By Prof. Maura Smale and Prof. Tess Tobin
Two floors, about 40,000 square feet, 362 seats at tables and carrels, sixty-three computers, and five group study rooms: these statistics describe the student workspaces of the Ursula C. Schwerin Library. As we write this it’s finals week at City Tech and the library is full of students: in nearly every chair studying and reading, in lines four or five bodies deep at the computers printing final papers and assignments. If you’ve been in the library lately you’ve probably noticed that we’re humming with activity. While of course we’re busy during exam time, we’ve also seen the library more crowded throughout the semester as our student population has increased over the past several years.
As faculty we are a self-selected group, and like most academics we probably spent lots of time in libraries when we were in college or graduate school. However, that may have been a long time ago or at very different libraries. City Tech’s library, like those of most solely undergraduate institutions, is primarily focused on resources and services to help our students succeed in college. But what, exactly, do our students do here in the library?
All of us in the library observe various student behaviors here: doing schoolwork alone or in groups, relaxing with smartphones or laptops, even, occasionally sleeping. Prof. Maura Smale has undertaken a research project that included discussions with students about their preferred (and disliked) places in the library. Many of the students with whom Smale spoke appreciated the opportunities for focused study that they found in the library, especially on our fifth floor, the quiet study floor. Students like the one quoted in the headline noted that they had many distractions in their homes, with the activities of other family members all around them, and the library was a haven for their academic work.
When the City Tech Library opened in 1987, it was a great improvement over its old space on the ground floor of the Namm Building. The new library offered ample seating, natural light, multiple book stacks and card catalogs bursting with information on the library’s mostly print collection. Twenty-five years later the library culture has changed dramatically. Today’s student comes here with his/her laptop, iPad and/or smartphone looking for a space to study and also to find adequate space to do group work with classmates. We observe students sitting within the stacks using all the available outlets. Outlets are hard to come by since, when the library first opened, the outlets placed randomly around the library were intended for vacuum cleaners and not 2013’s technology needs.
Nevertheless, the library is trying to keep pace with the many new trends and students’ study habits. Facility upgrades such as new furniture, new carpet and paint have given the library a fresher look. Over the last year, we replaced and upgraded many of the fourth floor public area computers. Students can now print from any computer and also use Microsoft Office Suite as well as search the library’s electronic databases. iPad stations were placed around the library for easy access to the library’s catalog of resources. Wifi has been improved. The Multimedia Resource Center has had hardware and software upgrades to accommodate students preparing presentations for their courses. These are just a few of the ways the City Tech Library is meeting the needs of City Tech students.
Today’s urban library has evolved into ‘a place’ for students to research, study, and do group work. We plan to redesign some old areas into new gathering spaces that allow students to study together more easily. All of our library faculty and staff are here to support City Tech students in their college work, both now and in the future. What other ways might the library be able to ensure students’ success in their college careers? We’d love to hear your ideas and feedback! Please feel free to contact library faculty directly or submit a comment on the library website:
http://library.citytech.cuny.edu/comments.php
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