4 thoughts on “Have you responded to the survey yet?”

1. Mullen Library has a host of areas that it could and must improve upon. Namely, the house of the library do not afford students, especially those in the undergraduate level, a wide enough opportunity to study in an area that is conducive for their learning. Studying in dorms are not always or even most always sufficient for studying well. Many of us work night jobs and can only study when we are done (to afford school) and coming to a library after working is good for accomplishing much work.

   Mullen would also benefit from having a section of the library dedicated to computer workstations (i.e. AU, GW, and GT university libraries). Many of the lap tops in Mullen are old and do not work properly. Computer workstations provide space for student research and its also a nice thing to offer students. Students SHOULD be considered consumers/customers of the university and I hope part of this survey is acted upon.

   Mullen would do well if it invested in more periodicals and books of the political nature ie foreign affairs, American government, domestic policy etc. It is surely lacking in thes
   e areas whereas politics students makeup a significant number of students on campus.

   If you offer additional hours it would take some time for students to realize and begin to take advantage of them but this is most certaintly a need for it. The library managers always say its “not in the budget” or there isnt a real need for additional hours BUT THERE ACTUALLY is. Its time Mullen and CUA libraries step up and embrace technology. They should offer printed receipts for when we take out books that show us the due date like what is due at AU and GW-both world class libraries.

   One of the best things about Mullen however is the dedicated staff (especially the older women at the information desk). They are of true value. Get more of them. Not just 2. They offer real quality service and are incredibly intelligent librarians. Mullen would benefit from more employees like them.

2. Thank you very much for your suggestions – and particularly for your complements on the library staff. We are examining many of the policies and resources you suggest, and will certainly take your comments into consideration.

3. Since starting grad school here at CUA, I have been very impressed with Mullen library and have been able to conduct research rather well using its facilities. Since comments have been invited, I will share a suggestion or two that I think many in my program (philosophy) would echo: We need more copies of books in which there is a great deal of interest. Simply putting these items on a two-hour reserve is not enough to properly use them for research, especially if that particular book ends up being used for a large portion of a paper. (It is simply too costly and time-consuming to xerox or take notes on more than one chapter of a book.) Even multiple old editions of these books would be valuable to many of us. I have also encountered a number of lost journal articles since I’ve been here, that other WRLC universities do not have. It would help a great deal to run into this problem less often.

   However, I must conclude by reiterating that I have been able to conduct research here quite well and that the library staff has been polite, helpful, and knowledgeable. The library orientation session given by Kevin Gunn was excellent and I also obtained some useful research info at the information desk.

   P.S: I suggest being wary of treating students like customers. We are here to be taught and we are not always right.

4. Thank you for your comments and suggestions, Joe.

   I hope that, whenever you find missing pages in a journal (or book), you bring it to the attention of a library staff member. We can get replacement pages. Vandalism of this type is, unfortunately, all too common.