This year there will be some changes coming to the student study rooms in the Van Pelt and Opie Library. Reservations will be moving from an hourly structure to being in 30 minute increments. In addition, students are now required to check in to their room reservations.
Students can confirm their reservation through the use of a three digit code which will be sent to students once they have reserved a room. Once students arrive at their room they will scan a QR code inside the room and enter the three digit code into the web page to confirm their reservation. If that is not possible, students can also confirm their reservation at the front desk within the first 15 minutes of the reservation or it becomes void. The room will then show up as vacant for other students to reserve and use.
This change is coming due to student feedback and observations made by library staff. As stated by David Holden, ”Although the rooms were completely reserved… half of the rooms were vacant.” This issue comes from patrons reserving rooms ‘just in case’ they might need them, then never showing up for their reservations. This new check-in system will allow the library to get better statistics on study room usage, in addition to allowing them to, as stated by Holden, “Improve the accessibility of the spaces for all patrons.”
The library is also working on increasing its array of mobile displays in an effort to standardize the offerings found within the study rooms. For any further questions, inquiries, or suggestions please reach out to library@mtu.edu or leave a suggestion within the suggestion box found within the library.
