Tell Us: Library Customer Suggestions

Good study tables replaced with colorful booths     Tue, 2015-08-25

I returned to our fantastic library to find nearly all the good study tables on the 3rd floor replaced with the colorful booths. The booths are not well designed for hours of learning, lack multiple outlets on the table, and in addition, promote a space to nap/sleep which is should not be the goal of the library on a professional campus. Not only does it promote these activities but it encourages those activities by patrons who do not pay for or support the library, much less use the library as a gathering place to learn. Thank you for keeping the tables near the north bathrooms on the third floor but it would be great if the booths that appear to be more designed for ambiance than function could be replaced with the black topped wooden tables that are few and far between at the library. Or if the tables that were moved from the third floor could be located on the 2nd floor. Thank You.

Thank you for your comment.

We may have options on 3rd floor to rearrange and swap some of the booths with study tables and create a mix in the area you are talking about. We will take a look and see what we can move around. It may take some time to accomplish this.

Our library IT department has recently installed new outlet options in one of our teaching labs, and I think we may be able to try a similar tech gadget solution on the booth tables and other study tables in the library which do not have the same sort of center outlets the black topped tables provided. We will pursue that and seek enhancements. Thank you for pointing this out.

The library polled student users last year about the booths and two new study cubicles on 3rd floor. We received overwhelmingly positive comments about the booths and a desire for more of them. Sample observations by library staff and feedback from other students suggest that studying there longer hours is comfy and effective for some and many students occupy the booths throughout the day for learning. Students are diverse and so are learning styles and study preferences.

The library's conduct policy discourages sleeping and prohibits habitual sleeping. We will place table tents and signage in the area to remind users of this. If and when library staff see unaffiliated users sleeping, we are waking them up and informing them of policy and/or asking them to leave. I recognize and respect that University students pay a lot and I feel students can nap a bit in the library, no questions asked. It is different with habitual sleeping and we have acted on this and will continue to inform people of our policy to curb sleeping. If you notice people sleeping, please alert our service desk staff to go address it. Our goal with the booths was not to promote sleeping but provide a different style and type of study furniture which is very popular in academic libraries.

The library's mission is to support an environment conducive to learning and study. The building is open to the public and the majority of unaffiliated users are in the library doing their own research and work. We continue to monitor the issues of loitering and use of the facility by unaffiliated users and University administrators are working with us. When you see something, please say something and we will do something to the degree we can. You can report problems to service staff on desk and feel free to ask for library management Mon-Fri, 9 a.m. – 4:30 p.m.

I am glad to speak with you anytime. You can email me or ask for me at the service desk.

Sincerely,

Douglas Stehle, Head of Access. 303-724-2139, douglas.stehle@ucdenver.edu.

   
Thank you.
Non-students loitering     Wed, 2015-08-19

Hello,

I am a student here on the Anschutz medical campus who uses the library as my primary place of study. For the past 3 days there have been a couple of non-students loitering on the 3rd floor of the library. They have not disturbed us per say, but they spend most of the day here not doing anything in particular. It makes me uncomfortable to even go use the bathroom as I am concerned for my possessions. I spend close to 40 hours a week in the library and it should not be the norm for me to have to pack up my stuff anytime I need to go to the bathroom. I understand this is a public building, but these floors are meant for studying and students to feel comfortable.

Thank you for the comment.

We agree that the library and its public floors are meant for studying and an environment comfortable and conducive to research for students, faculty and all University users as well as visitors. The library and University administration are aware of the past and present challenge of select unaffiliated users in the library. We are monitoring and assessing the situation. If you believe someone is going to commit a crime, please call campus police.  If you believe someone is violating the Library’s Conduct Policy, please report this to the service desk.

Responsibility for possessions lies with each and every user. The library and campus police always recommend that personal belongings not be left unattended in any campus building public space. I realize this can be inconvenient but no one should assume a level of security for unattended belongings. One possible option, if you are studying in areas with other students nearby is consider asking them to keep an eye on your possessions if you take a short break.

Please feel free to speak with our library director in the Library Administration office on 3rd floor, or ask for a department head at our service desk to discuss these concerns.

Thank you.
Library Leadership Team

 

   
Thank you.
A-Z Journals     Wed, 2015-08-19

What would be great is having on the A-Z Journals page a column with maybe my 20 recent journal searches so it would be easy to go back without having to search for them again.

Thank you so much for this suggestion.

