3 ms·

The biggest problem I always had with the library at my alma matter (ucla), was that thousands of square feet dedicated to books people rarely ever touched whil

The biggest problem I always had with the library at my alma matter (ucla), was that thousands of square feet dedicated to books people rarely ever touched while simultaneously failing to have even proportional amount of space dedicated to desks. Furthermore, any furniture frequently doubled as people's bed away from home.

korethr 7y ago
> Furthermore, any furniture frequently doubled as people's bed away from home. Sounds to me like the library was failing to enforce some reasonable rules on the purpose of the furniture. I get it, it's easier to catch a quick nap in a library than other places because they are generally quieter spaces. But if a library's raison d'etre is to be a repository of reference material and a place of quitet study, then rules prioritizing use of the furniture for study over sleeping strikes me as quite fair.
- wtallis 7y ago
  Enforcement wouldn't solve any problems here, it would just antagonize the students. The underlying problem that needs to be addressed is insufficient space to work or nap between classes.
  - deleted 7y ago
    [deleted]
  - korethr 7y ago
    It might antagonize the students who are looking for a place to nap, but is that all of the students? I think other students might be happy to have their library available to them as a library again.
    - blackflame7000 7y ago
      I propose a hybrid solution: We add more space for study and naps, while simultaneously antagonizing the students.
erwfdserwfds 7y ago
The purpose of a library is not to have books people are sure to read, but to have references people might need. A (good) library is necessarily a long-tail institution. The rarely touched book is a treasure. The study space a concession to the modern student body that lacks any meaningful silent space. The student sleeping in said study area is a gross oversight by the librarian to ensure the sacrosanct space isn't violated (and, unfortunately for some of those sleeping at the library, another housing failure in S. California :S)
- tomkinstinch 7y ago
  Indeed; a good library is a long-tail institution. The Harvard Library system has a large collection of books at the various on-campus libraries, but an immense catalog of infrequently accessed books at a "depository" warehouse off-site. Scholars can request items from the Depository and receive them within a day. This split-storage model may a sensible solution for other universities going forward: prime and expensive library buildings on-campus can be reserved for quiet study areas and a few commonly-used books, with the main collection of books retrievable from a nearby location where land is less expensive. It also has the advantage of allowing books to be stored in the ideal climate for their preservation. Fun fact about the Harvard Depository: books are organized not by topic, publication date, or anything resembling the Dewey decimal system, but rather by a metric that makes sense for high-density: physical size. Books are stored in barcoded boxes by height. Here is an artsy documentary, "Cold Storage," about the Depository: https://vimeo.com/116603551 https://vimeo.com/116603551 or in interactive form: http://librarybeyondthebook.org/cold_storage/ http://librarybeyondthebook.org/cold_storage/
  - asdff 7y ago
    Pretty much every library has an off campus facility for books. USC has a warehouse on grand avenue. Not sure where UCLA's book repository is, but it is definitely somewhere. However, I wouldn't want the stacks in the main library (doheny) at usc converted to study space. I think there are better rooms to gut for study space, namely the random faculty offices they've shoved in every library. You can build an office across the street from campus if you need the space. The ceiling in the stacks is maybe 6.5' tall, it's musty and the HVAC is deafening, and extends 6 stories down into the earth. I couldn't imagine a more disheartening study environment, but there are some tables and chairs and sad graduate students down there nonetheless.

korethr 7y ago

> Furthermore, any furniture frequently doubled as people's bed away from home. Sounds to me like the library was failing to enforce some reasonable rules on the purpose of the furniture. I get it, it's easier to catch a quick nap in a library than other places because they are generally quieter spaces. But if a library's raison d'etre is to be a repository of reference material and a place of quitet study, then rules prioritizing use of the furniture for study over sleeping strikes me as quite fair.

wtallis 7y ago
Enforcement wouldn't solve any problems here, it would just antagonize the students. The underlying problem that needs to be addressed is insufficient space to work or nap between classes.
- deleted 7y ago
  [deleted]
- korethr 7y ago
  It might antagonize the students who are looking for a place to nap, but is that all of the students? I think other students might be happy to have their library available to them as a library again.
  - blackflame7000 7y ago
    I propose a hybrid solution: We add more space for study and naps, while simultaneously antagonizing the students.

erwfdserwfds 7y ago

The purpose of a library is not to have books people are sure to read, but to have references people might need. A (good) library is necessarily a long-tail institution. The rarely touched book is a treasure. The study space a concession to the modern student body that lacks any meaningful silent space. The student sleeping in said study area is a gross oversight by the librarian to ensure the sacrosanct space isn't violated (and, unfortunately for some of those sleeping at the library, another housing failure in S. California :S)

tomkinstinch 7y ago
Indeed; a good library is a long-tail institution. The Harvard Library system has a large collection of books at the various on-campus libraries, but an immense catalog of infrequently accessed books at a "depository" warehouse off-site. Scholars can request items from the Depository and receive them within a day. This split-storage model may a sensible solution for other universities going forward: prime and expensive library buildings on-campus can be reserved for quiet study areas and a few commonly-used books, with the main collection of books retrievable from a nearby location where land is less expensive. It also has the advantage of allowing books to be stored in the ideal climate for their preservation. Fun fact about the Harvard Depository: books are organized not by topic, publication date, or anything resembling the Dewey decimal system, but rather by a metric that makes sense for high-density: physical size. Books are stored in barcoded boxes by height. Here is an artsy documentary, "Cold Storage," about the Depository: https://vimeo.com/116603551 https://vimeo.com/116603551 or in interactive form: http://librarybeyondthebook.org/cold_storage/ http://librarybeyondthebook.org/cold_storage/
- asdff 7y ago
  Pretty much every library has an off campus facility for books. USC has a warehouse on grand avenue. Not sure where UCLA's book repository is, but it is definitely somewhere. However, I wouldn't want the stacks in the main library (doheny) at usc converted to study space. I think there are better rooms to gut for study space, namely the random faculty offices they've shoved in every library. You can build an office across the street from campus if you need the space. The ceiling in the stacks is maybe 6.5' tall, it's musty and the HVAC is deafening, and extends 6 stories down into the earth. I couldn't imagine a more disheartening study environment, but there are some tables and chairs and sad graduate students down there nonetheless.