Antonia FD Vassar, Assistant Director of Development, responds....
VCU alumni are welcome to join the Friends of the Library! In addition to supporting collections, services, and programming at the VCU Libraries, our Friends of the Library donors receive borrowing privileges and have use of our library services and facilities in James Branch Cabell Library and Tompkins-McCaw Library. The easiest way to donate is through our online form.

For more information on the Friends of the Library, please visit our information page, or feel free to contact me.

Thank you for your interest and support.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, replies...
Thank you so much for your comments. We are indeed short of group study spaces, and in fact are short on all varieties of study spaces for our students. We share your concern and have created the floor themes to try to segregate group study - and its noise - to lower floors of Cabell. We’ve also hired two full-time and several part-time guards to help enforce these policies, stationing the second guard on duty on the 3rd and 4th floors.

Nevertheless, the building was built in 1975, and because of the growth of library collections and the allocation of some of its space to University priorities, it now provides 40% less space for students than it did in 1975, for a student population that has doubled in size since that time. VCU's library buildings had an original planned capacity of 1 million volumes maximum, but now house nearly 2 million volumes, almost 200% of the planned capacity. These basic figures translate into a building that is very crowded, and where noise control is a recurring issue. Needs are frequently shared with appropriate campus decision makers by the University Librarian, Student Senate members, and others. We are very hopeful that library space needs, both at Cabell and Tompkins-McCaw Library, will be considered in upcoming fund raising and legislative funding cycles. Discussions about spaces for an addition to Cabell Library focus almost exclusively on student space for both group and individual study, technology-rich spaces, and inspiring, pleasant environments in which to study, interact, and learn.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, responds....
Thank you for raising this question, as others may have wondered about the same thing. There are two answers. The first is that you can request to have your own VCU ID card processed so that it will work on the lock of the Mapp Room door. You may make this request the Circulation and Information Services desk. The staff upload new card requests to the door lock once a week. We check out generic cards so that graduate students can make immediate use of the room while their
own cards are being processed to operate. Just be sure to bring your VCU ID with you when you request this service; staff will need the prox number from the back of the card.

The second answer to your question has to do with why this process isn’t automatic. There are different types of card swipe mechanisms available for doors. We considered other types when the Mapp Room was constructed, but there were two problems which caused us to decide against them. The first is that the type which is automatically loaded with VCU ID cards cost thousands of dollars more than the one we installed. The second, and more important reason however, is that the
VCU Police database, which automatically loads IDs to these cannot discriminate between graduate and undergraduate IDs. Because we wanted to ensure that the Mapp Room be reserved for the use of graduate students and faculty only, we had to use the type of mechanism we installed – one for which we can control the status of individuals whose IDs are enabled to open it.

I hope this answers your question, and I invite you to request that your card be set up to open the door.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, replies....
Thank you for taking the time to send this comment. We are also dismayed that Housekeeping is not able to keep up with the level of use in the building. Our Facilities Manager has been communicating with Housekeeping to resolve the problems. I shared observations of my own with him just a few days ago. I have also shared your comments with him; your concerns will be anonymously passed along to Housekeeping so they know just how troubling this situation is to students trying to complete their semester studies. The building does see extremely heavy use - sometimes as many as 11,000 people enter the building during the course of a single day. However, that is no excuse for the dirty and messy conditions, which need to be addressed.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, replies....
Thank you for sending us this comment. We realize many students work in groups and that we don't have enough group rooms to accommodate them all. You have probably seen the signs posted beside the rooms, which state that they are for use by groups. We also have a more detailed policy on our Web site. Note that the full policy states that use of the rooms is meant to be limited to two hours, to allow more groups access to the spaces, and that no provision is offered for an individual to hold a room for an expected group. It also provides for use by individuals who may need a more private study area for some particular activity which requires it.

Staff may sometimes give an individual the benefit of the doubt and grant them just a few minutes for their group to arrive. However, library staff and security guards are available to you when you observe that group rooms are being used inappropriately. Don't hesitate to share your need for a room at the Ask Us desk or Circulation desk, or with library guards. Any of these staff will see that the policy of the
rooms is enforced.

Nell Chenault, Access Librarian & Head, Media & Reserve Services, responds....
The Student Laptop Loan Pilot is an introductory period for evaluating the service for possible future expansion. Your comments are appreciated and helpful feedback. Battery life and recharging are two
of the service elements which are being studied in Cabell Library. Despite previous testing, the first month of the pilot showed battery power being depleted faster than replacement batteries can be fully charged. Additional batteries have been ordered by Technology Services. We hope this will reduce the shortage of laptops with fully charged batteries in the evening. If you are one of the few “power” laptop users who exhaust the battery prior the end of your 4 hour loan, the MRS staff will be happy to exchange your battery during the loan period whenever a charged battery is available.

