TWU Libraries Suggestion Box

2011-12-13T13:32:00.000-08:00

Suggestion:
- I think it would be helpful if the denton library extended their hours, as well as during finals. If you conducted a survey to all students I think you will find a need. Especially, with graduate students that have night courses. I do not know what you use to monitor the library use but many graduate students decide not to come to the library because you close so early and by the time they got started with their work it would be time to leave/the library closes.

Response:

My reply: We would love nothing more than to be able to accommodate your needs for extended hours. This has been a suggestion presented to us many times. As you may already know we are open on Sunday’s from 2:OO PM – 12 Midnight.
Monday through Thursday 7:30 AM – 12 Midnight and Saturdays 9 AM – 6:00 PM. Due to budget constraints we cannot keep the building open longer than the hours I have given you. We would like to, but it would require adding additional staff and at this time we cannot add staff.

Thank you for taking the time to notify us. We appreciate it.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration
940 898 3746

2011-12-13T13:23:00.000-08:00

Suggestion:
- It would be really awesome, if an announcement could be made like right now for people on the 3rd floor to be quiet. Right now, please.

Response:
Your message concerning last night’s people talking on the 3rd floor just reached me this morning. I am in hopes you are talking about the students participating in the Coffee Breaks that are offered to all students studying in the library for finals. This would be the only time there would be loud talking taking place on the 3rd floor. We will be having coffee breaks at night in the Library thru Thursday night.
If by chance this was not the case, please notify a full time staff employee at the reference desk and they will be happy to take care of the matter. Also, there are many study rooms that can be reserved online for your convenience and those on the southeast side of the building are very quiet.
Thank you,
Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration
940 898 3746

2011-11-17T12:04:00.001-08:00

Suggestion:
Although I understand that it is difficult to do, when I try to study (i am a commuter) there is almost always a group of people talking loudly on the 2nd and 3rd floor. It would be nice if there were a better way to enforce the "no group study" and quiet policy.

Response:
We are sorry for any inconvenience you may have experienced. We do have quiet areas located on the 3rd floor. There are signs posted as to where these areas are located. If you happen to be in a quiet area and a group of people are being loud, you can go the Information Desk and let one of the librarians know you are having problems and the librarian will ask the group to move to another space. If you like you can reserve a study room and this can be done online. Please be informed we are adding additional study areas in the very near future. By adding the additional study rooms we are in hopes this will help with the quiet areas.

Thank you for contacting us.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration
940 898 3746

2011-10-20T12:15:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
The noise from the construction in the library is horrible. How are students supposed to study? Where else on campus can we go if we cannot depend on a quiet library? I understand that the construction needs to be done, but they should do over nights when the library is closed. We have tried to find a quiet place on every floor.

Response:
Thank you for taking time to speak to us about the construction noise. If you do not already know, the library has flooded on numerous occasions throughout the years. This construction is to correct the flooding problem. Unfortunately the work that is being done to water protect the building cannot be done during night time hours. The construction taking place has to be done in the most optimum light due to the precise cutting of the bricks and the foundation of the building, plus not digging or cutting into steam, electrical, and data wiring that is buried beneath our building. Another reason for construction to be done during the day is to not cut or dig into water pipes that supply the campus.

Each day construction stops around 3:30 – 4:00 PM and we are open until midnight Sunday through Thursday. We are opened on Fridays until 10:00 PM and on Saturday until 6:00 PM. Hopefully this bit of information will be helpful to you.

On a brighter note, the construction is ahead of schedule and therefore could be finished within a few weeks rather than a few months.

We are sorry for any inconveniences you have experienced.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administrative Office
940 898 3746

2011-10-13T13:08:00.000-07:00

Suggestion or comment:

On Friday October 7, 2011 at 5 P.M. I went down to the Children's Collection to check out books. Obviously I figured this part of the library would remain open until 6:00 P.M. as stated on the TWU website and as I have been told in the front desk on the first floor. However, 15 minutes before 6:00 PM, as I searched for books in the back of the Collection area, I was surprised to find myself in pitch black when the lights were turned off with no warning. Not only did I have to stop looking for books, I had to find my way out of the place nearly tripping over things in my way and smacking into book carts. As I left I saw the person in the office packing up and leaving, STILL 15 minutes until the "supposed" closing time. I didn't even get as much as a "have a good evening" after being left in the dark in the back of the Children's collection. Needless to say I am very upset and while I would hate to call this sexual discrimination, I will leave that up for you to decide. If I encounter this situation again I promise I will not be writing a complaint, but filing something else.

