Library allows students to reserve group study rooms
By: Theresa Schempp, Contributing Writer
Students can now reserve two group study rooms in Cook Library as part of a pilot program launched by library faculty last week.
“Being able to reserve a room is so much more convenient than I thought,” freshman Nina Nguyen said. “Finding space for a group project is so hard in the library, and it’s really nice to have the option to actually have a room we can go to.”
The two rooms available for reservation are second-floor rooms CK-212 and CK-213A.
Individuals are not allowed to reserve rooms, so groups must include at least two people. The rooms are available to be reserved Monday through Thursday from 8 a.m. to midnight, Fridays from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m., Saturdays from noon to 8 p.m., and Sundays from noon to midnight.
To reserve a room, students must go to the Cook Library home page, click the “Reserve a Room” link on the left, and then reserve a room for up to four hours a day. An email is sent to students’ emails confirming their reservation and use of the room.
Reservations must be made within 24 hours of the preferred time, and if the group is not present within the first fifteen minutes, they waive their reservation.
When not reserved, the rooms are available for students to use on a first-come, first-serve basis.
Information technology librarian Bill Helman is leading the pilot reservation project.
“It’s something that we’ve had a lot of requests for over the years and it’s something that the library has wanted to try out for a while now,” Helman said. “It’s something that a lot of other libraries and universities do and we just felt that it’s common practice and something we ought to be doing.”
The project of reserving rooms has been in discussion for the past two years. At the request of students, the project was brought to the library’s Management Council, which focuses on strategic planning and developing new projects.
“When the second floor Collaboration Zone opened Fall 2014, its popularity demonstrated a strong need for a room reservation system,” Dean of University Libraries Deborah Nolan said in an email.
Nolan said that, if the pilot goes well, the program could be expanded to other parts of the building.
“Over the summer we will examine the use, process and policies to help expand the subsystem effectively for more study rooms,” Nolan said. “Perhaps for all of the small group rooms on both the second and third floors.”