July 2007 Archives

Recently an extensive comment was sent to VCU Libraries regarding the blog entry “General Comments and Concerns About Cabell Library” (12/18/06). This comment, posted by a Graduate Student from the Department of Humanities and Sciences, focused on several issues including:

-Computer use: Limit library computer use to specific, academic Web sites.
-Study Environment: A better study environment was requested, including newer furniture, with acknowledgment that furniture was slated to arrive.
-Facilities and Housekeeping: Improve housekeeping within the library, and encourage users to support the cleanliness of the library space and the items within. Specific suggestions include restricting food consumption, particularly during Library Lite All Nite to help keep the library cleaner. It was also suggested that VCU Libraries encourage patrons to respect the library spaces by cleaning up after themselves, explore ways to enforce graffiti and property destruction regulations, and install security cameras to help identify people who violate library building use policies.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, replies....
Thank you for these comments and ideas about VCU Libraries. You have noted a number of issues here. One is use of computers for “properly” using the library. The lines of what is research or project related and what is not are blurring with Web 2.0 social web sites. We recognize that libraries are places of learning and that learning often involves conversation and interaction, sometimes online, and we therefore lean toward great flexibility in how we define what is proper use of our computer resources. However, given the shortage of computers, we do request that use be for academic purposes, and we do adhere to the VCU regulations for computer use:
http://www.library.vcu.edu/admin/regulations/computer_resources.html
http://www.ts.vcu.edu/policies/computeruse.html

We are continually challenged with housekeeping issues in such an active, dynamic building as Cabell Library. I appreciate your concern about cleanliness, and library staff are uniformly disturbed by the challenges of keeping things clean, as well. We do work regularly with Housekeeping to ensure that they are aware of our needs, particularly during the Library Lite extended exam hours. You are correct that encouraging patrons to consider the condition of the library which they leave behind is vital to maintaining the building as a pleasant study place for others. We are currently planning an oversize poster about our food policy for the Cabell Library entrance, and are working with our security staff to better ensure that inappropriate foods are not brought into the building.

There are a mixture of views on how much camera surveillance is appropriate in an academic library. On whole, we want to do what we can to protect the privacy of library patrons, therefore extended use of cameras would require discussion and consideration. On the practical side, however, we do not have adequate funding to deploy extensive camera surveillance, and the building’s electrical capacity is already at maximum capacity. It would be difficult to choose cameras over computers if funds and more power were available, but I can assure you that we are as distressed about vandalism as you are. It is extremely disturbing that some patrons do not seem to care if library space and furniture is destroyed, and therefore not available to fellow students or researchers. We have hired two full-time security staff this year. They are working very hard to reduce both destructive activities and the inappropriate food instances and are making good progress. Security reports are filed whenever problems cannot be resolved, and those reports go to VCU Police as well as to library personnel.

Many thanks for bringing your thoughts on the library to us, and for your interest in making it a beneficial place to learn and study.

A graduate student in the Humanities and Sciences department had many thoughts regarding the blog post “Computer and Building Use in Cabell” (09/18/06). An outline of the well-thought-out suggestions is below:

-VCU should implement better access to crossing streets. It was suggested that VCU look to the standards set for bridges connecting buildings on the MCV Campus and use similar structures on the Monroe Park Campus.
-Computer use in Cabell Library is at a premium. The student proposed that VCU should look into the problem of space and availability, including opening a cellular portal.
-Cabell Library should support access to the community, high school students in particular, including access to computers.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, responds....
Thank you so much for taking the time to send us this input on VCU Libraries. There are a number of issues that you mention; I will address them as best I can, and forward some to departments that can better respond.

Your comments about safety related to crossing Belvidere Street may be of interest to the VCU Construction Services department. VCU Libraries is not directly involved with decision making at this scale of campus planning. However, I believe that Construction Services, or they in combination with other facilities planning entities on campus, would be the ones who would undertake any project of this nature. We will forward your suggestion on to them, but you may want to make your suggestion directly to them, as well.

Your second comment, with regard to library space and cell phone access to resources is very interesting. This type of cell phone use is in its infancy, but will hopefully open new opportunities for the future. New cell phone technologies are appearing all the time. Many databases that VCU Libraries subscribes to have complex interfaces; the vendors/designers of these products have been slow to design alternative interfaces which can be read on a small hand-held screen. It’s possible that new technologies may preclude the need to separate screen designs. It will be interesting to see if such new access modes can help alleviate computer equipment needs in our buildings. I believe these solutions are still a ways off for libraries, but will forward your message to our Library Information Systems department for their comments.

Finally, in response to your suggestion about allowing outside users access to VCU Libraries’ resources, thank you for your comments on this issue. VCU Libraries is very interested in support for local high schools and has an active outreach program working with high schools and other groups. We provide borrowing privileges for high school programs that require research level material, and to other categories of community users. Library doors are open to the community and many non-VCU individuals come to our buildings and utilize materials here. As you note, first priority for use of our resources and equipment is for the VCU community of students, faculty and staff and for academic use, as is the model for almost any university library. VCU Libraries is not a public library in the same sense that the Richmond Public Library is, and non-VCU individuals are referred there for certain types of library use. Due to limited computer access, there are also times when non-VCU patrons cannot be logged onto VCU Libraries’ equipment, but we do accommodate such research needs when possible. You may want to review the VCU Libraries regulation at: http://www.library.vcu.edu/admin/regulations/computer_resources.html.

Again, thank you for your thoughts and ideas. We do want to ensure that VCU Libraries is fulfilling its mission and vision in support of Virginia Commonwealth University.