Response:

I am very sorry you had an unpleasant experience at the TWU library. You are correct that the Children’s Collection is scheduled to close at 6pm on Fridays. When this collection is closed, patrons may request services such as book retrieval and research support from the 1st floor Reference and Circulation Desks.
It is my understanding that the student assistant working at the Children’s Collection desk on Friday evening thought everyone was already out of the collection when she turned the lights off. She simply did see you or hear you call out to her. Preparations for closing do start a few minutes before 6pm, but we have made a change in the closing process and the lights will not be turned off until a staff member actually walks through the stacks area. There was an unusually large number of carts spread throughout the collection on Friday due to a book shifting project to make shelf space for new books. These carts have been removed.
Connie

Connie Maxwell
TWU Libraries
cmaxwell@twu.edu

2011-08-10T15:25:00.001-07:00

Suggestion:

I am deeply disappointed to come to the library today, during the final week of the summer session, and be met by a team buffing the floors. Could that not have waited a week? As far up as the 2nd floor the buffing and vacvuuming can be heard clearly. Anyone in need of the computers or a quite place to study was certainly at disadvantage today. I am a distance ed student in the EMBA program and took off work to utilize the quiteness of the library and hardwired internet to study and complete an online exam today. With the floors being cleaned as they are I am now having to find another location, most likely the city library.

Response:
Thank you for taking the time to let us hear from you.
We are sorry for any inconvenience we may have caused you. We are working as quickly as possible in the time frame we have to finish the job.

We do have quiet areas that are available and study rooms with doors that are almost sound proof. You can make reservations for these rooms online through our Library Homepage.

Thank you again for contacting us.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration
940 898 3746

2011-08-04T11:40:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
Is there a floor plan of the library online?

Response:
Thank you for taking the time to let us know we need a floor plan. We are in the process of modifying our WebPages and a floor plan of the library is to be added. In the meantime you can go to our home page and click on the link Denton Library Location Finder. This page lists the various locations where library materials are located.

http://www.twu.edu/library/location-finder.asp

Once we are modifications are made to our WebPages, we would really appreciate any feedback you can give us.
Thank you for your concerns,
Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration

2011-07-28T14:49:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
It would be nice if the library staff would feel assertive, and have enough clearly-posted library policy backing them up, to get patrons to be quieter while in the library. I had a very intense, and important assignment due a couple of weeks ago. I went in on a Monday evening from 5-10pm. I was horrifed by the number of people chatting away on their cell phones. There was also a man who was standing up by the computer carols saying, "are you serious?!" loudly, OVER AND OVER, until I finally had to go upstairs. My experience on the second level was not much different. The staff in the reference area (the area across from circulation) sat and chatted while all of this was occuring. The staff was almost as loud, if not louder than the patrons. Four people were behind the desk talking, while patrons chatted on their cell phones and stood, exclaiming, "are you serious?!" loudly. What is up with that? So this week, when I had a lot of work to do, I said, "well, I sure can't go to the library to get anything done." So I did not, and probably will not. Now, I know that I could have brought ear plugs, and I did forget them. But, it is a reasonable assumption that people should be quiet in a library. At the least, they should not be talking on their cell phones. Assertiveness training for the staff!! Policies that are backed up by staff regarding cell phone use and noise! Patrons shouldn't have to complain about other patrons being noisy. The staff should pro-actively handle the situation before other patrons have to be disturbed by an offender. I pay a library fee every semester. I feel like I deserve a refund, since the library has become an impossible place to focus on my school work. Oh...and the dolls are super creepy ;) But of course, I am just teasing about the last part. Thank you for anything that you do to improve this matter.

Response:
Thank you for your recent suggestion concerning quiet areas or the lack of quiet to study in the Library. Please go to our Library Web Page it will guide you to this link where our site talks about quiet areas: http://www.twu.edu/library/room-policy.asp.

