A smiling face is always nice to see, isn’t it? We’ll work on that!

Thanks for the tip!

Best Regards,
Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

Thanks for taking the time to share your thoughts. The current arrangement of the public computers is in part so that the librarians can offer instruction and/or supervision to any patrons using them. Segregating some users would diminish the ability to do that. Also the electricity and Ethernet connections aren’t available in the YA Room, but upgrades of the infrastructure nature are certainly on the wish list at the library!
If distractions in the Reference Room are affecting your ability to use the library peacefully, two things come to mind:
Please let staff know while excessive noise is happening so that it can be addressed while it is occurring. Also, laptops are available to be borrowed within the library and can be taken to the 2nd floor which is designated for individual silent study only.

Cordially,
Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

Dear C.L
I’m so glad you’ve found us to be helpful!

Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

M.C.

She is a popular author! I contacted her publicist to inquire about fees and availability and found that not only is Ms. Picoult completely booked for all of 2013, but she also charges a fee that is light years beyond the library’s budget. So while I’m unable to bring her here to WPL, perhaps you’d be interested in listening to some interviews on her website.

Thanks for the lovely idea…

Sincerely,
Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

Terrific! I’ll be sure to let him know you said so!

Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

Patrons of all ages can sometimes get a bit rowdy. You can help us keep the peace by letting staff know as soon as you encounter excessive noise in the library. That way we can address it directly at the time that it is occurring.

Another option is to borrow a laptop. That way you can take it to an area of the library that you find more peaceful, such as the 2nd floor.

Sincerely,
Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

Thanks for your support!

Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

About the computer room:
A situation I’ve encountered twice is this:
When your hour is up and no one is waiting in the queue, you automatically get an extension. When that extension is over, very suddenly you get only 2 minutes to get your work printed and it can be not enough time. The time should be 5 minutes, perhaps. You can lose a lot of work.

I’ve checked into the software that manages public computer use and cannot find a way to change that setting. I can tell you, however, that as long as you send your work to the printer before your 2 minutes is up, the work is safe, even if you haven’t retrieved it from the printing software. Another alternative is to use a flash drive to save your work, so even if you’re not ready to print, at least you’ll have saved your progress and can print when you can have another turn at a computer. Or, you could email yourself the file to save it that way for future editing. Even one more idea might be to borrow a laptop to do your computing since those can be borrowed for 2 hours at a time and might be more predictable for you. I would suggest you consider any extension on a desktop as borrowed time, though, since we can never foresee when a queue will begin.

Thanks for taking the time to write!

Cordially,
Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

K.K.

Thanks for inquiring, K.K.!
We have had programs of this nature in the past and participants have enjoyed them. There are a couple of reasons we haven’t done these recently. Usually the group size has to be fairly small – no more than 15 people - because the instructor needs to be able to give one-on-one help. And then there’s the cost of the materials. Often for the same price, we could host a lecture or concert for 75 people. So, while arts and crafts aren’t out of the question in the future, they’re also not the most economical type of program for us.

Cordially,
Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013

Although the queuing software estimates wait times, assignments very often come up sooner than estimated. Allowing patrons to get too far away may mean they miss their time slot. Additional monitors also require additional wiring, since the software cannot run wirelessly. So, for now, 2 monitors are all we can handle. Hopefully there’s a comfy carrel or chair in the Reference area where you can see one of them until your next turn comes up.

Deb Fasulo
Assistant Library Director
dfasulo@minlib.net
1/18/2013