HCCC Students and Staff Debate Library Re-routing

It has been more than a month since the initiation of the new rules regarding foot traffic at the Ronald F. Williams Library at the Herkimer County Community College.  On February 13, the doors between the first floor of the library and the atrium stairwell of the Library Building were closed to both incoming and outgoing foot traffic and are now reserved for use by the handicapped and for emergencies, according to the official brochure.

The new rules have modified the daily routine of getting to and from classes for many students. This was deliberate; according to Librarian Valerie Prescott, the problem the change was primarily implemented to address was that students were using the library as a simple walkway. Prescott said that the change has been helpful in returning the library to its “normal use.”

Along with the foot traffic redirection, the computer lab between the first floor of the library and the Academic Support Center was reopened. According to Prescott, the change in the layout of the computer lab from when it had last been opened was all part of the same program, a program that had been discussed for two semesters.

Rikki Lewis, Technical Assistant of the Academic Support Center, also stated that the changes were mainly driven by the fact that students were “using the library as a portal” when returning from their classes in Johnson Hall. However, Lewis also expects to see an increase in the number of students using the ASC. Students no longer have to sign in at the front desk upon entering the ASC from the atrium, and they can pass between the ASC and the library freely. “The retrafficking kind of hurt us a little because we're hearing more noise,” Lewis said concerning the question of whether or not this might move the problem of the pass-through noise from the first floor of the library to the ASC, “but it dissipates when they get to the lab.” One of the goals stated in the brochure was to “enhance collaboration” between the two facilities, allowing resources to be shared. “We're like a collaborative effort now,” Lewis said.

Enough time has now passed for both opinions and statistics about the effects of the change to crystallize. The bulletin board at the landing between the first and second floors of the library has become a community platform for expressing the range of reactions. As has been done in the past on topics such as the economy, the Occupy movement, and National Library Week, students and staff are encouraged to write their thoughts on blank sheets of paper posted beneath information about the topic, divided into separate sections for “Pros” and “Cons.” The bulletin board also holds copies of the official brochure.

Students commented on the impact to the noise level, the convenience of getting around, and on the use of the open library computers. Some comments express enthusiastic support for the changes, such as the one that reads, “Not [as] much noise as last semester!” A more moderate response under the “Pros” column was “less noisy (but very inconvenient!)” However, the comments in support of the changes are outnumbered by those in the “Cons” section.

The bulletin board served as the medium for an exchange with a student concerned about handicapped access to the library. Responses to this question, evidently from library staff, encouraged the commenter to read the brochure. Then the original commenter wrote that he or she had learned handicapped are still allowed to use the atrium entrance, near where the elevator provides access between the first and second floors of the Library Building. To this, the staff wrote “Yay!”

The strongest criticisms questioned the effectiveness. “It's a big inconvenience getting to the library now,” wrote one student, underlining the word “big” three times. “I don't see how the new traffick flow is affecting the facebook and gaming in the library. Doesn't make sense.” Later, a different comment appeared with a similar tone: “People who use facebook (etc) won't drastically change their habits simply because you block off the stairwell. It's just an inconvenience and a pointless attempt.”

Following that comment appears the response, “And yet our stats say otherwise...,” evidently referring to a table showing computer usage statistics posted along with the general explanation of the traffic change.

	Before	After
Facebook	25.2 %	18.5 %
Research	25.5%	32.5 %
Word Processing	24.5 %	32.5 %
Entertainment	24.8 %	16. 5%

Table: Library computer usage. Source: Library bulletin board.

More time may need to pass before everyone is entirely comfortable with the new arrangement for entering and leaving the library.