Please Help

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.

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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