McMaster Libraries RSS Feed - Suggestion Box

The Biology and Pharmacology program is a joint program with both the Faculty of Health Science as well as the Faculty of Science. So would the biopharmers be allowed to pre-book a room in the health sci library?

Wed, 16 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

You are correct that this is a joint program. What triggers the ability to pre-book is a sticker on the student card indicating that you are in the Faculty of Health Sciences. We are investigating this with the registrar's office, and I will update this response when we get further information. If you are presently in the BioPharm program, you can check yourself to see if you have a sticker on your card and post a comment to let us know! Thanks.

UPDATE:

The library has been in contact with the Registrar’s office and that this year the Biopharm students will not be receiving Faculty of Health Sciences (FHS) stickers for their student cards. This does not mean that you will be prevented from pre-booking our study rooms. All FHS students are entitled to pre-book study rooms. Our study room booking policy is available at: http://hsl.mcmaster.ca/about/equipstudy.htm

If you decide you want to book a study room you simply need to identify yourself as a student enrolled in the Biology and Pharmacology program at out circulation desk. We are working with your program to get a list of student names that we can keep on file. We are also working with the Registrar’s office to try and ensure that in the future, Biopharm students will receive FHS stickers for their student cards. [Posted by Jennifer McKinnell, Acting Head of Public Services]

This should be a good time to clean/disinfect the public computers keyboard and mouse as they will get heavy usage during the new academic year.

Sat, 12 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Thanks for your email. You will be pleased to learn that we have started our annual cleaning of the public PC's. This work will be complete before school starts in the fall.

I appreciate the facilities, the staff is great, and the resources are abundant, but I always feel like Im breathing dirty air. The air is always stale, especially in the winter (no circulation). Actually it feels like Im working in an outhouse. Its 2008, air circulation should not be a problem, at least not for $6000 /year tuition. Please resolve this matter ASAP. PS. Please note that air quality (E.P.A.) considers the air inside a home (with circulation) 10 times more polluted than outdoor air. Why are you killing us? Please follow up with a resolution, as Ill be discussing this matter with McMaster University Vice President.

Wed, 9 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Thank you for your email. We do try to respond as soon as we get complaints about air quality, but in some cases there is not much which can be done.

Normally the percentage of fresh air being circulated in the library is in the 20-30% range, dropping no lower than 10% but can be up to 80%. When the addition of outside air would dramatically improve our inside air (for example a heat wave outside when the heat is still on in the library) we would request that Campus Facilities Services open the dampers wider to permit more outside air to come in. During a particularly bad cold snap we would request that the dampers be closed significantly to help us keep the library warm. We do need to keep in mind that all fresh air has to be conditioned before being circulating, so the more fresh air brought in the more work the HVAC system must do. In addition, the library uses a forced air cooling system (not a/c) which does not include any humidity controls, so some days in can feel quite sticky, depending on what is happening outside.

There can also appear to be problems with air circulation at times, depending on several factors, including where you are in the building, whether maintenance is being performed on the fans, etc. Monthly maintenance is done on each of the 30 fans which serve Mills. Each fan requiring service (filter changed, belt replaced, etc) must be shut down to do this maintenance. Finally, Mills library has had four additions to the original building, each of which required a new HVAC system to be sync'd with an existing system, which is always problematic.

Please do continue to report these types of problems to us when you notice them and we will do our best to remedy the situation.

I have a really difficult time downloading the electronic books. The instructions on the e-book are not user friendly. In addition, the Adobe Electronic Book downloading application is also not user friendly. Are there any other software programs or applications that could be easier to use? I love the variety of e-books but I have stopped using them almost completely because of this issue.

Mon, 7 Jul 2008 00:00:00 -0400

I am sorry you are having difficulty using the ebooks the library makes available to our users. Is there a specific type of ebook you are using which causes you problems? If you have a recent example we can take a look to see what the problem might be.

There have been some issues with getting access to some of the short-term loan ebooks. We have a FAQ which can help with this problem. (http://library.mcmaster.ca/php/faq.php?catid=24&f=searchcat).

Feel free to contact Wade Wyckoff, Collection Services Librarian (wyckoff@mcmaster.ca), directly if you continue to have difficulties accessing our ebooks.

Hooks in bathroom stalls. I usually study alone and dont like to leave my computer and belongings unattended, so going to the bathroom while holding my purse, books, and laptop is extremely inconvenient. [Handwritten suggestion dropped into the Suggestion Box in the Health Sciences Library.]

Thu, 19 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Thank you for bringing this issue to our attention. We didn't realize that there were no hooks in the public washroom stalls. They will be added asap, since their lack is not only inconvenient but also irresponsible on our part. Our apologies.

