“More Inside” in CLUES

You wrote:

When I’m researching a topic, I love using the “More Inside” feature since I can look at the table of contents and find out right away if the book is
relevant to my research. Are there any future plans to extend this feature to the older books in the library’s collection? I realize it would take a significant amount of work but I think it would help many students.

Thank you for your continued efforts. They are very appreciated.

Thank you for your feedback on the “More Inside” feature in CLUES. Clicking on the image of a book cover in CLUES can lead to a table of contents, a review, a summary, and sometimes even a chapter of the book.  

Yes, we are looking at ways to bring similar information about our older books into CLUES. We realize how useful this feature is! I am glad it helps you with your research. Thank you for writing.

Noise in the Blue Zones

Recently, a few people have written to tell us that there is still some noise in the Blue Zones. Here are some comments we have had:

#1: Hello, I come to the library about 3-5 times a week and 1 out of those 5 times I encounter a group of people yelling and acting obnoxiously in the blue zone where the cubicles are located. Where can I report them? Is it
possible to “ban” someone from the library?

#2: The noise level in the blue zone is still bad. People are talking as if they were the only ones in the library, the phones are ringing, people are having
conversations on the phone, in the blue zones! More enforcement would be greatly appreciated, especially on the fourth floor.

#3: Hi, I would like to point out that there is a lot of noise still in the blue zones on the fourth floor, I don’t understand why no one is “policing” the area. Aren’t “library staff responsive to noise concerns”. It is impossible to concentrate with people talking! Isn’t a library supposed to be a place for everyone to study without noise? How are we supposed to study and where
are we supposed to study if the only place that’s supposed to be quiet isn’t it?

Thank you all for your comments. We know that there is still some noise in the Blue Zones. Please feel welcome to report the situation to staff at any service desk  at the  Library. Staff can intervene or call security if need be.

Future Plans for the Library

You wrote:

Hi, I was wondering about a few things concerning our great library.
What are the future plans for the library? Will it have more capacity and boast more floors? More quiet study spaces for undergraduate students?
Hope that the library will keep getting better and better, it is on a great track!

Thank you for your questions and comments about the Library. We are pleased to hear that you feel the library is on the right track. The Library is always seeking ways to provide new study spaces as one of its topmost priorities. Unfortunately, no more floors in the LB Building are presently available, but last term we did manage to add some 120 square metres of additional study space for students, while also allowing some important adjustments to library operations. We continue to look for ways to make further improvements on both campuses with our limited resources – suggestions welcome!

Study Zones

You wrote:

I am really impressed with the different study zones. I also enjoy studying at McGill, their facility is great but I feel without this type of system in place, noise in terms of chatting is heard everywhere. This system allows students to realize boundaries and empowers students, if in a Blue Zone, to ask their peers to quiet down. Thanks!

Thank you for writing. I am glad that you are able to study productively in the new Study Zones.

Noise from Above

You wrote:

Hello, I am sure this has been brought up in the past, but why is it that we hear children playing and screaming on top of the blue zone on the fourth floor in the morning? It is incredibly distracting. Could there be any alternative to this problem?

Thanks for your comment. Indeed, we are aware of the situation and we are working on a solution to this problem.

Internet Speed

You wrote:

Internet reception and speed is very slow, many times it never even loads the websites you are visiting. It is very unreliable. Since if you were to use the library to take an online exam, some course exams if the connection is lost, it incurs a big problems with resheduling an online exam and so on. please look into this situation.

Thanks for your comment. The speed slows down in the peak periods of the day when we experience the highest levels of traffic.

Elevator Noise

Sometimes students ask about the noise made by elevators in the libray building. Recently, one student wrote:

Why is it that the elevators make noise when they arrive at the floors, isn’t a library supposed to be quiet? Can this be fixed?

We can’t make the elevators any quieter. The “ding” you hear is actually at the lowest possible volume, and it allows people with visual impairments to use the elevators.

Animation Books

You wrote:

Hi, I wanted to know why half the animation related collection is at the Vanier Library when the school of animation, as a part of the Cinema School is downtown. It’s very hard to use any of them as quick reference when you have to request them every time you need to consult them and then have to wait a day or two to actually get the book.

Some books on animation are housed at the Vanier Library because they have been purchased to support courses and research in Communication Studies, a department that is on the Loyola campus. Many books in the Libraries’ collections have relevance to students on both campuses. It sounds like you are already familiar with the “Request” feature in the CLUES catalogue, which is the best way (other than the shuttle bus!) to get the library books you need when they are at the other campus.

Thank you for writing.

Blue Zones

You wrote:

GREAT GREAT GREAT!!!!No more noise in the blue zones!!!

I am glad you like the Blue Zones. Thanks for letting us know.

Computers in LB-203

You wrote:

Hello,

I need to know why the orientation room is usually locked even with no orientations. I think you can put up online tutorials on youtube if someone needs help using the services. There’s no need for 24 good computers to be locked up for a small group of people, even late in october, while the rest of us wait in line in the main corridor.

The orientation room (LB-203) at the Webster Library will re-open for student use on Monday, October 26.