We have quiet areas located on the 3rd floor plus silent areas located on the 3rd floor as well. You can also make study room reservations. We have study rooms located on the 2nd floor and the 3rd floor. Room reservations can be made online for your convenience.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience that you may have been caused.

If I can provide you with additional information, please let me know.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administrative Office
940 898 3746

2011-07-26T14:13:00.001-07:00

Suggestion:
Where did the Catalog go? I'm so lost.

Response:
The TWU Libraries website is currently undergoing a major renovation – links have been added, removed, replaced, and regrouped. Unfortunately we are not done yet, although our target date for completion is the start of the Fall semester. While taking a closer look at our webpages, we decided to try some new ways to make the website more functional, organized, and user-friendly. If you ever have difficulty finding something, feel free to contact us at reference@twu.edu or 940-898-3701. We apologize for the inconvenience this has caused.

Kris Reed
Assistant Director,
Collection Development &
Technical Services

2011-07-14T10:59:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
Hi, I would like to know if it will be possible to get Vilen Vardanyan's "Panorama of Psychology" for the library.Thanks :)

Response:

Thank you for bringing this title (Vilen Vardanyan's "Panorama of Psychology") to our attention. It appears to be something that fits nicely into our collection so I will order it for the Libraries. I appreciate your suggestion.

Kris Reed

2011-07-14T10:54:00.001-07:00

Suggestion:
Central Search, a search engine created for simultaneous searching of multiple TWU Library databases and the TWU Library Catalog http://www.twu.edu/library/welcome-to-library.asp Where is Central Search?

Response:

Central Search has not been available since the summer 2009 cancellation. Please contact the Reference Department at reference@twu.edu for further assistance.

Brandy Klug
Electronic Resources Librarian

2011-03-15T07:57:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
Can anyone help me give money to support Japan? I'm so unhappy by what took place in Japan with the earthquake plus tsunami and I actually want to assist them through donation. Does any individual find out an online site or anything where you can donate to assist Japan?

Response:
Donations can be made to the American Red Cross at anytime by calling 1-800-REDCROSS, 1-800-257-7575 (Spanish) or by visiting www.redcross.org.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administrative Office

2010-11-18T13:05:00.000-08:00

Suggestion:
I would suggest that something would be done regarding the wasp problem in the third floor. In the past last semesters I have noticed that this problem has not been addressed, and lately, I have noticed that the number of wasps in the open study areas have increased. I am allergic to wasps, and if it weren't for the wasps, I would love to go back to my old study area. Unfortunately this problem has made me abstain from studying in the library and I have had to find alternative study areas in other areas on campus. I have also noticed that the wasps are not only in the third floor but in the second floor as well. I would really appreciate if this problem would be addressed.

Response:
We are well aware of the Wasp problem. We are doing everything we can to keep them from coming in. We are spraying on a daily basis (at times twice a day). We have noticed they to seem to congregate in and near the Northeast corners of the 2nd and 3rd floor. So we are making extra effort to spray these areas more densely. If you want to try and come back to the Library to study, please go to the Information Desk or Circulation to see where the safest place to study is. There are many small study rooms located on the 3rd floor that are not bothered by Wasps.

We are very sorry for any inconvenience this has caused you.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administrative Office

2010-07-27T15:25:00.000-07:00

Suggestion or Question:
That dress made out of books is fascinating. I wish there was a label to give information about it. People I have talked to have asked who made it and from what book(s) is it made?

Response:
From Kimberly Johnson, Woman's Collection
The dress on exhibit is constructed of a paper Mache bodice and a circular tiered skirt. It was designed and crafted by Fashion and Textile students Hannah Schmidt and Melody Forehand in 2010.

The paper Mache bodice and circular tiered paper dress is a strapless design with center back grommet closures. The skirt is made of loose pages from paperback romance novels. It was worn by Cherilyn Jones, a professional model, for publicity photos for the Neo-Anthology Fashion Show 2010 held in the Blagg-Huey Library, April 30, 2010.

A gift of Schmidt and Forehand, the dress will remain on exhibit in the Blagg-Huey Library.

