Heating, Powerpoints, Lockers and Food and Drink

Thank you for your comments and suggestions regarding the LRC. I will try and answer your points one at a time.

Heating
The recent good weather has made the temperatures generally a bit higher than normal. As the LRC is a rather large building any refinements to the thermostat take several days to adjust. Unfortunately the good days are generally followed by a few cooler days and so the thermostat is bouncing up and down and not having much effect. The heating is switched off on 1 May and so overheating won't be an issue (unless we have a really fantastic summer) until October.

Power points for laptops
Unfortunately the original design of the Park Square building did not allow for customer use of power points, hence shortcomings 15 years later. The wall plugs throughout the LRC are available for customer use. The floor plates which appear all over the University present a trip hazard if they are used and so customer use of the floor plates is prohibited. We are looking into this for some smart solutions.

Lockers
The University does not and will not be providing customer lockers in the LRC or anywhere else. Lockers take up an enormous amount of space and the potential for misuse is quite high. I am sorry but this will not be happening

Food and drink
You may eat or drink without restraints in the Social Learning Space (ground floor Park Square LRC). Elsewhere in the LRC bottled drinks and sweets are acceptable but that's all. The space for disposal facilities and well as the noise and potential damage to stock are all reasons (unfortunately discovered through experience) why food and drinks are generally prohibited in the LRC.

PS LRC Women's Toilets

Thank you for your comment. I can only sympathise and agree with what you say. LRC staff share the same facilities as students. In my experience however people who abuse public facilities do not read the notices asking them to behave appropriately. The cleaners regularly clean the toilets but the high volume of use means that any - shall we say - bad practice has long term consequences.
I will trial a notice and see what happens. I hope it has a positive effect.

PS IT Suite heat and NOISE

Thanks for your comments
The build up of heat in the IT Suite in recent days is due to unseasonably warm weather. Being a large space it takes a long time to heat up and a long time to cool down so changes are very slow to respond.
The student population's behaviour is causing concern across the whole University - not just the LRC. Its been noted that behaviour in general is unacceptable in both study space and classrooms. We do not have the staffing capacity to baby sit groups of adults. If you notice particularly bad behaviour please could you report it to security or to LR desk staff. Security will patrol and issue written warnings as appropriate.
LR is introducing an anti noise campaign at Park Square and Polhill for 2 weeks. Week 1: 20 - 24 April and week 2: 18 - 22 May. We are hiring extra security to patrol constantly during these weeks (the first back after Easter and then the first week of revision/exams) so that a clear message is given out regarding appropriate behaviour. The campaign is endorsed by the SU and we're hoping that this will have a positive effect.

Wishful thinking?

I received this anonymous comment:

You should install a chocolate fountain and provide us with marshmellows so we can dip the marshmellows in the chocolate fountain

Paint every wall a different colour

Install a cigarette vending machine

After this you will become the bestest library in the whole wide world.

Thanks for this. :D I feel that although you may have a lot of sympathisers healthy living would preclude adding these suggestions to our standard LRC build!!

Pods in the PS Social Learning Space

The presentation pods in the Social Learning Space should be bookable...


When we opened the Social Learning Space resource (Dec 2007) we did consider making the pods bookable from the beginning. It was felt that to encourage use and to make the Social Learning Space generally as non interventionist as possible we should make it an open resource. Use of the pods has been on a drop in, first come first served basis.
I am more than prepared to review this but need to look at the booking procedures to make it as fluid as possible. If after negotiation with my colleagues in the rest LR, I can source a robust booking product I would be happy to trial designating one of the pods as a bookable resource to see what the take up is and if booking works.
Sorry I cannot give you a more immediate response but I will definitely follow this up.

Lap tops trailing wires

.... not being allowed to use my laptop in an area I need due to posing a "Health and Safety" hazard.....


There is a general instruction not to plug laptops (or any electrical gadgets) into floor plates as they create a trip hazard. There are designated "plug in points" all round the LRC.
As you mention that you are a law student am I correct to assume that you were plugged into one of the floor plates on level 2?
If that was the case floor plates are a hazard and there is a general embargo (except for the Social Learning Space) on customers using them in the LRC (this is re-inforced with messages stuck to the floor plates and with posters), you need to find a wall plug that doesn't result in dangerous trailing wires to safely plug in your laptop.

Thanks

LRC Silent areas

It's a shame that the university library "silent area" isn't silent at all...


Thank you for your comments about the silent area at Park Square LRC.
The designated silent areas in: Park Street and on levels 2 & 3, are maintained by customer consent and by security patrols. There are - inevitably - individuals who abuse the study environment. If this happens in your experience you need to report it to security level 0 LRC barriers directly or, to the LRC staff on duty at the counter on level 1. There are penalties in place for breech of the code of conduct.
I understand your frustration especially when the University provides a very comfortable and attractive social learning space where conversation is positively encouraged.
Please persevere and report unacceptable noise levels so that they can be addressed.