New carpeting, new furniture and a fresh coat of paint are all visible changes to Bender Library, but behind the drying paint and improved cushions, staff members have worked for the past nine months to figure out other ways to improve the library.
This improvement effort comes after the discovery, through observations and surveys, that many students, mainly undergraduates, are disappointed with the library's services. Also, in Princeton Review's the Best 357 Colleges Ranking, AU's library was ranked the 18th worst this year.
Both students and professional librarians were consulted in order to design a user-friendly library, the staff said.
"We try to respond to [students' suggestions]," said Associate University Librarian Diana Vogelsong. Students complained that the library was not an inviting place to study, and that was one reason for renovating, she said.
The library has new posters saying, "You asked. We listened."
"That's all about the furniture," said Treva Williams, Circulation Specialist and School of Communication graduate.
Students are dissatisfied with the library because they aren't aware of all the resources, said Nick Banovetz, assistant to the University Librarian.
Reference and Instruction Librarian Mary Evangelisie said that if students asked for help, they would like the library better.
"We engaged in many surveys and found that people who talk to the library staff are very happy with our service," Evangelisie said. "We found that people who were dissatisfied were the people who, for some reason or another, never asked us. It's not that we don't have the books, it's that if you don't ask us, we can't help you find them. It's amazing the satisfaction that we get [when students ask]."
Vogelsong agreed. "I had a students ask me, 'Why doesn't the library allow drinks?' and the answer was, 'Well, we do.' There are certain myths about the library that get perpetuated," she said. "Students don't think we have the proper references here, and they tell that to [their peers]... and it's unfortunate."
However, some students say the same things about the library's services - that the consortium is great, but the AU library doesn't have enough books.
"When I went to look up a book in the library - a specific edition because it contained fairly recent information - they had the 1985 edition of the book, when what I needed was the 2000 edition," said Miguel Hermann, a junior in the School of International Service. He added that he thinks the library needs to update its stacks more frequently.
However, Hermann found it helpful to use the consortium, the partnership allowing D.C. universities AU, Georgetown, George Washington, Howard and Catholic University to share books with each other.
"The consortium is a great tool," Hermann said. "I like the options we are given through the consortium as well as the databases that we have access to as well." AU students have access to more than 100 databases through Bender Library, according to the staff.
Ben Sander, a sophomore in SIS, also likes the consortium.
"The research librarians are always helpful, and the consortium almost always has the material I need for my research," Sander said, adding that he uses the library about every two weeks.
Compared to other libraries in the consortium, Bender Library is open more hours than any other.
"One of the former Student Confederation president's goal of the year was to have more open hours in the library," said Julie Darnell, the library's development coordinator. "The reason we [have more open hours] is because of students."
The library is also the best place on campus for students to plug in their laptops, as it has 212 outlets and 116 data ports, and it's wireless capable.
However, when it comes to books, students say that the library is lacking, guessing that the library attains between 50 and 200 new volumes a semester. In fact, it actually obtains more than 20,000 volumes each year, according to the staff.
Darnell said that the books are there, but students need to talk to the staff.
"We think undergraduates are not comfortable with the library. When they can't find a book on the shelf, they just get frustrated and leave," Darnell said. "Faculty members use the reference desk a lot. You're not professing ignorance by going to the reference desk."
The library's marketing team hopes to encourage students to learn about the library by holding a contest to win an iPod. To be eligible to win, a student must attend a walk-in class in the library, attend an office-hours appointment or research appointment with a librarian, or attend a library instruction session scheduled by a professor.
"All you have to do is attend a session, and you can use what you learn," Darnell said.
Jonathan Silberman, an undergraduate monitor on the marketing team, said students should participate.
"It's like cheesecake after running on a treadmill," he said. Silberman designed the library's new posters.
The iPod drawing will take place Nov. 1.
In the future, the library hopes to have a comments link on its Web site, or a town hall meeting or open forum so students can provide input to the library staff, Banovetz said. The library also wants to open a coffee bar in the library, although this plan is not finalized.
Darnell said she hopes to get input from students.
"We are always trolling for feedback from students," Darnell said. "In the suggestion box we get complaints that we don't have something, when really we do. The students just don't know that we offer it."
Mary Mintz, senior reference librarian, said the staff is trained to help, and students should take advantage of that.
"We always emphasize to ask at a reference desk," Mintz said. "Just because you've taken a class, or think you should know [how to conduct research] by know, doesn't mean you should stop asking. The reference librarians are all professionally trained people with advanced degrees in library information science. We love to answer questions."
For reference questions, call the Reference Desk at x3238. Information about the library or library sessions can be found at www.library.american.edu.
