Cort is the Communications Manager for the Library and CCS.
This column finds students, faculty and staff in the Library stacks and explores how they are using the Library services and facilities, how we’re failing to meet your needs and what you would like to see us improve. We’ll use this space to report how we’ve addressed concerns raised either through this article or through our online comments areas.
Rachael
Location: QH324.2B558 (Fifth floor stacks); section on Bioinformatics.
Rachael is a fourth year bio-med major researching a paper for her molecular genetics course. When researching for a paper, Rachael will often explore the resources available in the immediate proximity of the text books that she’ll be using as primary resources. She would like to be able to browse the shelves online from home as she prefers to use the Library resources remotely. On a similar note, Rachael appreciates the “recommendations” section of Primo; the Amazon-style menu selection that outlines what resources others have been interested that had also searched for that specific book or article.
In first and second year, Rachael would physically visit the Library more frequently than she does now. She attributes that to a couple of factors. In first year, she tended to come to the library with a group of friends that were in the same classes together. They would study as a group in order to share information and learn from each other. This habit carried over into second year. By third and fourth year, Rachael found that she needed more quiet study time. She has learned that if she is not at the library by 8:30 a.m. during exam periods she will not find a seat. This leads to Rachael’s second issue with the Library: lack of study space.
I specifically asked Rachael about certain services and facilities within the Library to see how well we are communicating them to our users. I asked Rachael if she was familiar with the Learning Commons and she wasn’t, but as we talked I learned that she had taken an SLG session for a first year chemistry course. SLG sessions, or Supported Learning Groups, are peer-led study groups designed to help students better understand difficult course material. They are a big part of the library’s learning commons.
I also asked Rachael if she could name a major collection within our Archives. She said she couldn’t, but then admitted that she is related to Lucy Maud Montgomery, the author of Anne of Green Gables. As it turns out, Rachael was quite familiar with the LM Montgomery collection including our collection or journals and first editions.
In addition to better search tools and more study space, Rachael believes that the Library should be open longer hours over the weekends. We should spend less money on collecting new editions of existing text books and more money on expanding student study space.
The Library is, to a certain extent, limited by its current physical footprint. We are, however, examining ways to provide additional study space for students.
If there are other improvements that you would like to see the Library make, send a note to the Ontarion with “Life in the Stacks” as the subject line. Your comments will get to us and will be published in the next column.
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