CalPoly

Demographics and General Comments

Participants

Answers	Responses
Undergrad: Year 1	30	6%
Undergrad: Year 2	115	24%
Undergrad: Year 3	92	19%
Undergrad: Year 4	186	39%
Graduate	21	4%
Faculty	3	1%
Staff	12	3%
Other	7	1%
No answer	8	2%

General Comments

• There should be a computer lab that is open 24 hours; seven days a week; with a door that requires a calpoly ID to enter the lab.
• Need Better air conditioning system for the hot days specially finals week. Studying under a cool environment during hot days will make my life much better.
• Air conditioning on those hot summer days would be awesome ;D. On a more serious note; it would be cool if the wireless network capacity in the library could be increased during finals week; it gets pretty hard to get an IP address here when tons of people are studying here. Also; more outlets!The new plugs on the second floor are great; but we could use more on the other floors; too. By the way; having a printer on each floor is really great.
• Consider breaking up some of the group study couches on the 2nd floor to more individual or smaller-group sections. Often one person is using a large seating area; then no one else will go sit there; and it ends up wasting a lot of seating in an often crowded space.
• Additional recycling cans on the upper floors would help to promote more recycling...as it requires a concerted effort to locate the single receptacle currently available.
• Definitely implement maybe a fanning system in the bathrooms on the higher floors; they tend to build up some odor.
• The library should have more napping areas. I currently nap at the couch near the magazines. This way; students can recharge between class and absorb materials from classes better. In a way; it is helping students learn.
• New tables near Julians are slightly textured. It is not noticeable to the eye but affects pencil markings. Please try to avoid these tables in the future.
• Need more chairs and desks on the 2nd floor. Need to clean the chairs throughout; they are very dusty and dirty.
• I would like the "quiet" areas such as the 5th floor to be enforced more through sinage or sshhh patrols :) There are tons of places people can go and be noisey but there are very few places one can go to be quiet. I live in a very noisey place and I cantn retreat to the libary for slience where else can I go?
• It would be nice to have more tables or desks in the locations that already have tables or desks on the second floor. It would also be wonderful to have more fans/AC in computer rooms; as not only do the computers create heat; the people using them do as well.
• more study rooms
• The improvements that have been made to the 2nd floor over the past few months are very helpful; and I enjoy studying there.
• One thing I have noticed though; is that on warm days; it gets extremely hot and sometimes makes it hard to concentrate.
• Some sort of cooling would be nice.
• Better Air conditioning !!!!!!
• More textbooks on reserve please
• just want to mention that i like most of the changes that have been made to the library...more communal/interactive...less stuffy.
• I think that the services provided on campus are very beneficial to the students. I dont have suggestions at this time.
• That the cafe be open on Saturday!
• Many times computers are not availavble in any of the labs to complete actual school work on; and people are just cruzing facebook or myspace or whatever; maybe this could be somewhat regulated; that is; limit what sites may be accessed. Just a suggestion; I don't know how the rules on these kinds of things are suppose to work.
• This list from a participant:
  1. If late fees apply for late returns on headphones; it should be the same for late laptop returns.
  2. There is no real point in having computer labs in the library if about half of the daytime they are used by classes.
  3. There should be more one/two person study stations. Example: the stations with the couches on the second floor by the windows are great; but when only onevvperson takes one of these stations the space is wasted. (It seems like students like the atmosphere on the second floor more so than upper floors; overall).
  4. Air circulation is pretty bad on the second floor; ESPECIALLY in the computer labs. A solution; especially in lab 216B should be implemented since there are no windows.
  5. A bigger scanner. more than one.
  6. Is there any healthy food sold in the library for less than an arm and a leg?
  7. Upgrade in laptops.
  8. Copy machine(s) with Campus Express pay option.
  9. Art Galleries...in visible spaces. 10. The janitorial staff do excellent work.
• Although I prefer PCs; an additional Mac lab would be helpful when the other lab is occupied by a class
• The book cataloguing process is incredibly confusing and meaningless to me. is there any way we could find out what all the numbers and letters mean?
• more individual computers set up (like on the 3rd floor)
• More outlet space available in the 24 hour study room. It is difficult to work when some people use more than one so you don't have access to any.
• PolyConnect lab is really hot all the time; don't know what the status of AC is; but more would be good. On the very positive side of the library; there are plenty of desks in quiet places to do work. It's hard to find an open computer; but I know that another computer lab is quite costly; and would probably be just as full all the time.
• It would be nice if the computer labs weren't always taken during daytime hours by classes. Regardless; I can always check out a laptop. And EE doesn't offer a computer lab so I have to come to the library — it's just more convenient to go to a lab instead of checking out a laptop and then going to sit down. (laptops don't have mice so they're a bit more inconvenient).
• The UU has low background music; and it does little to add to the environment. It just makes more noise; and creates a worse studying environment. I spend upwards of 15 hours/week in the library; and use it as my primary location for studying. Music of any sort would really make me reconsider where I need to get my studying done. Dont ruin a good study environment to make it more "cool"! Lets not try to turn the second floor of the library in to some sort of social hub. Thats what our UU center and plaza are for.
• I have found the Cal Poly Library; Staff; and Librians so helpful to me while being here at cal poly.
• This library is already amazing; hard to improve upon! Cheaper and larger variety of snack options would be VERY helpful for those who plan on pulling a very long mission in the library!
• Better Maps to get around the library would be very usefull
• have a computer in the main lab designated for quick printing jobs.
• Just keep on doin' what ya doin'
• I think the library does a really good job :)
• cleaner chairs on the upper levels; more power outlets on upper levels; power strips?
• Stock more leisure reading books.
