Submitted by harmonk on May 8, 2008 - 3:13pm
I also think that the library should be a bit more comfortable. There should be more couches like in the main seating area on the sky bridge.
There should also be more MAC computers..those are so problem free
There should be energy drink vending on all floors...to keep us awake and cracked out.
Bean bags and pillows would be awesome...Super squishy ones..infact that would be a cheap alternative to couches!! big pillows and bean bags!!
»
COMFORT - LIBRARY REPLYS, August 2008
The best we can tell you on this is that all of the nasty orange couches and chairs were sent off over the summer to be reupholstered. We wish we had the budget to replace furniture as frequently as we'd like.
However the library is very interested in getting student input as it explores development of an information commons space. Watch for future information on the library homepage about student focus groups if this interests you.
Frank Haulgren
14 Days Coordinator
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<![endif]-->
Normal
0
false
false
false
MicrosoftInternetExplorer4
<!--[if gte mso 9]>
<!--[if gte mso 10]>
<![endif]-->
Sleep at night, but more comfy studying!
People: sleep at night. I don't really want to see people sleeping at the library - gross. I'm a student with a disability and raising two special needs children (pre-school age no less). If I can sleep at home (or not sleep) and manage to go to school all day without sleeping in public - so can you...
But!! I'd definitely like to see some new and comfy furniture that you could kind of relax into while studying and not get kinks in your neck and back.. Lets have a party in red square and destroy all the orange things that used to be called furniture!
A related destruction idea
Sorry this is offtopic for furniture, but it's on-topic for a destruction party:
A lot of people have a lot of frustration with computers. Destruction parties as fundraisers are always popular, so why not a computer destruction fundraiser?
When a bunch of old computers are discarded, I bet lots of people would be willing to pay $5 - $20 for a swing at one with a sledge hammer. I wouldn't be surprised if people would pay $40 - $100 for the privilege of throwing one off the Wilson 6th floor balcony. (Maybe students could pay the lower prices, and staff and faculty could pay the higher prices. With a sledgehammer, the first swing would be the most satisfying and therefore is worth a higher price.)
Granted this would make a big mess, and a police presence might be necessary to keep it safe if throwing computers off the balcony. But I'm sure even after the cost of cleanup this would be a moneymaker compared to the existing surplus auction method of disposing of old equipment. I bet just a few computers might fetch more money this way than a whole pallet full of computers can fetch at surplus auction. The materials could probably still be recycled afterward, too. And if special attention is given to smashing the hard disks, then the labor-intensive process of erasing them would be obviated.
This need not just be an idea for the library -- maybe the whole university can get in on it.
For photos of a real computer-destruction fundraiser at the University of Manitoba, check out this URL:
http://www.flickr.com/photos/81663983@N00/
comfort
i agree with the fact that the couches should be a little more nap-friendly. sometimes in between classes i just want to take a quick power nap but find the wooden arm rests to be a bit too hard to be used as a pillow.
although pillows and bean
although pillows and bean bags sound nice, there are highly unpractical, lets be honest. The orange couches are gross enough, think about how quicly those would go bad? And how many of them will be stolen? College students aren't known to be rich and will steal, chiars such as those in the sky bridge are good, any more comfertable and we are running into sanitation problems and a whole lot of mess (bean bags break FAST!)
It's definitely a good idea
It's definitely a good idea to have some comfier furniture. I feel like the Underground is the only place like that to lounge or nap comfortably. And if the library becomes 24 hours, at least in parts, it would be even more appropriate for those all-niters. I'm not even a big fan of sleeping in public, but it's just something that happens when you're on campus and studying a lot.
Re: Comfy Things - Wilson side
I'm all for comfort.
In fact, if I were in charge I'd go ahead and spearhead an effort to revamp the entire Wilson side with modern desks and comfy chairs and couches.
The Wilson side of the library is one of my favorite places to study because of the view of the bay, and the study rooms, it has less traffic, etc. but it's so ... three decades ago. I mean there's only like two plug-ins along each wall, and you have to literally crawl underneath the desks to plug your laptop in. Its chairs are borderline dangerous to sit in, and the desks don't provide much as far as study space, or elbow room.
I think if we're talking about funding improved comfort, some cash definitely needs to be earmarked for the Wilson side.
comfy, right?
I like most of your suggestions, but the idea of inviting more vendors onto our campus, and speciffically into our library, seems like a bad one. Vending machines are distracting, especially when they have "in-your-face" logos on them. Running into a bright, humming pepsi machine when I'm trying to study would be uncomfortable.
more couches, please.
I really miss the couch that
I really miss the couch that used to always be above the media library as it was a great place to nap. The only places people can crash now are on those uncomfortable orange two seaters upstairs without looking wierd by lying on the floor.
Getting bean bags chairs would be really nice and cheap.
Is That the Purpose of the Library?
Your complaint is that there isn't a place for you to crash that's comfortable in the library? I don't really think that's what the library is for. It should be used for studying, not sleeping. I agree with getting updated chairs and couches, but not because I want to sleep, I go home for that; just because you can see the dust flying off of them whenever you plop your backpack down. Our campus is one of the prettiest around and I think our library should reflect that.
Some people live far away
Some people live far away and there is no harm in grabbing a little nap in library between classes!
Yes, but...
It's about an hour for me to get home and another hour for me to get back to school. Obviously, going home is not an option between most classes, especially with gas costs the way they are ($5 just to go home between classes? no thanks).
However, this doesn't mean that the library should be spending its money on providing a good place for students to sleep. While I wholly understand that catching a few minutes of sleep in the library may be NICE, it isn't really what the library is there for, and spending money specifically to improve sleeping conditions is asinine.