It’s a great idea – but also a major project!  We keep a “wish list” of projects for HSL IT to work on and we will add this to our list. We have a vendor, currently Serials Solutions, that provides our A to Z Journals page.  Since they do not currently provide us with the functionality you describe, what we would need to do is build our own custom journal search web page. This web page would track recent Serials Solutions journal searches and present those titles to end users who want this type of function.

We have other web projects in process, and ideally this “recent searches” function could be part of something else we are looking to create. Meanwhile, as a temporary workaround what you can always user your browser to bookmark any journal results page in HSL’s Find Journals A to Z journals list. For specific pages on only one particular title, you can do search on the ISSN of any journal and bookmark it (for example, Nature Genetics is 1061-4036).

Jeff Kuntzman
Head, Library IT

   
Thank you.
Subscription Renewal/Securing 2nd Floor/Nap Pods     Tue, 2015-08-04

1.  I would appreciate the Library looking into renewing a subscription with the Journal of Computational Biology.

2.  Also securing the second floor to only students would be a nice addition to making students feel safe and secure in the building.

3.  The third item is the investment in nap pods. It would be preferable to keep these in the secure student area. Nap pods are used by top companies like Google, Apple, & Facebook to improve productivity.

Thank you for your comments.

We can certainly review the journal title and our Collection Management Department will reach out to you to speak about it. You can also make suggestions for the collection on our website @ https://hslibrary.ucdenver.edu/collections/suggest.

In regards to the second floor, this suggestion has popped up a couple times in the past and the library is still considering. We do have materials on the second floor which we feel should be accessible to the public and non-University researchers. The costs of renovating things to control access to the second floor or trying to enforce such a policy with staff seems too high and could create more bureaucracy and problems than it is worth.  For these reasons, the library is going to look at other options before restricting access to specific floors.  Safety and security does and should exist in all parts of the building. If you are having problems, please ask to speak with Library Administration about your specific concern.

In regards to nap pods, the Library does not see its mission to be a place for sleeping and there are many other competing priorities for our budget and other emerging visions of how to dedicate space within the building. However, this request has come up a couple of times in previous years and the library is interested in providing services that would be useful to our users.  As we work with stakeholders, we’ll get input from others about this idea too.

Thank you,

Library Leadership.

   
Thank you.
Board Vitals     Mon, 2015-07-27

1.  I used the Board Vitals for a few minutes, and found it very helpful.  The explanations were great, and I think would help me focus my studies.

2.  These PANCE questions are great! I would love to have more questions so I could answer a few of them every day.

3. Boards Vitals would be a great additional resource to help students prep for boards! It is easy to navigate and I like the explanations it gives! Thank you!!

 

Thank you for the feedback on Board Vitals!  We love to hear from our user community about trial resources.  Please let us know if you notice any issues or have additional comments.

Yumin Jiang
Head, Collection Management
yumin.jiang@ucdenver.edu, 303-724-2137

   
Board Vitals     Tue, 2015-07-07

1.  Using Board Vitals. Questions are really challenging and the user interface is good. No errors yet or anything.

2.  The new Board Vitals test prep/question bank resources is pretty awesome. I only tried it a few minutes ago and I'm already impressed. I like that it categorizes questions so that you can test yourself on topics you have already covered in class. Plus it is very user friendly.

Thanks!!!

3. I am writing to say how much I value the Board Vitals prep questions!  It is a great way to prep for upcoming boards and I really appreciate the in-depth explanation of answers and variety of questions.  I sure hope you keep the program going!

Best regards,

 

 

 

Thank you for the feedback on Board Vitals!  We love to hear from our user community about trial resources.  Please let us know if you notice any issues or have additional comments.

Yumin Jiang
Head, Collection Management
yumin.jiang@ucdenver.edu, 303-724-2137

 

   
Thank you.
Library Software     Wed, 2015-06-24

Thank you so much for adding SAS software to the library computers! Many of us in health sciences use this resource, but find it either too expensive or inoperable on Mac computers. I'm thrilled it's now available at the library. Thanks!

Thank you for this feedback!

We are happy to hear that having SAS software in the library is helpful to our Health Sciences constituents. We acquired five licenses of SAS software after hearing that use of SAS is specifically required in some campus coursework. Please let us know of any other types of software useful for in-library workstations that would be helpful for the students, faculty, and research community of the Anschutz Medical Campus. We can't accommodate every circumstance or request but we'll do our best!

