Wall signs for blue zone

You wrote:

can we have WALL signs for the blue zone on the second floor where the computers are?
people are clever here and they take little orange signs with them and place them where they want to have conversations, like little flags they can plant when they conquer an area

Thank you for your email.  You are right, some students do try to get away with that.  It reminds me of the “old days” when restaurants had smoking and non-smoking sections.  In some places, the ashtray on the table indicated that it was “smoking”, no ashtray meant “non-smoking”….. 

Both libraries have tent signs and wall signs to indicate that the area is blue or orange.  In fact, we recently got beautiful new signs, designed by a Concordia student.

Noise update

In early February, a student, unhappy with the noisy situation at the downtown library, started a Facebook group, in support of a silent library.  Many posted on the Facebook page and sent in comments to the Libraries Suggestion Box As of this morning, the FB group has 415 members.  One of them being Guylaine Beaudry, the Director of the Webster Library.  Ms. Beaudry has corresponded and met with the students.  Here is what she posted on the FB page late last week:

Message from Guylaine Beaudry, Director, Webster Library

Thank you all of you for your suggestions and comments on how to improve the quality of the study spaces in the Webster Library. The library, in collaboration with [two students] and CSU representatives serving on the Library Services Fund Committee, has taken the following two actions in response to your expressed needs. 1- As of Monday, March 18, and until the end of the semester, an extra security agent will patrol the Webster Library from 11:00 a.m. to 20:00 p.m., seven days/week, except over the Easter holiday .
2- In the library, you will soon see new signage prepared by [a student] to reinforce the message about silence in Blue Zones. We will assess these measures at the end of the semester. Please continue to use this Facebook Group page to share your thoughts!

You may also continue to send your suggestions to the Libraries’ Suggestion Box!

Student sets up FB page to support silence

You wrote:

Please monitor the blue zones. The amount of people constantly talking is disturbing. I simply don’t understand why people come to the library to socialize. This is the only place where I’d expect a quiet place to study. Every day I have to tell people to go talk elsewhere, and I am tired of being polite with people who disrespect the rules in place.

and

The library is so noisy. students are constantly talking to their neighbours, talking on their cell phones and making noise in the blue zones. … What should I do?

and

The Webster library at Concordia used to be a great place to study up until a few years ago; now, however, it is anything but a quiet place it is meant to be.
There are a considerable number of people that have absolutely no respect for those who are there to get a few hours studying done; not only use of cell phones and talking out loud have become completely normal, but some idiots even play songs on their computers and bang on the wall like animals. I believe this is certainly not the first complaint regarding the noise issue, and I am positive that responsible personnel are doing everything possible to solve this problem…but enough is enough.

and…

Hi,

I am an undergraduate student in Political Science. Many students don’t respect silent study zones in the library and it can be very frustrating for other students.

I do understand that the funds for staff to enforce silence in the library might be lacking, so I thought that maybe students could participate in enforcing the silent rule of the blue zones. I created a Facebook page where students could join together so as to stand for these places to remain silent while they are present.

Could it be possible for you to advertise the Facebook page and invite students to join it. If not, do you have any other strategies to enforce the library rules?

Here is a link to the Facebook page: https://www.facebook.com/groups/162963260518733/

If you have any request of change in order to promote it, it will be a pleasure to comply with your requests.

Thank you very much for taking this initiative.  As we continue to look for ways to improve the situation, it is good to see students also accepting some of the
responsibility in ensuring that the Libraries remain a place of serious study.

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.

Library patrols every 15 minutes?

You wrote:

Please have someone from the library staff patrol the library every 15 minutes and kick out anyone who is talking. Every area of the library for some reason always has at least one group of people talking and disrupting everyone else who is trying to study quietly.

Thank you for your comment.  Soon, library staff will re-start its regular rounds through the library during the work day, to ensure that the Libraries’ Code of Conduct is respected and understood.  Unfortunately, walk-abouts every 15 minutes are simply not feasable or realistic.  However, the Libraries are working at long-term solutions to the noise problem.  You may have noticed that a significant proportion of the Webster collection has been transferred to the Vanier Library at Loyola.  This is to liberate some much-needed study space downtown.  Both libraries are in the planning stages for major redesign and reducing noise levels is a definite objective.

