you’ll see that the majority of them are occupied by one person working on a lap top.
It would be nice if Fenwick had a large study hall with desks or cubicles for “Quiet study” only, preferential but not exclusive for graduate students. One advantage of such a hall is a sense of safety, because right now working at the isolated cubicles in Fenwick turned out to be an unsafe experience for me.
For the past four years I did all my work in the Fenwick library. Now I limit my use of the Fenwick to the book collection only (partially, because of the reasons above). The book collection is quite good.
Replies to questions:
1) Primary use of Fenwick library is research, and group work.
2) The amount of space for group work is limited and typically unavailable due to high demand.
3) Majority of coursework happens in the JC due to lack of space at Fenwick. The JC tends to be used for social gatherings as much as studying and can get loud.
4) Satisfied with availability. Extremely satisfied with electronic resources offered.
5,6,7) I would be interested in a way to reserve rooms on-line. It would help in the planning of group meetings and eliminate the search for a space that tends to take up a good amount of my time.
We currently studying the Deconstruction of the Existing Library with Dr. Casey as a group project. I am very much interested in assisting in the design of the new library, especially if the Architect is going to use BIM.
Sincerely,
Mohamed E. Hassan
1. To study and meet with other colleagues for group work
2. Current library is too small, not private for groups.
3. I study in the rooms around the Johnson Center (which sometimes is full and too much noise)
4. Very Satified
5. NA
6. Be able to reserve rooms online.
7. Rooms look old, chairs are broken. Needs some improvements.
I occasionally use Fenwick to study before class - typically late afternoon. All I need is a table and reasonably good lighting. So far that hasn’t been an issue. Noise typically is not a problem either. I have searched for books to supplement my class’s textbook. I have been disappointed in the results. I am taking INFS 519 Data Structures. The programming language used for this class is Java. While there are a large number of textbooks on Java, there are very few that include Data Structure topics. Some of the textbooks on Java are pretty old. Java is an evolving language. It gets updated frequently enough that I think a 2 year old book doesn’t do students much good. That is just my opinion. You should check with the professors in the Computer Science department.
Johnson Center is a zoo. The noise level is high enough at peak meal hours that I can’t see how anyone studies in the open areas. It is sometimes hard to find an open seat in the quiet areas. I have also been frustrated by not being able to reserve the small group study rooms in the Johnson Center.
My first impression of the Fenwick Library, as a new graduate student 4 years ago, was the lack of clear signs. There was no clear way to understand how to get to the various levels on the library and what’s in them. I think the signage should be designed to adequately direct a person who’se never set foot in the library before on where to go. Even an information desk right at the main entrance with maps and a human (part of the time) would help.
Bathroom facilities on the main floor are woefully lacking. You have to walk through somewhat of a labrynth and ultimately walk along the wall of the government documents area to find a bathroom, which even then has only 1 stall.
I agree with the other comments about having a larger “quiet only” research area for those who are serious about silence and research. This should NOT be exclusive to graduate students or PhD students, it should be available to ANYONE who wishes to perform research in silence. Having sound-absorbing fabric on the carrels people sit at would also go a long way. Now each carrel (cubicle) is solid, polished wood. This is a very reflective surface that only serves to propagate sound further when people are ruffling through pages or tapping on their laptop keys. Sound absorption can be handled so much better in the library by designing non-reflective surfaces in the cubicle.s
I agree with most of the comments above regarding need for quiet study space that is well designed with computing in mind. I would add that it would be nice to have a rentable and lockable study carrel program for those enrolled in their capstone dissertation/Thesis/Project credits. This term, I have been toting >25 books around without an adequate place to store them. This would save wear and tear on the books themselves.
Good luck on the renovations.
So glad you’re doing this. I can’t come to the meetings, so I’ve given answers to the questions, below. Thanks for providing this blog.
1. Quiet, solitary study and research
2. I absolutely agree with the first post (Victoria) that Fenwick seems dedicated to undergrads. I didn’t even know there was a section reserved for graduate students only. (Where is it?) The nice, bright and sunny windowed rooms reserved for group study are often taken up by *one* person who has spread out his stuff. The tiny one-person enclosed rooms seem like coffins to me - I’m fairly claustrophobic, as you can tell by my repeated mention of sunlight. I need a well-lit (preferably sun) place to work that is quiet and minimizes distraction.
3. I spend about 50% of my study time in the library. About 25% of that time is taken up with trying to find a good place to work that isn’t filled up with people talking.
4. I’m really satisfied w/ the research resources that Fenwick offers, and their ability to get what I want if they don’t have it.
5. Hmm…none that I can think of. Except maybe update the bathrooms.
6. Lockers, or a staffed place to safely keep your laptop while you run out for lunch.
7. Quiet-only research area reserved for grad students. Perhaps a whole floor? Would you consider breaking up the large sunny enclosed rooms (that are typically only used by one person) into two or three spaces? Lots and lots of large windows, please.
1. Fenwick is much more quiet than Johnson. I like writing my papers there because of the private study rooms. They remove all distractions and are usually very, very quiet.
