Group study rooms not soundproof

You wrote:

Hello,

Whenever their are multiple members of groups in study rooms, they are usually very loud, and do not appreciate the fact that the rooms are not soundproof and in the library. It would be nice if the rules were clearly explained to individuals who wish to book a room please.

Thank you

Thank you for pointing this out. You are correct, the group study rooms are not soundproof.  With the upcoming renovations, the group study rooms will be improved.

Vanier Library viewing room

You wrote:

I feel that the former multimedia “viewing” room on the second floor of the
Vanier library is being shamefully wasted for group study sessions. It is way
too large to be used by only a few students at a time, and I know many
students liked to use that room for quiet studying.

Thank you for writing.  The Vanier Library is generally roomy and quiet. So there is not as much demand for quiet study space.  This is why it was decided to turn that room into a group study room.  You can see more comments here.

Group study room numbers

You wrote:

Hi, I would suggest that after booking a room at the library, you show the room number in the next page. Another thing, some people book for more than one room either by mistake or carelessness. So, if you could just give a permission for each student ID to book for not more than one room it will be good idea.

Many thanks

Thank you for your suggestion.  If you do not have a chance to jot down the group study room number while you are booking it, you can retrieve it in MyCLUES.

It is true that students are permitted to make up to three bookings at a time.  This is so that they can plan ahead for their group work.  Bookings can be cancelled in MyCLUES.

More information on booking a group study room can be found here.  For those of you that have never booked a group study room, here is a short video that shows you how it’s done.

Concordia IDs

You wrote:

Please post something on the webpage explaining the new policy on IDs: is the ID requirement (for admission to the Webtser Library) a temporary measure or a permanent one? Is it possible to post something on the website to tell us WHY this measure was adopted? There are a lot of rumours… but I have not seen anything official on this new policy.

Thanks for your request. You are right, the What’s New information on  our web site needed some clarification.  Requiring Concordia IDs is not a new policy, it is a temporary measure until April 20,  aiming at ensuring maximum study space for Concordia students during the busiest part of exam time. We’ve tried to answer any lingering questions and make the information a bit more clear and friendly in our latest What’s New announcement  posted on the homepage.

Bring back key system for group study rooms

You wrote:

Hello library staff, i would like to suggest for the return of the key system for the study rooms having the ability to lock the room makes it eaier to safe guard our valuables please bring back the key system bck for the study rooms as soon as pssible

Thank you for your suggestion.  It has been passed on to the Libraries’ Administration.

Group Study Rooms: Voices Carry

Two of you wrote about our group study rooms:

Although the Study Rooms are designated Blue Zones, individuals making use of these rooms  are often very loud and disruptive, both while making use of these rooms and while entering and exiting… I think there should be limits to how noisy people can be while using study rooms, as they are adjacent to other Blue Study spaces, and everyone can hear them.

and

Would it be possible to please sound proof the study rooms? I get so tired of working near them them and hearing their complete discussion and laughter. Especially if I’m in the graduate study room where it is nice and quiet and I hear all sorts of laughter from the adjoining wall. Plus it gets so annoying because they are located in the blue areas where it is complete silence and yet it’s not silent because there is noise from the study rooms. If I wanted to hear talking, I would study in the orange zones or a coffee shop.

Thanks for the feedback.  I wish I could offer a perfect solution to this vexing problem, but I have to admit that there simply isn’t one at the moment.  There are signs in the  group study rooms alerting students to the fact that the spaces are not soundproof and that conversations should be quiet.  Yet these rooms are the only areas  in the Libraries which have actually been designated for collaborative group work and talk, so maintaining acceptable levels of quiet can be a challenge.  If it weren’t for the current space constraints,  silent study areas would most likely not be adjacent to these naturally noisy rooms.  The inconvenience caused by this proximity will certainly be kept in mind in the Libraries’ ongoing space planning and noise-reduction efforts.

You might already know all about the blue zones which are situated at a better distance from those group study rooms, but I will point out a few just in case: the study hall on the 2nd [main] floor of Webster Library, just past the book drop and beside the stairs;  the blue zones on the 3rd floor of Webster, where there is a Viewing Room in one corner but no group study rooms;  the blue zones at Vanier Library, all of which are set further apart from the group study rooms.  You can always take a look at our study zone maps to find blue zones,  and at our at floor plans to locate the group study rooms. Be sure to stop by at a service desk if you need help deciphering the maps.

