November 2008 Archives

Please clean up the computer lab in the basement of Cabell library! The floors need to be waxed, the tables need to be wiped down, the keyboards need to be cleaned, and etc. I come here almost every other day and it's ridiculous how the floor has more trash on it than outside. This makes me feel really uncomfortable and not want to come to the library.

From: an undergraduate student

Jeanne Hammer, Associate University Librarian for Administration and Policy Development responds...

Thank your for pointing out the conditions you have observed the B-8 computer lab. Staff with the VCU Libraries and Technology Services have had recent discussions about housekeeping services in Cabell Library, and B-8 was brought up as a particular problem area. We have been assured that the B-8 lab will be cleaned at night - floors will be swept and trash removed. There has been confusion about Housekeeping's responsibility for maintaining the B-8 lab. Until recently, the lab was locked after hours, and the night cleaning crew did not have access to clean the floors and remove trash.

I have noticed that the library is very dirty. There [is dirt] in the study rooms and the trash cans are over filled most of the time. Is it that no one in the library administration has noticed it or is that it is not a priority?
From: graduate student

Jeanne Hammer, Associate University Librarian for Administration and Policy Development responds...

Thank you for expressing your concern the condition of Cabell Library. The library's administration is very aware that housekeeping services are not keeping pace with the increased traffic in the building. We are discussing the situation with those in VCU's Physical Plant Division responsible for monitoring compliance with the current housekeeping contract's cleaning frequency schedule to see can be done to increase the frequency of cleaning.

For students browsing for books, I suggest the library put up book categories/subject titles on the ends of each bookcase, below the call numbers. This can make it significantly easier to find where we are when looking for books in the library -- after all, we process words much faster than alphanumeric call numbers. Thank you!
From: an undergraduate student

Patricia Selinger, Head, Preservation Department, VCU Libraries, responds...
Thank you for this great suggestion! The Preservation Department is responsible for maintaining the call number guides throughout the stacks. With our stacks overcrowded, we shift collections regularly to make room for new materials. The call number guides become obsolete quickly in this environment. We haven't had subject guides before but we are looking at solutions that will help students browse by subject. Look for posters in the near future.

Public Library of Science (PLoS) journals are high-impact, on-line scientific journals. Has the VCU library considered to become a PLoS institutional member? Becoming one, faculty at VCU would be able to publish scientific articles with a discount. Currently, non-members pay between $1300-2850 per article which with institutional discount would be significantly lower. Perhaps you could find out how much it would cost and what the discount rate would be?
From: a faculty member

Lynne Turman, TML Collections Librarian, replies...
New models of scholarly publishing are emerging in response to the escalating prices of traditional journals and the pressure on budgets of academic libraries. Public Library of Science (PLoS) is an example of an Open Access (OA) publisher whose business model relies on author publication fees and other support to make medical and scientific literature freely available to the public. Institutional memberships in PLoS provide a 10 percent discount on publication fees for affiliated authors. Costs for such a membership are based on the number of articles published in PLoS journals and the number of articles in PubMed from a particular institution. It is estimated that a membership for VCU Libraries would be in the range of $2000 - $3500 per year.

Although we do not currently have a membership to PLoS, VCU Libraries is a Supporting Member in BioMed Central, another pioneering OA publisher, and a founding member of SPARC, the Scholarly Publishing and Academic Resources Coalition. VCU authors who publish in BioMed Central journals receive a 15 percent discount on author fees. VCU Libraries has considered PLoS membership but has decided not to subscribe for the time being as we evaluate the impact of BioMed Central and other experiences in OA. In the future we may be able to consider expanding support for VCU authors through programs such as PLoS if it is determined that the costs provide significant incentives and benefits to our faculty.

For more information on scholarly communication issues such as OA, journal pricing, and author rights, visit the VCU Libraries Copyright and Publishing website. Thank you for contacting us with your comments regarding PLoS.