2. I get most of the books I use from Fenwick. I also spend a lot of time in there around the end of the semester writing papers. I usually only study there if I plan on spending several hours studying, otherwise it’s usually too much of a hassel getting out there and finding a free study room. I don’t do my research over the internet or my internet asssignments there since the computers are so limited.
3. I haven’t had the need for all of these things yet. Usually when I need to use a journal I intentionally limit myself to thsoe I can access online since it’s so much easier. E-books are really nice when something you badly need is checked out. Databases are awesome, if somewhat confusing at times. I liked the old website’s set up for databases, it was easier to find what I needed by subject. The librarians are usually very helpful, but I agree better signs are needed. I was hopelessly lost at first. Group meeting spaces are wonderful, since the public areas are usually too noisy already. Individual study rooms are almost necessary at times if you plan on focusing in the library. A computer lab in the library would be wonderful! I was shocked to find out the library didn’t have one. While library instruction is always a good thing, I don’t know how you’d apply that to graduate students. Making printed maps and information avaliable might be really nice.
4-6. A computer lab! While I understand that space is an issues, it’s also kind of annoying having the library divided between two buildings. The set up in the Johnson center confuses me greatly, so I don’t bother with books kept there if I can manage it. The noise level at Fenwick is sometimes a very big problem too. I’ve just accepted that the Johnson areas will always be noisy. And outlets for laptops. While there are quite a few avalable, I’ve run into several that didn’t work, and that limits where you can study even further. I noticed someone mentioned whiteboards… for the record, those things are very useful, both when working with a group and also when trying to organize a paper.
Get a book-drop. I work before, during, and after most of your current ‘open’ hours.
I really love studying @ fenwick.
1. I generally have lots to read for my projects and for this, I come early in the morning. In the afternoon, it gets tiring for me to go all the way to JC. I wish fenwick had a small coffee and snacks stall. I can continue my research until evening without taking any long breaks.
2. The rooms are so small that we cannot have group studies (this point is already mentioned).
3. I think thats all I need for now !!
1. What currently draws you to Fenwick Library? What are your primary uses of Fenwick Library (research, study, group work, social gathering or something else)?
Research, computers
2. What about the current library is working or not working?
Working- Circulation, research help, government documents
Not working- Bathrooms are not in great location, computers don’t have a right click function, no computer lab available during certain hours
3. How much of your studying or coursework happens in the library versus outside the library? Where do you study if not in the library?
Some coursework is in the library
Study at home, student centers, and other locations
4. How satisfied are you with the availability of any of the following resources?
Monographs (print) Ok
Periodicals & Journals (print) Would like to see more LGBTQ publications
Electronic resources (e-journals, e-books or databases)
Access to librarians & staff- Good
Group meeting spaces- Could use more
Media production & technology
Exhibit space- Would like to see more
Publicize different campus events and causes
Library instruction
5. What additional resources should be located at Fenwick?
Restrooms closer to the entrance would be helpful
6. Are there additional services that would encourage you to use the library?
Computer lab, exhibit space, group work space
7. What types of spaces should there be at Fenwick that are not there now?
More groupwork spaces, restrooms closer to the entrance, exhibit spaces
When planning the library try to go for LEED certification.
1. Studying in a quieter environment. Distancing myself from the chaos of the rest of campus, particularly the undergraduate nature of the Johnson Center.
2. Not working: The group study rooms are occupied by people who are making them their private study rooms. There is far too much noise in Fenwick to be a serious study space.
3. I study in Fenwick when I am stuck on campus, but I do not go to campus to study at Fenwick because it is too noisy and quite uncomfortable for long study sessions. Not to mention it closes kind of early for my study habits.
4. How satisfied are you with the availability of any of the following resources?
Monographs (print) - N/A
Periodicals & Journals (print) - This is not necessary as long as the journals are available electronically.
Electronic resources (e-journals, e-books or databases) - We need more access to journals in the social sciences and humanities
Access to librarians & staff - satisfied
Group meeting spaces - too much of this
Media production & technology - N/A
Exhibit space - not necessary
Library instruction - okay in the Johnson Center, but necessary because of all the instruction space all over campus
5. Graduate student reading space is a critical need for the library. Graduate students do not currently have a place to quietly study. To do this carrels for graduate students would be ideal within a closed off area made for graduate students.
6. Graduate student reading space
7. Spaces specifically for graduate students to study.
I am going to echo what has been said already about “Quiet Study” area needs simply because I want to emphasize (again) how important this is. Fenwick is the only library I’ve ever been to in my nerdy life (that’s a lot of libraries when you’re an English nerd) where talking doesn’t seem to bother anyone. Even the staff at the Reserve desk are in an open area so when they take work calls they speak as if they are in an enclosed office. Cell phones are used everywhere and no one seems to stop students from using them. So, in short I need a quiet study area with a window.
2. Things that are working: the WRLC when books are not on the shelves!
3. about 20-40% of my studying currently happens in the library, but I would use it about 80% of the time if it were quiet.
4. very satisfied
5. additional resources: larger poetry section. We have one of the best MFA writing programs in the country so keeping multiple copies of poetry books and collecting more current poets would benefit the university.
6. can’t think of any
7. more more more “Quiet” No Cell Phone study areas where staff enforce this to take place.