At the Holy Spirit Library, the computers in the library are outdated and the printers barely function. Students and staff across campus have expressed their issues with the technology.
Considering it’s 2019, you’d think that college libraries would have up-to-date technology, such as fast running computers and working printers.
Freshman biology major, Kristine Tsiouras, is extremely affected by this problem. She is a commuter and finds it difficult because sometimes it can be hard to make sure she has everything before getting to school, and sometimes she needs to print right before her class but she can’t.
Tsiouras finds the fact that the cafeteria and the parking garage got updated but the library doesn’t to be unfair.
“People use the library for academics,” Tsiouras said. “I don’t mind the parking garage and the cafeteria being updated, but if there is that money to be used for updates, some of it should go towards the library because we’re here for academics.”
If she could update the library, she would want all the computers to be able to print, because recently, the issue has been that you can only print from certain ones. The technology needs to be updated and taken care of. These updates are important because you need what you need to go to class. You need to be prepared, and right now, the library, something that’s supposed to be helpful to students, isn’t helping that much.
Recently, Berkeley has added “low-slung couches and futuristic nap-pods” to two of their floors, because they no longer contain books. This is a trend happening all over the globe, “University libraries across the country, and around the world, are seeing steady declines in the use of the books on their shelves,” according to Vice Provost for Information Collaboration at Northeastern University, Dan Cohen.
Junior business management major, Lexie Edwards, agrees with Tsiouras on the fact that updates need to be made because the library is a place for education and academics, what students are at college for. Edwards wishes this library would become more high-tech like Berkeley.
“I feel like many people don’t read the books here anyway, unless it’s for a class,” Edwards said. “My boyfriend goes to Temple and they just built an entire new library and they have an option to go up on the roof where there’s chairs and grass. They have a robot that gets their books for them, but the books are only for their classes. So, yeah, I think we should change.”
The staff that work in the library have their own opinions as well. Building Circulation Manager, Christopher Jones, immediately showed all of the suggestions from the suggestion box, which almost all of them said, “fix printers.”
Jones sees that students aren’t necessarily frustrated with the computer and printer situations, but they’re disappointed. Many students expect Wi-Fi printing from their laptops, which makes sense since most were able to do that in high school.
Jones doesn’t look at the parking garage and cafeteria getting updated as unfair, but he still believes the library needs its updates eventually.
“It’s a budget issue, it’s always a money thing, but it’s a matter of necessity,” Jones said. “This is a commuter college, we need more parking spots for students. In the grand scheme, of course the library getting updated is important, but with Blackboard, it’s not dire.”
With acknowledging that Cabrini students have their online systems to hand in homework, he does think that the library definitely needs faster computers so it can become more efficient.
Electronic Resources and Systems Librarian, Adam Altman, agrees simply that he does see students getting frustrated, most due to the printers being “wacky.”
Altman finds that most students don’t understand what a library does. It’s not just books, it should be a “learning commons,” something similar to a student union.
“We don’t want a 1965 building for a 2019 landscape,” Altman said. He wishes that students knew what a library really is, which consists of tutoring, writing, virtual things connected to the library, it should be able to be remote.
He points out that updates are needed to help the perception of the school, “outdated computers and printer problems are not helpful to those looking to come to college.”
Altman thinks that Cabrini should update the library to be more like Berkeley, where we’re more into tech and have space for technology to grow. The library is supposed to be an “all inclusive” space, so it’s not cool to have just the MacBooks for those who take something like graphic design and they’re the only ones who can use it.