Both Cabell and Tompkins-McCaw Libraries loan laptops for one 4-hour loan and one 4-hour renewal per day. Cabell Library’s laptop program is dependent on batteries due to limited outlets and power capacity in the building. In light of this, the pilot is designed to test the level of battery capacity needed to provide loans without power cords.

I am sorry if your service from the Media and Reserve Services has not been friendly and professional. I will be reviewing your concerns with our new service desk supervisor. We employ numerous student assistants and strive to develop their customer service skills through training and the example of exemplary service by the full time staff. Please contact myself or the library administration if you have further concerns in this area.

Jodi Koste, Archivist, Tompkins-McCaw Library for the Health Sciences, responds....
Thanks for your comments about the Tompkins-McCaw Library. We are pleased that you have noticed the improvements and enjoy working here. Over the years we have made changes to the physical appearance of the library as well as modifications to our services to accommodate the wide range of users who come to the Tompkins-McCaw Library. The first floor can be very busy with activity and have a higher volume of noise than in the past because it is the area where students collaborate, study in groups, or just take a few minutes to have lunch and talk with their friends. We recognize that many other users seek a quiet place to do their research work or studying. For those users we offer our second floor Quiet Study Room (2-001) which provides a haven for those needing a noise-free zone. Two computers are available in this area to access library resources. Generally you will find that the basement and second floors have low levels of noise and should provide you with the atmosphere you seek to conduct your library work. Additional computers are available in both areas. Please feel free to stop by our Service Desk to discuss this issue or to get additional information on quiet areas at the Tompkins-McCaw Library.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, responds…
Thank you for taking the time to send this suggestion. You are not the first person to mention that a greater security presence is needed upstairs.

VCU Libraries has been working with the VCU Police and recently adjusted the security schedule. Whenever possible, a guard will be up on the third and fourth floors monitoring activity and maintaining sotto voce and quiet study guidelines. We expect the disturbances to be much fewer for the remainder of term and through the extended exam hours.

I'm happy to hear that you enjoy studying in the building. I can assure you that we also want it to be a place conducive to intellectual pursuits. Thank you again for contacting us.

Kevin Farley, PhD, Collection Librarian for the Humanities, responds....
Thank you for your recent suggestion to add Living in Storms: Contemporary Poetry and the Moods of Manic Depression, by Thom Schramm, to the literature collection at James Branch Cabell Library. The intersection of literature and medicine -- art and healing -- is an increasingly important focus of literary studies. This book has been just recently published, and since it is from a university press (Eastern Washington University) we will be happy to add it to the collection when our ordering cycle resumes this coming July.

We welcome suggestions for enhancing the collections. You can also make suggestions using our Purchase Suggestion Form online.

I wish I knew about this suggestion area before because I would have made a comment a year ago. Please please please do anything you can to help this sad section of shelves. I know that myself, along with many other graduate and undergraduate students would greatly appreciate a clean and easy to browse section as this area of the library is of great use to me in my education.
From: a graduate student

Patricia Selinger, Head, Preservation Department, responds....
The Juvenile/Young Adult Collection has not received significant attention in a few years and so many books were out of order that reshelving became nearly impossible. Staff have been shelf-reading the Juvenile/Young Adult Collection since January. A shelf-read consists of reviewing each shelf to ensure the books are in the correct order and then shifting to alleviate overcrowding. Staff is also identifying damaged books and faded labels during the shelf-read; these items will be repaired as quickly as possible. This project is labor-intensive due to the size and format of the collection.

As you noted, some sections of the Juvenile/Young Adult Collection are significantly out of order. These sections may be moved to the third floor sorting area where the reshelving can be staged easier and faster.

In reviewing this section, we realized the bookends on these shelves are missing. We will put some in place to correct this situation.

VCU Libraries is working toward a better Juvenile/Young Adult Collection and regret the inconvenience the shelf-read and sort has caused. If there is a particular book VCU Libraries owns that you cannot locate, please use the "Request" button in the catalog. We are making this area a priority and expect you will see improvement soon.

Thanks for your interest!

Jimmy Ghaphery, head of Library Information Systems, replies...
Thank you for your feedback. The wireless in Cabell Library is managed and was recently upgraded by Technology Services. Since the upgrade we have had very few complaints. If you are in the Cabell Library with your laptop, you might consider asking for assistance at the Technology Services Help Desk (http://www.ts.vcu.edu/helpdesk) in the basement.

We will also forward you comment to Technology Services to see if there is a pattern of reported connectivity issues of which we are not aware.

Pat Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, responds....
Thank you for your question about the varying item loan lengths to different members of the VCU community.

