Carpets are filthy.

True, some of Hagerty’s carpets have seen better days. Even the world’s most durable carpets would quickly wear down under the foot traffic that the library gets on a daily basis. We’ll be shampooing the carpets soon.

Update (Sept. 27, 2011): The Carpets near the computer hubs on the first floor were shampooed this morning! The second floor will be shampooed sometime in the next week or two.

This afternoon I saw one orange little thing like a baby fly on the monitor of my computer. I tried to catch it, but I failed. Then after awhile, I got six bites. I am thinking maybe there are bugs at the library.

I think you may be right. I’m really sorry to hear about your bug bites. Although this is the first we’ve heard of biting bugs, we’ve been aware of the bug problem for awhile. They seem to come and go with the seasons, and right now is clearly bug season at Hagerty. We’ve called facilities and they are monitoring the situation.

Fix the paper towel dispenser in the basement level bathroom. Also the bathroom doors tend to lock you in. The first floor bathroom tends to smell a lot as well.

Thanks for writing. I think you were talking about the men’s bathroom, since the women’s has been closed since before you wrote. As of today the towel dispenser in the men’s lower-level bathroom was working properly. If you have the problem again, would you please tell us the specifics so that we can fix it? We know that the first floor bathrooms do not smell fantastic. We are working with facilities to update the bathroom plumbing. They are renovating the women’s bathroom in the lower level now.

We’ve had two comments about our machinery here at Hagerty:

The Dragon card station is out of order, the copier is out of order, and there are no computers available. I pay Ivy League tuition, but get a community college library at Drexel.

This library is in bad shape. I printed a document. It came out so faint I could hardly read it. I tried to print another document, and it wouldn’t print, so a librarian told me to have it printed at circulation. But they couldn’t take my Dragon card because the reader was broken. One of two card readers is broken at the print center. I tried to staple my document, but the stapler was out of staples. What am I getting for $1,000 per credit hour? Is it too much to expect things to work?

Thank you for writing. I’m really sorry you hit so many road blocks while you were trying to get your work done. I know it’s frustrating. Our copiers, printers, and scanners are due for an update, as you’ve alluded to, and we’re in the midst of taking bids, selecting a new vendor, and getting new equipment, which should arrive early in the fall. In the meantime, please bear with us while we try to help you resolve any issues you may have on a case by case basis.

We try very hard to keep staplers, toner, and paper well stocked, but since these things can quickly run out when we least expect it, please tell us if you find that something’s low, and we’ll replace it right away.

As for no computers being available, did you know that there are two computer labs on Hagerty’s lower level? There is one in L14 and one in L13C. It is very rare that every single one of these computers is taken, but if they are all in use, you might try checking a laptop at the circulation desk.

Please bring back the microwave.

I’m sorry we had to get rid of the microwave. You see, the problem is that there is no staff here to maintain it and keep it clean. The dirty microwave recently caught on fire, and we absolutely can not have fire in the café or the library. So we had to remove it.

Hear that rumbling?  It’s not an earthquake, it’s not SEPTA, it’s Insomnia Cookies.  Not that I’m trying to sleep next to their truck, but isn’t that an ironic name, given their constantly running generator?

So, Drexel: is insomnia cookies worth a 70db engine monotone all day long?  If they get this privilege, then I want free reign to set up my grunge band in the middle of Chestnut and rock out.

Why, now that you mention it, I do hear that rumbling, as do many of our library users and staff members.

You’ve probably guessed that this is an ongoing issue. Several students have complained, and the problem has come to the attention of the Dean of Libraries, Danuta Nitecki. She has asked senior staff to resolve it. So I can’t tell you that the noise will cease immediately, but I can tell you that we consider this a problem, and we are working to fix it.

As for your grunge band on Chestnut Street, I’m very sorry, but there is nothing I can do, other than start the mosh pit.

Must we scan our IDs to enter Bookmark from within the library? It seems to serve no purpose, as we have already scanned IDs at the library entrance. Also, the alarm that goes off fairly frequently is incredibly annoying and disturbing.

Thanks for asking. It’s all about the 33rd Street door and Taco Bell.  When Taco Bell is open, the 33rd Street door of the cafe is unlocked and accessible to the public, which means that we must keep the door into the main part of W. W. Hagerty secure in order to protect the library and students. Keeping the door secure means that students must swipe in for access—those without Drexel IDs cannot get in. This door does not have a turnstile, which means that an ID must be swiped anytime the door is open, whether the student is going into or out of the Bookmark Cafe.

You may have noticed that you don’t have to swipe your ID to enter the cafe when Taco Bell is closed. That’s because when Taco Bell is closed, the 34th Street door in the Bookmark Cafe is locked and inaccessible to anyone. When this is the case, anyone who has already swiped their ID at the main Hagerty door has free access to the Bookmark Cafe.

Regarding the alarm, we know it’s annoying. Believe us—we know. Unfortunately this door must be alarmed so that those who don’t swipe their IDs and those who monitor the door are alerted to the problem. Students can help dampen the alarm by swiping their IDs every time they open the door between the library and the Bookmark Cafe, and by stopping to listen to the staff member monitoring the door when he or she asks them to.

Not clean enough.

How so? We have cleaning staff at Hagerty whenever the library is open, so if you encounter a specific problem with cleanliness, please let someone at the reference or circulation desk know, and we’ll find someone to fix it right away. We’d also like to hear about it if you’ve noticed a specific problem over time. If we know about it, we can fix it. Please do be sure to give us details, though; if we don’t know what the specific problem is, we won’t be able to fix it.

Thanks for your comment.

There should be more paper recycling bins!

Good point. You can never have too much of a good thing. I’ve made some calls around the library, and we’re on the case. Thanks for the good idea.

I would like to bring up the frivolity of most internet use within the building. At times it seems like people are camped out (and I mean for extended periods) at every computer on Facebook, doing absolutely nothing but wasting bandwidth. Furthermore, this problem appears to have expanded to the second-floor catalog computers, where students feel it is their right to take over these convenience pcs for double-checking call numbers to find books and searching for nearby items. I (and I can tell you quite a few of my friends) would support a measure to block Facebook from many of the library computers, to free them up for people like me and the original poster who was upset about not having a place to study. Please consider this — it would be much appreciated.

Thanks for your comment. We are aware that this is a problem on Hagerty’s second floor, and several of our library directors are in the midst of working out the best solution. We are considering several options, including adding more terminals and restricting access only to certain library resources.