Jeff Kuntzman
Head, Library IT
jeff.kuntzman@ucdenver.edu
303.724.2126
University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus, Health Sciences Library

 

   
Thank you.
Cleaning Staff     Mon, 2015-06-01

To whom it may concern,

Over this past year in medical school, I have greatly appreciated the service of Mrs. Maria Parra. She cleans the library and is the most pleasant woman I have met on the cleaning staff. I see her several times per week while studying here and I know that, in addition to cleaning, she also surveys the library to keep students safe. She has told me about one time when she found someone drinking in the library and reported it. She also watches over our belongings; if she's cleaning in the area, I feel safe to get up and use the restroom leaving my things behind for a brief moment.

She does her work above and beyond expectations… [snip].

Kind regards.

Thank you so much for your comment.

We think Maria is awesome too, and she has always gone above and beyond the call of duty as one of the library's custodians. She is a great steward helping to keep our library safe and sound. She is fabulous and keeps the library looking great and very tidy. We hope to keep Maria as long as possible.

Thank you so much, and I know Maria will appreciate the kudos and praise.

Douglas M. Stehle
Head of Access Services
MLIS, Assistant Professor Health Sciences Library
CU Anschutz Medical Campus
Office phone: 303-724-2139

 

   
Thank you.
Increasing Homeless Population     Tue, 2015-04-21

Thank you for your feedback.  The Library’s leadership recognizes the growing sense of frustration among some patrons in response to the presence of non-affiliated users in the building.  The Library is open to the public as a state-funded and supported institution on a public university campus, but that access does not allow individuals to create an unsafe or insecure  environment, or disrupt operations.  

Library staff have been instructed to be vigilant about disruptions, and we will act accordingly.  It is also essential that we do this in partnership with you, our users.  When you see something that concerns you, say something to our staff immediately so that we can respond.  Users are also welcome to reach out directly to the Police by calling 303-724-4444 to report disruptive or inappropriate behaviors. The Police have committed to responding.

In instances where non-affiliated individuals have attempted to gain access to the building at times other than when we are open to the public, it is critical that users NOT extend that access and immediately report the incident.  It is also critical that the Police be called immediately if users see someone in the building after hours who is not a CU Anschutz student, staff or faculty member.  Such individuals are expected to wear and/or have on them their campus ID badge.

If any situation makes you feel uncomfortable or concerned for your safety, remove yourself and advise Library staff or call the Police immediately at 303-724-4444.  Please note that there are yellow “panic button” devices located on walls throughout the building and red emergency phones located near the restrooms on all floors which may be used to alert the Police, Library staff and others to any safety concerns.

The Library’s leadership is working closely with leaders in the Police Dept., Legal Affairs, Chancellor’s Office, and Facilities, among other units, to propose recommendations for campus leadership’s consideration in response to the increased use of campus facilities by non-affiliated users, noting that this is a campus-wide issue that is not limited to the Library building.

If you would like to discuss this further, please feel free to contact us directly.

Melissa De Santis
Deputy Director
melissa.desantis@ucdenver.edu or (303) 724-1748.

Douglas Stehle
Head of Access
Douglas.stehle@ucdenver,edu or 303-724-2139

Comments:

1.  Although your answer is amazingly PC it does not address the fact that we pay 20-40k per year per person to use this facility.  I have witnessed these indigent people check out school materials and play with them like toys, consume alcohol and have a family picnic in the middle of the main area.  The "public" computers are now completely off limits to those who pay for the ability to use them due to the fact they are permanently occupied.  I understand that "state funds" are used to help run the school.  However, state funds are also used to run shelters, food banks and all of the other services that are supplied for them.  I fail to understand why this is such a problem to fix.  Lastly, there is a "Public Library" 1 mile down the road.

2.  The homeless population has continued to increase and it reflects poorly on this campus as a place of higher education. Some of them smell absolutely terrible and it is to the point where I have had to move because it was so offensive.

3. I am a professional student here on campus and I am a person who was homeless as a child.  I visited libraries constantly during that time, sometimes daily, and was never made to feel as if I was unwelcome.  Thanks to those librarians and the tax-paying public I was able to educate myself and imagine a better future.

I would like to thank the library staff and the university for treating these homeless people like the equal citizens that they are.  Since our library is a public library, I'm glad that the public has access to our resources during public hours.

I'm grateful for all of the measures in place to make sure that we students feel safe.  I wish that I'd had this feeling of safety years ago. This exposure to the culture of poverty is going to end up opening the eyes of some of my peers.

