If you haven’t flipped over to the survey, you still have until this Friday, April 4, to let us know what you think of the library, its collections, services, and people. In 5-10 minutes, you have the power to shape what books we buy, what formats we buy them in, what services we should offer, and what policies we should adopt to improve the library as a place to study, relax, and check Facebook learn important things about the world.
When we hosted the spring survey last year, over 500 students, faculty, and staff took the survey and gave us their suggestions, complaints, and praises for Ross Pendergraft Library and Technology Center. We highlighted the most common suggestions earlier last year, and have worked hard ever since to enhance the library in those areas where we could.
Because of your responses, we have made progress in updating our book collection, increasing the number of full-text journals, creating new research guides, and adding new databases (like Mango Languages, Library PressDisplay, and Statistical Abstract of the U.S.). We even put together a new online course reserve form for faculty, and a new library and research guide specifically for online-only students.
Factors like temperature, study space, and 24 hour service are still out of our control, however. Additionally, we had to scrap some of the more creative suggestions for how to improve the library, such as:
- A sugar-daddy to leave a million or so to grow the collection.
- Have a nap room.
- Play some classical music throughout the public areas of the building and in the elevators.
- Move it closer to my dorm.
- Get rid of the apple computers.
- Get some more MACs.
While we cannot implement all of your great ideas, we’ll do our best to make sure your research-related needs are met. Keep the feedback coming by taking the survey or by emailing your strongly agreeable librarians at askalibrarian@atu.edu. Remember, it is YOUR library–help us make it a better place for YOU.