Oct 27, 2008
I hope this message doesn't reach some mysterious black hole like my three previous requests have. I would like please for the Library staff at PCC to do something about the constant violation of the rules that have been posted in numerous areas on the first, second and third floors. Specifically, I am extremely frustrated with the lack of enforcement of the third floor's rules against having study-groups, carrying on cellular phone conversations and the excessive noises in general. There are an ample amount of spaces in the library for such items as mentioned above. This online request is following three previous written requests given to the library's staff by me on the 2nd floor. I am hoping that this will publicly bring to light the situation on the third floor's west wing. There is a gross lack of respect and common courtesy from many disruptive people and there also seems to be a lack of concern on the part of the library's staff for those students who are in need of a quiet library. Please either help make this an outstanding place for students to achieve their goals or allow those students who need such a venue to study in the Dean's private office. Thank you and once again, I hope this request does not fall into a black abyss much like my three previous requests.Please do not hesitate to contact me for further help.
Thank you for your email and although I know that you have voiced your concern before, unfortunately those concerns have not been given to me. There is no question that we are struggling with an overcrowded building designed to seat 950 students, The first day of the fall semester, over 8,500 students came into the Library.
We have tried so many things...signage, moving signs, roving cadets, roving staff, public announcements that students said were annoying...but unfortunately we only have 7 librarians and 9 classified staff. We teach 11,000 students in our orientation program so in one week, we did 26 class orientations. At times, frankly, it feels like we are pedaling as fast as we can. As you may have noticed, we have three very busy service desks on three floors.
One thing I have not tried is to block off the stairwell and station a cadet there as students want to go up to the third floor. A cadet could discuss with each student the need for silent study. Although we have numerous cadets, they are really student assistants that are there to observe. Often students ignore them. If anything escalates, then they are to call Campus Police.
Do you have any suggestions for us to try? Until we have a new student center, this building will be impacted. We moved all the carrels to the third floor last year, to "force" quiet areas and although this was very expensive to do, we thought it really helped. I just cannot release a full time staff member from their duties in collection development (buying the books, discarding the books, evaluating the collections, cataloging the books, processing them, etc.) to roam the building on a permanent basis. I will reinstate the roving schedule in the mornings for the third floor.
I appreciate your concerns and welcome your ideas,. I will be meeting with the staff this week and we will explore some other options. Until then, whenever you notice that it is noisy, please come down to the Reference Desk and the Reference Librarian will go up and ask the people to stop talking.
Mary Ann Laun, Library Dean
Thursday, December 11, 2008
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7 comments:
Hi Mary, thank you very much for posting up the "Quiet Zone" signs on the stairs in the library. I also noticed a roving cadet on the third floor's west wing. I've only had to ask four people to please keep their voices down. Things have improved dramatically since I've last contacted you. Please keep up the great work and continue to make progress in keeping this library an uncompromising place for students to study.
Monday I myself went roving three different times and I found that the third floor was incredibly quiet. I think that sometimes it is the time of day and the numbers of people in the building. We are also getting new signs made.
Please come down and ask the Librarian or a cadet to intercede when you need help. We prefer to intercede with students, rather than having you be the bad guy.
Mary Ann Laun
Hi Mary, roving is great, thank you for doing that. However, may I please suggest that you also bring a book, keep your badge in your pocket or try to look as much like a student as possible and actually sit down for 15-30 minutes? You'll catch most of the commotion no doubt.
Thank you for your continued support.
Mary,
The semester is almost over and I have finals to study for. I'm in the reading-rotunda of the library's third floor because of the "no study-group" policy. The rest of the Library is noisier than the street.
I've asked the very nice person at the Reference Desk to help break up the study groups, as all they are doing is laughing and horsing around. I've had to now ask her for help twice to absolutely no avail. Each time anyone comes up to break these study groups, all they do is ask them to "keep it down" and as soon as that person leaves, these same study groups break out into a robust chuckle. It is extremely rude, in my opinion, and though I really hate to be an immature snitch, I feel stooping down to this level is the only way I can get any studying done. Short of leaving your Library and going to the Pasadena Public Library, where it has long since become a day-care center for parents, I don't know what else to do.
I will not be returning back to this campus next semester as I have given up. These excessive noise makers have beaten you, me and your staff. They have ignored your well-intentioned rules and they continue to show zero courtesy for those students who have the ambition to succeed.
Thank you for an entire semester of this cat and mouse game between me, your roving cadets, your reference desk and these rude groups of people on the library's third floor.
I will post my frustrations on your website as well. However, being that the blog posts are moderated and my original concerns from October were not added onto the website, I doubt my latest post will be added either.
My loss
Mary Ann is out sick this week, so I am responding on her behalf. We were under the impression that your e-mails were a direct correspondence with Mary Ann as opposed to a public comment. We are happy to post your comments on our blog.
We are all sorry that our efforts fall on deaf ears as well. The noise is a continuous battle and we apologize that it has had a negative impact on your experience at the Library. We certainly will not stop trying to find solutions as we do want to make the Shatford Library a comfortable space for everyone.
Best wishes on your future endeavors,
Leslie Tirapelle
Systems Librarian
I agree with Mary Ann - it depends on the time of day. If I were doing a sociological study, I'd conclude that all the (explicative removed) can only stand being in a library between 11 AM to 7 PM. Not sure why people are such jerks and why their schedules are so dubious. (Though I have theories.)
Anyway, come early and come late - that is my advice to the serious student.
Also, I am impressed with the rovers. At other college campuses that I have been to, implementing a rover system was hard-fought (like three years hard-fought in one case). Mary Ann reinstated it overnight, it looked like. But again, rovers are very helpful, but it only takes 2 to 4 (explicative removed) to ruin it for 400 people. Try coming in when those (explicative removed) are still sleeping (mornings) or partying (evenings).
Life is a cruel beast sometimes. Too bad corporal punishment is outlawed for these types of offenses...
Thanks to everyone for caring.
how about expanding the PCC library?
I attended Cal State La and their library is huge. I mean you can fit the PCC library in the Cal State library 3 times over. I walk into the PCC library and I see students studying really close and all bunched up together.
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