If you haven’t been in the library lately, then you haven’t seen the big changes that have occurred.
And when I say big, I really mean it!
If you go down the stairs (or take the elevator) to the Lower Mezzanine (LM), you will find the new IT Help Desk, just finished construction early in the fall. No longer will you have to trek over to the basement of Hemenway Hall (though it’s still open if you prefer it) to have your laptop fixed; now you can have your troubles solved right in the library.
When you first come down the stairs, you will see the two newly built study rooms. They are fairly good sized, with comfortable chairs and a big table in the center. Inside each are two large flat-screen TVs, that can be hooked up to a laptop for group discussions. These TVs sound good, but unfortunately I feel that they have more use for slacking than studying. I have, however, seen a few groups in the room using them for presentations, so hopefully my fears are unfounded. While the rooms cannot be signed out yet, in the future that will become an option for groups who want to schedule study parties.
To your left from the study rooms is the IT desk itself. It’s brand new, and offers much more in the ways of both student comfort and ease of use. Instead of sitting behind a table in Hemenway, the IT workers sit behind a large desk with computer monitors that face the student, not the worker. These monitors can be hooked up to the laptop the worker is fixing, so the student can see what is going on, or for demonstration purposes. No longer do you have to sit awkwardly while the worker clicks around on your laptop!
There are a number of comfortable chairs spread around the desk itself along with desks for study, and a few more TVs scattered around the area. It gives the place a feeling of comfort and relaxation, rather than just a spot to get your computer fixed. The desk itself is also far more welcoming than the room in Hemenway, with warm paneling and a clean exterior. It makes the desk a place that you actually want to visit, rather than a place to avoid.
The IT Desk has also made my life as a Circulation Desk Attendant (which is a fancy way of saying I check out books) much easier. Now, whenever a student has a laptop problem, often with printing, I can point them toward the desk. Not only that, but whenever a printer goes down in the library, someone from the IT Desk is always available to fix it. This means more working printers and less problems, which is always a good thing when you’re a college student.
With the addition of the IT Help Desk, the library is becoming far more of a one-stop-shop rather than just a holder of books. You can get some coffee, find a book to read, and get your laptop fixed without having to brave the great outdoors.