2010-01-22T07:49:00.000-08:00

Suggestion:
- I am a full-time student with a child. It would benefit me, and other students, if the Children's Section were to stay open until at least 7 or 8pm. Last year this wasn't an issue. This year, thus far, it has become a problem. I am in great need of reconsideration of the current hours for this section.

Response:
Due to University budget constraints and the implication it has had concerning the Library budget, we have reluctantly had to reduce hours in our Children's Collections. We are, at this point, unable to fund a staff person to man this area after 5:00 PM.

We are sorry for any inconvenience you have encountered.
If you have any further questions please feel free to contact me.

Mickey Dudley Russell, Library Administration

2009-12-14T09:16:00.001-08:00

Suggestion:
My purpose in coming to the library is for silence and study time. However, finding silence when I come here is impossible. The third floor quiet side is great ideally, but realistically, it is a joke. People are always on their cell phones or even have group study sessions. I have never been able to go to the quiet side without being interrupted by someone conducting a phone call. I would suggest finding a way to enforce that there is no talking, texting, or group study sessions on that side- there's 2.5 other floors for that! Also, if cards or notes could be put up in the rooms saying "these are by no means sound proof rooms- don't talk on your phone" that would be awesome as well. I have sat at many desks outside those rooms just to listen to people's conversations who think that they cannot be heard because they are in a room. I have even gone down and gotten a librarian before for assistance in this matter but it was a huge hassle going three floors down and it was in the middle of an online final. She also acted very uncomfortable having to tell a lady to not talk on her phone. Please help TWU Library! I love this place, but can't find silence. Thanks for having a suggestion box.

Response:
First, let me apologize for any inconvenience you were caused.

I think most of our problem with noise was due to the closure of MCL. We had record gate count for nearly two weeks. Students were sent here for classes and for computers. As you know we check out laptops to students and that was another reason they were sent to us.

We do have signs on the tables and in study rooms asking people not to use their phones in the quiet area of the Library. However, these signs may have disappeared. We will make sure all study rooms on the 3rd floor have new signs to replace any missing ones.

Do not hesitate to talk to a Librarian to ask for help when there is excessive noise. Also, may I suggest using one of the study rooms here on the 2nd floor. They are usually extra quiet and you can reserve one at the Circulation Desk.

Again, I apologize.

Mickey Dudley Russell

2009-10-13T09:00:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
- I don?t know if you take suggestions for getting new books, but I read a good review of Evergreen? (by Bruce Golden) on the Internet Review of Science Fiction, and read another article which said it has an environmental theme, which I'm interested in. I've already read Golden's "Better Than Chocolate," which I found in the library.

Response:

Thank you for taking the time to submit your suggestion. You are correct in that I am not the one in charge of ordering books but I will forward your message on to the our Assistant Director of Collection Development and Access Services.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration

2009-08-19T14:53:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
I am becoming irritated with the shelves on the 3rd floor.

There are several that have cranks that do not work or have cranks that or too stiff.

Response:
Thank you for bringing this to my attention concerning our moveable shelving located on the 3rd floor. We will do a walk thru and see which ones are not working. We do our best to get them repaired as quickly as possible.

We are sorry for any inconvenience this may have caused you.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration

2009-08-10T14:33:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
Allow the Children's Collection to remain open until 2200 hours, or until the library formally closes. Parents(without laptops,or home computers) of young children will be able to access online information, write up reports, and do homework with children who are reading or accessing PBS.org, Nickjr.,or Starfall.com(sic)quietly and safely.

Response:
Due to budget constraints pertaining to the Library the decision was made to cut back the hours for the Children's Collections. This was an extremely hard decision to make.

However, you can check out a laptop at the Circulation Desk and take it anywhere in the Library to study and access online information, write your reports, etc.

We are very sorry for any inconveniences.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administrative Manager

2009-07-28T13:37:00.000-07:00

Suggestion:
I found a library book I like. will you sell it to me?

Response:
Thank you for your question. If obtained the book you like from the Library stacks you will not be able to purchase it. You are allowed to check it out. However, if you found the book on the 1st floor in our book sale area yes you could purchase it.
If I can provide you with additional information let me know.

Mickey Dudley Russell
Library Administration