4. As health science student that frequents the Health Science Library, it is becoming apparent that Health Science Library has an increasing problem with homeless/people of less means. On any given day the first floor has many homeless/people of less means loitering. Many are sleeping, eating, talking, using the computers for enjoyment (watching YouTube), etc. Unfortunately this population is a distraction to an environment that is supposed to foster knowledge and learning in a quite/safe place.

As a student, I don’t feel comfortable for myself or other health science students. I’m concerned with student safety and theft. For example, one of the schools on the campus require students to purchase a new MAC costing almost $2000 dollars. If studying alone at the library and the need to use the restroom arises, how does one prevent theft? I understand it is very expensive to keep a library open, but by accepting public funds to keep the library open, the school has created a homeless problem campus. Moreover, for prospective students touring the campus, the homeless problem could lead to non-selection of CU. Is this the image CU wants to portray?

Lastly, I noticed the library is now staffing an off duty police officer.

This too creates the sense that the school/library are aware of the problem and the library is NOT safe for health science students. I pay over $20,000 per semester to attend school on the health science campus. I should feel comfortable in all buildings, walking around campus, and ALL students deserve the same.

Please take corrective action at the library before the homeless problem spreads to the rest of the campus. If I don’t see change, I believe this issue will need to be addressed in a larger forum with CU administers.

Respectfully,
A concerned student

5. Regarding the homeless people: I don't mean to sound heartless or mean but the library has become an uncomfortable place to study with the amount of homeless people present. It is a safety concern when we are being asked to let them in when we come before and after library hours, every time I say "No" how do I know they are not going to come after me when I leave at night. They are on the couches sometime second floor and many times on the third floor and snorting while they are sleep disturbing other students (and I've seen students getting frustrated), and I feel that we pay so much money to go to this school but now are losing the best place for our studying environment. I know this is a public library but I feel that students should be the priority.

6.  I would just like to agree with the statements about the homeless population coming to the library. This did not used to be an issue (or I never noticed before), and I too am feeling uncomfortable. What can we as students do to try and address this issue??

   
Thank you.
Homeless Population     Wed, 2015-04-15

Comment 4/11/2015: Please do something about the homeless population loitering at the Health Science Library. There is a concern for both safety and theft. Students pay about $20,000 a semester to attend CU Health Science programs. They as students shouldn't have any concern about using the academic library. There are many homeless that are using the library as a shelter and sleeping. Please take corrective action!

Comment 4/11/2015: Please take corrective action on the homeless population! This is a learning institution. CU should be concerned about student safety!

Comment 4/15/2015: It has been very uncomfortable lately with the amount of homeless people coming to the library. I've been asked numerous times to let them in when the library was not open and this is a safety concern. This is a study environment and I pay so much money to go here and use the resources but this situation is making me not comfortable and use the library less often.

Thank you for the comments. The Library also cares about student safety and the safety of everyone in our facility. If you would like to give us more detail about your concern and specific experiences, please do not hesitate to contact us anytime by email or stopping in the library and asking for us at the service desk. We would be glad to listen and speak with you more. It is not overly clear to me from your comments what specific problem and law/rule was being violated by the presence of others in the library.

The Health Sciences Library was built with and is partially operated with funds from the State of Colorado.  For those reasons, the facility is open to the public for part of the day, although there are times when we do restrict access and require IDs to enter the building. In the case of unaffiliated public people being outside before the library opens and asking you to let them in, the library agrees it is unfortunate this is occurring and none of us as University members should compromise policy and safety. Those without proper University ID may not be in the building 24/7 and before the library opens. If you are asked by someone to let them in, you need to politely say no and refuse.

The Library has a Conduct policy that addresses appropriate behavior within the building.  The library is open to the public, but that does not give anyone the right to come into the building and make others uncomfortable.  If you notice something that you feel is inappropriate such as disruptive behavior, illegal activities, or a potential safety issue please alert staff at the desk immediately so that library staff can address the issue.  You can also call Campus Police directly at (303) 724-4444. Currently sleeping is not prohibited unless there is noise and snoring coming from the person taking a rest or if there is concern that someone is ok but has been asleep too long and could be passed out.

If you would like to discuss further, please feel free to contact us directly anytime.

Thank you.

Douglas Stehle
Head of Access Services | douglas.stehle@ucdenver.edu | 303-724-2139

Melissa De Santis
Deputy Director | melissa.desantis@ucdenver.edu | 303-724-1748

   
Thank you.

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Health Sciences Library | University of Colorado Anschutz Medical Campus
Mail Stop A003, 12950 E. Montview Blvd., Aurora, CO 80045, USA Tel: 303-724-2152
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