Hi, Mills has started renting out calculators, which is great. However, they are in-library-use only. It would be great, if they could go out of the library, in case students forgot to bring their own and needed it for exam purposes. It would really be helpful. Thankyou for your time.

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

At this time, Mills Library has only 3 calculators that are available for 2 hour loans. As most exams are over 2 hours in length, the loan would accrue a $2/hour fine. However, the calculators can be removed from the building as long as they are returned with the 2 hour time frame. We are removing the stickers that restrict access to the library for your convenience.

Hope this helps.

Hi, I just wanted to make a suggestion for more headphones. Currently, there are very few and each headphone is signed out for long hours so others do not have the opportunity to use them. So, more headphones please! Thankyou

Wed, 18 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Thank you for your comment. Our headphones we have for public loans have a couple of issues with them. One is of public hygiene and the other is the expense of repairs/replacement. So, we have provided access, through the vending machine on the 2nd floor in the McLay room of the Learning Commons, to several different styles of headphones for you to select from to purchase. This way hygiene is not an issue and you can select the style of headphone you would prefer.

I just tried the online Instant Messaging service offered through the library HelpDesk. I got a response in two minutes and an answer within 5 minutes to a very specific searching problem I was having. I would suggest that this service be more broadly advertised and then expanded as interest and use increases. Great job reaching a broader audience.

Sat, 14 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Thank you so much for taking the time to tell us! We plan on doing some increased promotion of this service in the Fall.

Overall I would say that the library is fairly efficient for the students. However, I have a couple of really easy suggestions to assure that the staff assists, rather than conflicts, with Mcmaster Students. Firstly, if you have a large sign stating that the library closes at 5pm, close the library at 5pm (not 4:45). If the front desk closes at 4:45, but that in large print (rather than having it lie within the fine print-no one will read that if the large print is explicitly declaring closure at 5pm). Secondly, please fix your book recall system. Many of the students working over the summer are in dire need of specific literature. The system currently in place is not completely successful at recalling. Thirdly, the entire concept of having some books accessible online for 5 mins is rather absurd. E-books should be available for an indefinite time. Fourth, some of the staff has not been trained properly. I have been charged for returning a book on reserve too late, when in reality, a staff member didnt scan the book in the right manner. Really just some simple ideas that would help relieve some tension, and assure satisfaction among library users.

Wed, 11 Jun 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Thanks for taking the time to make so many suggestions. I'm going to pass all of these along to different people in the library since they involve a number of different library operations.

Update:

Thanks for your comments about the closing signs in Mills Library. When we prepare to update these signs, we will certainly take this suggestion into consideration. In the meantime, our library hours on our web page give full details about openings and closings, and the closing tapes which start playing 1/2 hour before closing warn our patrons about the clearing of the stacks and study areas starting 15 minutes before the building is closed.

Regarding the recalls situation, we're a bit unclear about what the issue actually is from your comment. If these are materials for a course currently in session and your classmates need access, please ask your professor to put these materials on 2 hour reserve. This ensures access for everyone in your class. If this is not the issue, please let us know.

Concerning the short viewing time for some e-books: The purpose of the 5 minute time period is to give users a quick look to see if the book appears to be something they would be interested in using for a longer period of time. If so, there is then a choice to borrow the book for a term of 1 or 7 days, or to make a request that the library purchase a copy of the e-book. Loan requests are approved within 24 hours, but often as quckly as minutes after the request is submitted. Using this system permits the library to make an additional 50,000 ebooks available to our users, something we could not do if we have to purchase these outright. Please don't hesitate to let us know if you do encounter any difficulties using these titles. You are welcome to contact our Collections Services Librarian, Wade Wyckoff (wyckoff@mcmaster.ca)

Hello: With the new school year approaching, it would be quite helpful if there was a Health Sciences Library sign by the main entrance to the library, and a clock near the Circulation Desk. The renovated library was completed by the end of February 2007, so have these items been forgotten? Thank-you.

Thu, 29 May 2008 00:00:00 -0400

Oh no, these haven't been forgotten, just delayed. You may have noticed that the front entrance has recently been re-renovated, with more glass and a railing to stop people from walking into the glass. We wanted to wait until this work was complete before the "Health Sciences Library" sign was added. We have chosen a design for the sign, and this should be added this summer. The idea for a clock by the Circulation Desk is being considered although it's tricky to find a location. There is a clock over the print stations on the upper level which is large and pretty visible.

UPDATE: A sign saying "Health Sciences Library" has just been added above the entrance door to the library. (Posted by Liz Bayley (Director), August 29, 2008)