• the second floor is great... keep going with other floors!!!
• stricter cell phone policies and dont allow them outside so that people cannt yell on their cellphone and echo the entire courtyard
• More chairs and tables in 2nd floor.
• I love the new second floor and I think you could safely add a few more tables and chairs.
• It would be nice to have some kind of seating at EVERY computer so students wouldn't have to stand for long periods of time while they work. This refers particularly to the computer room by the elevators on the first floor.
• Please add more computer labs or make their location known. I usually search for an open computer.
• I think the new 2nd floor is a good edition to the library. It gives me a second place to study besides the reading room. I think it would be cool to make more floors similar to this style. I like studying in an open environment with a big table and a comfy chair.
• make the Julians cafe open later than 10pm
• STOP HAVING CLASSES IN LIBRARY COMPUTER LABS; I NEED COMPUTER LABS TO DO HOMEWORK AND SOMETIMES THEY ALL HAVE CLASSES IN SESSION AT THE SAME TIME
• More seating in the atrium and atrium decks would be nice. It would be really cool if some gas space heaters could be placed out there with good lighting for those of us who want to study or meet with groups outside on cold days and at night.
• Good survey
• More study rooms; less books. Julians was a great idea; add more healthy choices however.
• People who chose to talk on their cell phones in the library need to learn to not talk as loud. The building doesn't absorb sound all that well.
• Finding ways to improve the late-night options of the library would be fantastic. I find I use the 24/7 space more than other parts of the library. Some kind of mechanism for printing (house the printer in a box or something) would be great. More power outlets would be great. For room scheduling; if people book more than a day in advance; make them set a "range" of start times (or an ideal time and two alternative times) that would work for them and the duration. Then a nightly job could reconcile all the requests. Give people a graph so people are aware the peak usage times.
• Booking a room more than 24 hours in advance gives it to you for up to 2 hours. Don't let the user choose the room. If people book a room less than 24 hours in advance; they get more control over when (whatever is left over from the other bookings); but only offers 30 minutes max.
• This system rewards to people who plan ahead; but doesn't punish people who find they need a room at the last minute.
• Another survey could be designed to sample people in the group rooms at different times to see how far ahead they planned the meetup and how long they need the room to optimize the times I mention above. You could ask a stat student to do this for a project next quarter. Feel free to contact me (a stats major). This would make a great survey!
• No the library is perfect
• I think that there should be some parking available for people without permits around the library at earlier times (like when the bus stops running). This will allow people who live far from campus to come and study on campus without having to buy daily passes or park far from school.
• A time limit on said parking spots would not be bad to ensure that no one can stay there too long.
• I really like the Mars exhibit that is currently going on right now and like all the different displays. I wish that the exhibit was a...
• Bring back the comfy chairs like in the UU!
• The group study rooms are often full and unavailable when my group shows up if it were possible to have an online way to schedule and monitor the status of the rooms that would be great.
• more work spaces on the 2nd floor
• There are many places the internet wont connect to in the library — this should be fixed. Also; the power outlets are either loose or some of them don't take MACS.
• The library needs heat!!! During the fall and winter months the building becomes extremely cold and is uncomfortable to work in. The library should definitely invest in a heating system instead of playing music inside the library or increasing the hours.
• More power outlets are needed on the outer edge desks on all floors. I have to charge my laptop often so I can use it for next class. I like to sit near windows and I find myself restricted to sit in the center. It is relaxing to lift my head once in a while and see the people walking by. Thank you.
• I am not sure if it is the library's responsibility; but what are the possibilities of extending the hours of Pony Prints. I often find myself needing to print out projects and homework early mornings before classes start.
• Better courtyard tables and chairs to implement better space usage and more comfort. Maybe even a outdoor heater would be nice.
• There should be fliers posted on every floor that explain to students how and when to open windows when it gets warm. I'm an architecture student and a big fan of passive ventilation; but if people don't know anything about it; then you get very uncomfortable spaces.
• fix wireless internet but that's a given.
• The new chairs are wonderful. Could the older chairs throughout the library be slowly changed to those?
• I have been charged late fees after turning in checked material to the learning commons desk totaling 8 dollars. The employees there are almost always playing online games; or sleeping. Regardless of weather or not they are on the clock or not; it looks like a waste of money (not to mention the late fees).
• I worry about the laptop power cords that students have strewn about the library floor. This is a tripping hazard. I think more surge protectors could be provided for laptop users — it can be difficult to find a plug.
• It would be nice if the books on reserve could be extended to overnight use.
• Keep things interesting. Don't be a stagnant library; encourages people to spend time here like at coffee shops.
• not unless there was any way to have more study rooms available; or more desks positioned about the library.
• More print stations. Maybe a wireless networked printer.
• I really like the atmosphere of the redone learning commons on the 2nd floor. more comfortable seating and couches would be nice throughout the library.
• add sound-proofing foam (or whatever) to the 'fishbowls'. it's uncomfortably easy to hear everyone else's conversations in there.
• no everything is run perfectly in this library
• This list from a participant
  1. I really like the email notification for returning books and renewing them.
  2. It would be cool if we had a book in the library that was in the course reserves for a particular class; that it would be placed with the course reserve section for that quarter; or link+ added to the library. The reason being is that a lot of the time I wanted to check out a book on reserve it was already checked out; and multiple copies would really benefit the students.