Loan periods were extended a couple of years ago, based on the work of a study group within the libraries that considered past comments from patrons and that looked at common practices of other universities. It was found that VCU loans to faculty were conservative by comparison with many universities. Some university borrowing periods for faculty are up to a year in length, versus our present six-month loan. The six-month loan was identified as needed to support the ongoing research, curriculum design, and publication activity in which faculty are engaged, and which require prolonged use of library materials.

VCU Libraries recognized, however, that longer loans mean that other options are needed for those who are seeking the materials. Other users may 1) request holds so that they will be the next user contacted when an item is returned, 2) recall the material so that the current user is notified of a request and must return the item within 10 to 21 days, 3) request the material from another library through ILLiad, or 4) utilize our RALC Borrowing Pass program to check out the item from another area library. To find out more about these services, see www.library.vcu.edu/services/circ_info.html.

I encourage you to make use of these options. They are services we staff for and which are in keeping with offerings of other research libraries. I appreciate you asking this question and providing an opportunity for us to make clear why different groups are offered different borrowing periods.

John Duke, Senior Associate University Librarian, responds...
Thank you for your concerns, which we share. We certainly agree that there are not enough electrical outlets in Cabell Library. The library was built before the age of personal computers and laptops. Consequently, the building is seriously under-powered for today’s connected environment. The library is at its maximum capacity for all the electrical demands being placed upon it. When we stress the system too far, the circuit breakers trip and power is lost for whole areas of the building.

The ideal solution would be to bring more power into the building with another electrical circuit. However, this is extraordinarily expensive, costing many tens of thousands of dollars. Our budget and the University’s budget simply cannot afford this expenditure right now. We will probably have to wait until there is an addition to Cabell Library to address the electrical problem completely.

We have tried to locate some of our tables, study carrels, and chairs near electrical outlets to make it more convenient to plug in laptops. Using extension cords and power strips is problematic because of potential power outages. However, we will continue to be alert to where we might make it more convenient to plug in laptops.

Last year we made a major commitment to upgrade the furniture in Cabell Library. Although much progress was made, we did not have enough money to fill all of the needs. As funding becomes available, we will try to purchase additional furniture, but our user space is in serious competition with our constantly growing collections.

We suggest that you look for seating along the outside walls. These areas are often underutilized and many of them have nearby electrical outlets. We also will continue to look into ways we can expand the number of electrical outlets. In the meantime, we ask that you not string your power cords across public walkways. We know this is tempting, but it is dangerous for anyone walking through and potentially harmful to your computer if someone were to trip on the cord.

Lynne U. Turman, Head, Tompkins-McCaw Library Collections, replies...
Thank you for contacting us and sharing your comments. VCU Libraries joined BioMed Central (BMC) as an Institutional Member in 2003. As one of the early experiments in alternative forms of scholarly publishing, we felt it was important to support it. Then in 2006, BMC announced changes in its pricing structure and Institutional Members started being charged the Article Processing Fees for all articles authored by their faculty. VCU Libraries continued its Institutional membership for another year to see what the changes would mean to our budget. During this year, our costs increased by 102%. Like many other academic research libraries, we were forced to re-examine our membership level because of the impact of these rising costs on our ability to support other journal subscriptions. Since there was no longer a cap on our costs, remaining an Institutional Member was equivalent to writing BMC a blank check. In addition, the VCU Libraries has little ability to absorb cost increases of this magnitude, since it has a relatively small budget for subscriptions when compared to other research institutions.

After careful consideration, VCU Libraries changed to the Supporters membership level which gives VCU authors a 15% discount on the Article Processing Fees. We recognize that this means VCU authors must absorb more costs to publish in BMC journals, which we deeply regret. However, we feel that BMC’s “dynamic charge” business model can not be supported with our relatively small funding base.

Thank you again for sending us your comments and please feel free to contact me if you have additional questions about our membership in BioMed Central.

Patricia Flanagan, Associate University Librarian for Public Services, responds...
Thank you very much for contacting us with this information about the Cabell basement computer lab. I have forwarded your concerns to Technology Services who own and operate that lab, and also to a housekeeping staff representative.

As I am sure you have observed this fall, all of Cabell Library is being very heavily used. Many days this semester there have been door entry counts of over 10,000 people per day. The 1st through 4th floors have also been problematic to keep clean and library administration has regularly contacted housekeeping asking for additional assistance.

Cabell Library was designed and built to serve the academic community when the student count was approximately half of what it is today. In addition, our space is further crowded by the fact that the library collections have almost doubled in that same period of time. This translates into a very dense concentration of users within the study and lab spaces and produces a very high volume of trash and mess.

I really sympathize with your frustration that the lab in the basement has been an unpleasant place to work. I appreciate your taking the time to share your concerns with us. We will continue to work with
housekeeping on the need to keep up with the cleaning needs in the building. Please don't hesitate to contact us again as you observe problems.