Fall '13 Issue of Langsdale Link is Live!

Langsdale: A Student's Perspective

As the student liaison for the library, I’m updated on changes and improvements happening at Langsdale. By asking students around campus, I got a better idea of their opinions on Langsdale’s progress. The students who frequently came to the library were generally more enthusiastic about Langsdale, while students who rarely came told me what might bring them in.

Anna  Alrub, a freshman jurisprudence major, has been to the library twice. When asked what changes she thinks the library should make, Anna suggested adding more color to make it more inviting.

Some students focused more on the library’s service than environment. Shelby Cook, a junior government and public policy major, frequently comes to the library to get help. She went on to add that the librarians were friendly and knowledgeable. Barbara Sherrod, a junior English major, frequently visits Langsdale to get work done quietly. When I questioned Barbara about what she would like to see improved, she said, “more material in circulation,” more books.

Langsdale has been keeping up with the demands of students by adding a much-needed LCD-touchscreen scanner to the first floor. Also, we’ve added iPad kiosks to help you locate books and find reserves quickly. One useful new feature, released by Langsdale last semester, is the mobile site for on-the-go convenience.
This spring semester, Anna might want to come back to the library: the third floor is currently being re-modeled to provide more quiet study space.

Langsdale is focused on improvements that make the library experience more accommodating and comfortable for all.

                     -Jasmine Gibson

Welcome back!

Welcome back! Today marks the beginning of the new semester, and while recent arctic temperatures are forcing us to pull out our long underwear and thick coats as we go into the Spring semester, there are new and interesting happenings here at Langsdale. First up: Cupcakes! As always, the library will be giving away free cupcakes to celebrate the new semester. We’ll be giving away cupcakes on Wednesday, January 30, 3-4pm.

And while you’re getting a cupcake, take a look at the brand new study area on the 3^rd floor. During the Fall semester and the Winter Break, we worked hard on moving books and furniture to expand usable student space in the stacks. While we still have some work to do, we encourage you to check out the new study area and feel free to spread out and get your work done in a comfortable, quiet environment.

Don’t forget to stop by the Circulation desk before you leave. Your library account should have been automatically renewed as long as you are currently enrolled as a student, but you may have books still checked out on your account. Renew your books at the Circulation desk, over the phone, or even online, and start the Spring semester fresh. J

Making Room for the Future: Renovations at Langsdale

Before

From the upcoming Langsdale Link:

If you could look on the actions of humanity in the same distanced and objective way you might the movements of a cell under a slide or a zebra in the African grasslands, then, if so inclined, it might be possible to map the ways in which technology has utterly transformed just about every aspect of our lives, and to predict how these effects might grow in magnitude. Progress (read: technology) doesn’t stop. And because it doesn’t stop, we, both at the library, and, generally, as people living on planet earth, always have our ear to the ground looking for the next new thing that will utterly transform our lives…again.

So we’ve made some changes to Langsdale, our feeble but educated attempt to guess which way the winds are blowing and will blow in the future. we have added some new technology—a web, print and game design lab on the lower level; a new touch-screen scanner to the first floor—as well as additional study and laptop space on the third floor.

Libraries are changing, and in addition to being the repository of books, we are also becoming a repository of technology and space to use and grow with that technology. We have designed space to study, space to work, space to prepare presentations and Power Points, space to write papers and design websites; space designed specifically for the tasks that now are part of everyday student life, which means space that can be adapted to a myriad of needs. To do this we have consolidated our print collection on the third floor to fit on one side of the building, leaving half the floor open to accommodate large tables for quiet study. We are also in the process of outfitting our second floor with movable tables and whiteboards, which will facilitate multiple uses and allow for greater flexibility, especially of interest to study groups.

After

We continue to try to anticipate the needs of all UB students, here now and those who will attend in the future. To do this we have tried to keep our eyes open to all the possibilities that innovation brings. But unlike cells or zebras, humans come up with some crazy devices that are impossible to predict. So to plan for the future we’ve made space for you to grow.

See more pictures here.