Desktops at the Vanier Library

You wrote:

…The only computers available at this time are located beside the entrance of the library (Loyola).  I understand that the computer room would be a better choice but it always seems to have a class in progress this year.

Thank you for writing to us.  You sent in your comment on a Friday, when there are four sections of SEL 149a taught at the Vanier Library.  (SEL 149a is a course that the Libraries offer with the School of Extended Learning.)  Those classes ended this week and the Vanier Library classroom should be more available for the rest of the term.  Also, there are more workstations on the second floor of the Vanier Library, as well as laptops that you can borrow from the Circulation Desk.

Library classrooms

You wrote:

I have spent the past hour running around the library, trying to find an available computer (downtown library) to do work with little luck, aside from the 10minute computers. I just passed by the little lab (first floor) in the hopes that it’s available but it’s been booked all day.

While I understand you have library skills workshops, is it really necessary for people to actually be on the computers? Just glancing in the window, I think about 5 people out of the entire class were actually on the library page. I do acknowledge the oft-repeated explanation that the lab was created specifically for these workshops, but given the reality that a)people REALLY need computers to do serious research and school work (especially around this time of year), b) are spending a lot of frustratingly wasted time trying to find a computer, and c) people in the workshops are not even using the computers, could this somehow Please be taken into consideration?

thank you

As you say, this issue has been raised before.  Unfortunately, at the downtown library, these are the only classrooms we have.  Every square inch of the library is in high-demand.  If we use the classrooms to give our workshops, we get complaints like yours.  If we book a group study room, we will need to take several laptops out of circulation, so less equipment is available. Furthermore, we get more noise complaints because another group of students will be talking too loudly in the main parts of the library, for lack of a group study room.  

It is a very difficult situation.  All I can suggest for now, is to check out the libraries’ classrooms’ schedules and plan your work around that.  Also, please consider going to the Vanier Library at Loyola or visiting the IITS labs.

Thank you for writing.

Posting classrooms’ schedules online

You wrote:

Dear suggestion box editors,
I would like to know if it’s possible to upload online the schedules for the library workshop rooms (for Vanier and Webster)? It would be nice to know in advance when the rooms are available to  students.
Thank you!

Thank you for your suggestion.  I like it.  🙂  I can see that it may be difficult to do this now, as the classroom bookings are all done by hand and someone would have to manually go to this page to update the schedule.  With three classrooms in the system, it would be very labour-intensive.  However, in the future, it may be something that we can do.  I will forward your suggestion to our Web Services Librarian.  She will definitely know if this is do-able.

In the meantime, please feel free to call either Reference Desk to find out if the classrooms are being used.  Webster’s telephone number is 514.848.2424 ext. 7700 and Vanier’s telephone number is 514.848-2424 ext. 7766.

Library classrooms not computer labs

You wrote:

hello,
during exam period, why are there schedule classes in computer labs (in library) ?
already, there are not enough tables with plugs for laptops….
thanks

Thank you for your question.

It must be frustrating not to find an electrical outlet in the Libraries. However, LB 203, LB 211 and VL 122 are not computer labs; they are library classrooms, used by librarians for instruction sessions. They are primarily for that purpose. When we do not need them for teaching, we open them to students.

Both libraries are currently being re-wired to increase the number of electrical outlets available to students. This should help to alleviate the problem.