In the meantime, please remember that the library has two types of study zones: silent Blue Zones and quiet Orange Zones. Be sure to choose the area that works best for you. When problems arise:  talk to staff at one of our service desks or use Ask a Librarian to talk online with someone in real time.  After library service hours, you can also contact a security agent.

Let’s all work together to create an environment that is suited for academic work.

Plea for silence

You wrote:

On Wednesday, July 18, 2012 I came to the 3rd fl of the library at 10.30 a.m. hoping to do some studies at the desk with double computer screens so that I could write on one screen and google for information on the other. On my right there were two young girls talking away constantly while they were doing their work….

…Please try to keep the library quiet so that we can concentrate in our studies. I am not able to concentrate when there is noise, although there are others who can work better when the music is on. I have two assignments and one test next week. It is important that I keep up with the pace of my work in order to maintain my grades.

Thank you.

Thank you for your email. I am sorry that you could not enjoy a quiet day at the library yesterday. Please report any instances of noise to staff, even if it occurs more than once. Your message very clearly explains the need for silent study space. Good luck with your coursework.

Your Take on Chairs

Some of you have had chairs on your mind lately. You wrote:

The Vanier library has recently gotten new white chairs for the computers. While things may look spiffy and matching, they really don’t fit the tables at all, making you have to strain to reach the keyboard (try it- the size difference is not natural and very uncondusive to working). I would have thought something as elementary as measuring the distance and actually trying out the chairs with the computer tables BEFORE buying the set, would have been done. I have been working here for only about half an hour, and already my back and shoulders are killing me. At least the other chairs (which were perfectly functional) were adjustable. This is unnecessary and frustrating- we would rather have old but functioning chairs, than fashionable but useless ones.

and

The new chairs placed on the first floor of Vanier library are a disgrace… terribly uncomfortable… I recognize the need to remove the wooden chairs as they were noisy but the grey fabric chairs were comfortable and excellent… myself and many others are extremely disappointed with the change to these new, cheap, uncomfortable, impractical chairs…the few grey chairs that remain in Vanier should not be removed but saved for those that want to be comfortable when studying.

Thanks for your comments about these two different sets of chairs at Vanier Library.  The new chairs in the computer classroom were tested before they were purchased.  During one month, students were asked to fill out a survey to evaluate a number of different chair samples in the library.  The chair models selected were those that were given the highest ratings in the approximately 100 student survey responses we received.  At the moment, however, there is a set of computer tables that are a bit higher than standard.  These will be adjusted during the summer.  In addition, we are considering purchasing chairs with adjustable height so that everyone can find one that fits.

The new chairs in the study areas on the first floor at Vanier replaced the older wooden chairs, which as some of you pointed out previously, were deemed creaky and uncomfortable.  The grey upholstered chairs you mention are still in the library, they were just moved to the second floor.

Since both long- and short-term renovation projects are planned for Concordia Libraries, we would like to hear from more of you:   What do you think about the chairs in the two libraries, and what would you consider both practical and comfortable in any new chairs that might be purchased for the study tables and computer workstations? Specific examples from other libraries or study spaces are welcome.

Tables and Chairs in the Lobby

You wrote:

What a great idea to place tables on the 2nd floor lobby at Webster! It adds more study space AND discourages people from talking on their cellphones there. Will they only be there for exam period, or can this be a permanent thing? (I hope it is the latter).

Thanks for your feedback. It’s good to hear that you appreciate this move. The addition of the tables and chairs was prompted by the exam time space crunch, but it is likely that they will remain there beyond the exam period.

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.

“Bing” goes the elevator!

You wrote:

I agree that people with visual impairments need to know if they are going up or down. But is it possible to stop the “ding” on the elevators from the forth floor? People who take the elevator there perfectly know that it cannot go to any floors above. These elevators only go down…

and

Is it possible to make the sound of elevator in the library a little bit low? It is really annoying to me while I am studying at the library each time the sound (bing bing) hit in my head and I cannot focus while reading or studying.

Thank you for your comments.  This issue has been raised before in our Suggestion Box.  The sound you hear is at the lowest possible volume.  It allows people with visual disabilities to know that the elevator door is open, regardless of whether the lift is going up or down.