Dear Library

You said:

“I find it quite cold in the library. If others feel the same way, would you be able to make it warm? Thanks :)”

Karen Hill, Library Operations Manager, responds:

“Hello,

Thank you for your question. We do try to keep the temperature within the guidelines set by our Facilities department. There are numerous zones within the Library which have differing temperatures due to outside walls, windows, and exit doors.

It would be a great help to us if you could identify the general area you
were sitting in (north, south, east or west) and on what floor when you
next experience an uncomfortable temperature in the Library.

Our apologies for the temperature this past week.

Sincerely
K. Hill, Manager, Library Operations”

You said:

“I think you should have a rule for library. Most of time library is a noisy place to study or stay. It is way different than UBC Vancouver campus. I know why so many people prefer to study in Vancouver way much better in UBCO because I went to the Vancouver library. There is so quiet. I don’t know why people can use one computer, talking, talking and talking. Sometimes I can see 4 to 5 people are using one computer, they are so loud. They don’t care they will disturb people because they are having fun….We should have a way to complain these problems…Someone has to deal with it. If this is a very famous school, it cannot be like this. It should be a quite and useful place for the students to study.”

Heather Berringer, Chief Librarian, responds:

“I’m sorry to hear about your frustration at the UBCO Library. Generally speaking, research suggests that libraries need to try to provide spaces for people to learn in different ways. Some people prefer to work quietly, while others are engaged in group learning. In Vancouver, they have many libraries – all of which have different kinds of policies around noise. Large libraries, like Koerner and IKBLC, have the luxury of many floors, each of which can be designated as a different kind of space. Unfortunately, our library is small so we have to do the best we can with the space we have available.

If you are finding the main floor common area – which is designated as a collaborative learning area — to be too loud for your working preferences, I would suggest that you consider working on the second floor or in one of the silent reading rooms on the first floor, which are quiet areas.

If you need access to a computer, there are desktop computers in LIB 111, which we recently designated as a quiet area, or you can borrow a laptop from the service desk to take into the silent reading rooms. If you find that others are disregarding the quiet study space rules in these areas, please let staff at the main floor service desk know, and they will ask the noisy parties to quiet down.

If you would like to discuss your concerns further, I encourage you to contact me directly and I would be happy to speak with you. “

Dear Library is where UBC’s Okanagan Library answers your frequently asked questions. To submit a question, or to let us know how we are doing, fill out our Dear Library form here:  Dear Library