A newsletter for patrons of the Galter Health Sciences Library

Fall 2005
New Series #38

Inside this Issue:

Director's Report: Responding to LibQUAL+ Survey Comments

Meet the Staff

The Health SmartLibrary: Better than Ever

Collections: Current and Future Directions

Linking from Databases to Full-text Articles

Computing @ the Library

Library Services: Document Delivery, Hours, and More

Study Space: Meeting the Needs of Groups and Individuals

This Issue

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Credits

Galter Library Web Site

Contact Us

Study Space: Meeting the Needs of Groups and Individuals

Linda O'Dwyer, MSLIS, Education Librarian, l-odwyer@northwestern.edu

In the recent LibQUAL+ survey, many of you had comments about the study spaces available at the Galter Library. Here is a brief summary of your comments and our responses to them.

Quiet please!

“Too much noise allowed in public spaces” and “the library needs a ‘quiet’ zone” were two of the comments received on the topic of noise levels in the library. Gone are the day when librarians policed the reference room and said “shushhhh” to talking patrons! While we’d like to think that patrons can control their own speech volume, we have on occasion asked a loud patron on a cell phone to take it outside. Certain areas of the library are more heavily-trafficked than others and it would be impossible to enforce a policy of silence in those areas. For example, the Reference Room is often used as a study area by students and is a place where patrons can use computers for various tasks. It also happens to be where reference librarians assist and consult with patrons – this has to be done and none of our patrons can expect complete quiet in the Reference area. The acoustics of the atrium (central area on the first floor beneath the stairs) are such that sound does tend to carry. As a result of user concerns, we have recently designated the second level as a quiet zone. These areas have individual carrels and are more ideally suited to individual (and quiet) work practices. Additionally, the Learning Resources Center will be a quiet zone after 5pm. Signage reminding users of this policy will be posted soon.

More group study space

The collaborative environment at Northwestern University necessitates the use of group study space, particularly for the library's primary users in the Feinberg School of Medicine. The library currently has 11 conference rooms. Curricula-based activities receive highest priority in the use of 10 of the 11 conference rooms. When not used for the curricula, the conference rooms can be pre-scheduled by user groups of at least two people. Groups can also use tables in the Reference Room on the first floor when conference rooms are full or unavailable. The entire second level (except for enclosed conference rooms) is now designated a quiet zone, so please do not use the reading rooms on that level for group study.