14 Days to Have Your Say, Spring 2010
Responses from the Library and Computing Center

Building Access: Open up entrances to the building, especially the long walk doors; find turnstile alternatives; too many non-Trinity guests at night.
Lib	The current building entrances and access policies have been designed to protect 1) the students, staff, and faculty who work in and use the library, and 2) the equipment and collections contained within it. We are attempting to achieve a balance between allowing students the freedom to come and go when they please, and ensuring the safety and security of students and their belongings when they are in the building. At this time, we cannot open up any more entrances without sacrificing a degree of security, but as we plan for building improvements in the coming years, we will bear in mind the desire for easier access.
Catalog: Appreciate the “text me the call #” function.
Lib	We are so glad you like it! The more students do with mobile devices, the more we are motivated to develop mobile-friendly services. We will continue development in this area, and your feedback provides us with valuable direction. We have also developed mobile friendly versions of the library Web site: http://library.trincoll.edu/m/index.html and catalog: http://catalog.trincoll.edu/?sk=mobile. Let us know what you think!
Collections: Purchase suggestions for Media, expansion of Interlibrary loan to include media.
Lib	Purchase suggestions for the media collections are always welcome! You can use the form on the Library’s Web site under Services, faculty, purchase request: http://library.trincoll.edu/services/faculty/purchaseform.cfm Ultimately, our decision to purchase depends on budgetary restraints, and anticipated curricular use. We are able to borrow media materials from Connecticut College and Wesleyan University, but the policies in place for borrowing items via Interlibrary loan prevent us from participating in the larger ILL pool for media. If there is a media item you wish to use, please contact the Music & Media Department (x2192) so that we can determine whether it is something we wish to purchase for Trinity's collection.
Fax machine: Access to a fax machine in the building.
Lib	The library has recently purchased a scanner on level A that easily scans documents to any format, which you can now send to any email address. We prefer to encourage use of this scanner as an alternative to fax since it often fulfills the original need to send a document, and it is easy to use and free. For those who specifically require a fax machine, Career Services offers free faxing for students who need to send school or job related documents. Students may also use a fax machine at Mather front desk at the rate of $2 for the first page and $1 for each additional page.
Hours and closing procedures: Create more 24 hour zone spaces, let students work until 1:00 AM, stop the annoying drone when the library closes.
Lib	Currently, we believe that our operating hours and 24 hours zones are appropriate, given the usage patterns we have seen in recent years. We may continue to look for ways to expand 24 hour zones, however we need to be  mindful of the related costs. We do have automatic sensors at various places in the building, which provide us with statistics on how many people are using the building at any given time. The posted closing time for the library represents the time by which all non-24 hour areas must be fully closed down and their lights shut off.  The size of our building requires this closing process to begin approximately 20 – 30 minutes prior to posted closing time. To avoid the interruption and relocation, students may opt to begin their studying within the 24 hour zone areas. The staff also wish we could get rid of that drone that comes on with the closing announcements! This system was a budget-driven decision at the time the building was constructed, and unfortunately at the moment, we cannot fix it.
Internet Access: TrinAir issues, allow students to connect via Ethernet on publicly available library jacks.
CC	TrinAir: We want to make TrinAir the preferred network in Trinity public spaces, and are therefore constantly working to improve it. Problems encountered with TrinAir are sometimes related to the specific computer. Please use these guides to help troubleshoot wireless problems: Mac Wireless Troubleshooting: http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cc/documentation/wireless/TrinAirMac/default.htm#Troubleshooting Windows 7/ Vista Wireless Troubleshooting: http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cc/documentation/wireless/TrinAirWindowsVista/default.htm#Troubleshooting XP Wireless Troubleshooting: http://www.trincoll.edu/depts/cc/documentation/wireless/TrinAirWindowsXP/default.htm#Troubleshooting It is currently possible to use library network jacks. If you wish to plug in to a library network jack, please bring your own network cable and contact the help desk to obtain a guest wireless login.  A guest wireless account will allow you to access online resources when plugged into a library network jack. Over the next several years, we intend to upgrade the college's network which will simplify the process of moving around campus with your computer.
Printing:  More printing dollars, printing too expensive, more printers around campus, system slow, printers jam.
CC	We are currently evaluating all components of the printing system (printing hardware, print release stations, and print payment software) to determine if there are ways to make the printers more error-free and shorten the time to print.  We do not expect to be able to allocate more funding for printing at this time, but we are working with the SGA to determine ways of keeping printing costs manageable while still providing the service.