Viewing room in the Vanier Library

You wrote:

Hi,

I am disapointed with the recent transformation of the second floor media room (VL-203) into a group study room. I have used that room for study purposes for over 2 years now. It is a great room (quiet, large with access to computers) and it seems like a great waste to make it a group study room, when so many people like myself have relied on it for free study.  Please consider making it open to everyone again!

Thank you for your email.  I agree that it was nice to have that room as a computer lab.  However, the computers in VL 203 did not belong to the library but to IITS.  They were not being maintained and therefore users could not count on them to work well.  Since, generally speaking, the Vanier Library is quiet and spacious, it was felt that the room could be put to better use as a group study room.  We only have seven group study rooms at Loyola and students absolutely need more such spaces where they can discuss things.  In VL 203, with it’s large-screen TV,  they can also practice for presentations.  We have a similar room in the Webster Library and it is very well used.  You can see student response to that room here and here.

Room Numbers on MyCLUES, Please!

You wrote:

I have a simple suggestion to make.  Once I have reserved a group study room, I usually go to MyCLUES to get the details in order to e-mail my team mates. My problem is that I am not able to see the room number that was reserved. Would it be possible to add this detail next to the date and time that the study room was reserved on MyCLUES?

Thanks very much for you great suggestion. You are not the only one who wishes room numbers appeared on the MyCLUES screen for room bookings. We also think that this would be a logical and useful feature. Unfortunately, the library system software we are using does not currently offer this option.  The room number display is definitely something on our wish list though, and perhaps with the next software upgrade this feature will be offered.

In the meantime, your best options might be to note down the room number just before clicking on Submit to process your reservation,  to text your friends with the info once you have picked up the key at the Circulation Desk. You can also phone the Circulation Desk at local 7770  to find out  about the room number, since the ‘staff view’ does  show the room number.

And some related news for those of you who often use the  study room booking feature: we have now added “Book  a Study Room”  to the Quick Links menu on the web site.

Webster 3rd Floor Curriculum Collection and chalk-boards

You wrote:

The books in the curriculum lab should be listed on the catalog as a separate category so that one can search for a specific topic.

Some of the study rooms should have black boards or wipe off boards to make studying for math or being tutored or group work easier.

In reply to your first suggestion, we are presently working on CLUES’s search interface to enhance searching options in this collection. In the meantime, Christopher Bober, Education Librarian, replied:

Thank you for drawing our attention to this important issue. Concordia Libraries does maintain a number of separate collections in CLUES under the heading of ‘Unique Collections’. The Webster Library 3^rd floor Curriculum Resource Centre is indeed a unique collection of materials. Classifying the Curriculum Resource Centre as a unique collection will increase the overall browsability and visibility of the collection. However, the Education Librarian is concerned that classifying these items as unique collections in CLUES will render them even less retrievable than they are now. Currently, one of the few useful limit fields available on CLUES is by material type ‘Kits’. Limiting a search to ‘Kits’ will retrieve items in the Curriculum Resource Centre, but ‘Kits’ represent a very limited number of items in that collection.

For the moment, students who search CLUES for materials located in the Webster Library 3^rd Floor Curriculum Resource Centre are recommended to search by their topic and then limit to one of the following subject headings: (activity programs, creative activities and seat work, educational games, lesson planning, juvenile literature, juvenile fiction, interdisciplinary approach in education, etc.). For more information, please contact Christopher Bober, Education Librarian: chris.bober@concordia.ca.

As for your second suggestion, it has been passed on to the Webster Library’s administration. FYI, the group study rooms at the Vanier Library have chalk boards. Chalk is available at the Vanier Library Circulation Desk.

Thank you for taking the time to write to us.

Study Room a Mess

You wrote

Today, we used a study room downtown and frankly, it was very dirty and not fun to use for that reason. I think it would be important to add cleaning staff during the weekend especially since the library is opened 24hours. I can understand not having the place cleaned at night during the week but going from friday night to monday morning without proper care…..not
sure it’s the best way to go to keep the place in good shape.

Thanks for your comment. We investigated and found out that there was unfortunately a missed cleaning shift on the weekend due to illness. This may in part account for the state of the study room you used.  Hopefully the next time you will have a better experience, but do alert us if this happens again.

I wonder if the “very dirty” relates to food or drink containers left in the room by some of your fellow students?  If so, your post offers a good opportunity to remind or alert everyone that though we allow drinks in spill proof mugs, we have a ‘no food’ policy in the library (see “Keep the Environment Clean” in our Library  Code of Conduct).  There are many reasons for this policy; the right to  a comfortable work environment for all users is just one of them.  Thanks again for keeping us informed.