Lib	We’d love to know more about what you print, so that we can provide other ways to access this information and help you print less often.  Please use our Contact Us form to tell us what you need to print most frequently.
Public Computers: Update Adobe Flash on Level A, use “ecofont” on public workstations to save on toner, dislike of Mac keyboards and mice in labs, have wipes available for dirty/sticky keyboards, level A Windows computers too slow.
CC	Flash: We will update Flash on the public computers during summer 2010.   Ecofonts: The Spranq eco sans font is installed on Trinity computers.  However, we do not plan to make it the default font. Dirty mice & keyboards: We will make wipes available at the Help Desk and Circulation desks for students to use.  We also try to clean keyboards during breaks. Level A Windows computers too slow: We expect to have this solved by summer 2010.  We believe we have found the source of the slowness and are currently testing solutions.
Staff:  Many compliments about the staff!
Lib  & CC	We very much appreciate your recognition of the staff! We strive to do the best we can, and it means a great deal that you have acknowledged our efforts.
Study Spaces & Building design: More group study spaces, more thesis carrels, better lighting, being able to reserve spaces for group study, need for quiet areas.
Lib	We are aware of the constant need for more study spaces for both groups and individuals, and will continue to look for ways to create more of these spaces. For example, this year we removed periodical shelving to create a new quiet study area off the periodical room. We are also taking a closer look at the demand for thesis carrels and whether or not it would make sense to designate more spaces for this purpose. We will restate and visibly post policies on usage of group study spaces, i.e. groups will have priority over individuals. We intend to address the lighting issues over the next couple of years, especially in the areas specifically mentioned.    We would like to implement a means for students to reserve study spaces online, and we will review possible systems for accomplishing this during the summer. Before next fall, we will designate certain areas of the library that will be intended for quiet individual studying only, to be self-enforced by students. Other areas of the building, such as the tables and seating near the reference desk, will need to remain available for more moderate noise levels.
Vending: Food/snack vending machines do not accept Bantam Bucks, more vending machines, microwave availability.
CC	We agree that this is important, but at this time we do not know when it will be implemented. One year ago, we requested that the vending company make the necessary upgrades to accept Bantam Bucks. This issue was again discussed last month in a meeting with the vendor, which was also attended by SGA and the college’s Director of Business Operations, Alan Sauer.
Lib	The presence of food and drink in the library contributes to several problems, including attracting vermin, irreversible damage to collections, sticky computer keyboards, and overworking our housekeeping staff! So, we ask that you please keep food quantities to a minimum in the library.
Miscellaneous: Enable rooms used for guest lectures (McCook, Washington room, etc.) easy video and audio recording and make recordings available online on the Trinity website or ITunes U (so they can be watched on an IPhone).
CC	Lectures cannot be taped without permissions from the lecturer, and there are many lectures and events that occur on campus every year. So, at this time we record lectures only upon request. To request that a lecture be taped, please contact Media Technology Services (http://www.trincoll.edu/Academics/AcademicResources/media/default.htm.) Recorded lectures will then be placed on a server for viewing as streaming video.
Miscellaneous: Transition Webmail to GoogleApps?
CC	Many educational institutions have moved student e-mail services to Google, and we’ve been monitoring the success of these.  Although we have concerns associated with administration and security of data, Google continues to make upgrades and improvements that address many of these.  We are planning to re-evaluate the use of Google Apps for Trinity this coming fall.
Miscellaneous: Creation of a Trinity wiki?
CC	Anyone with a Trinity login can create a personal wiki at http://personal.trincoll.edu. Once logged in, use Site Settings to allow others to edit and view your wiki. This wiki will be viewable only by people with Trinity College logins that you have given permission to access.
Miscellaneous: Extra laptop chargers to rent?
CC	At this time, we cannot provide laptop chargers because of potential compatibility issues between charger and laptop manufacturers. We also have not yet seen a demand for this service. We suggest that students keep their laptop charger in their laptop bag at all times or for added convenience, order a spare “to go” charger. DVD burners/readers, however, have been requested more frequently and there will soon be one available to check out at the circulation desk.
Miscellaneous: Need a more organized recycling effort through bin placement.
Lib	We will work with the Green committee and building and grounds this summer in order to come up with a better arrangement of trash and recycling bins.
Miscellaneous: Let’s have a rave in the grand reading room near finals as a stress reliever!
Lib	Creative idea!  But probably not so popular with our already overworked housekeeping staff!