Debit Cards at Wascana

Comment: The Library should accept debit cards because the min. you can take out of the ATM is $20.

We have explored this in the past and have concluded that we do not have enough transactions to warrant a debit card system.  It does demand considerable cost and staff time to implement.  Then again, that was a couple years ago and it will be soon time to re-visit this option if enough library clients would like to see it.

Rian Misfeldt
Library Program Head, Wascana Library

Accessibility at Wascana Library

Comment: Make the library more wheelchair friendly.

We put a lot of effort into making our Library and its services accessible to all.  If the regular computer workstations are not usable by someone in a wheelchair then there are, in fact, adaptive (i.e. adjustable) stations in computer lab 207.11.  In addition, we also have wheelchair-accessible study carrels.  We also try to ensure that there are not paths or gateways that are too narrow for wheelchair access.  If there are other issues (and accompanying solutions) I would be happy to hear them.

Rian Misfeldt
Library Program Head, Wascana Library

Noise in the Wascana Library

Comments from a student: “The library is too noisy! Even in the quite rooms. Too many students eat lunch and hang out- I need a quite library.”

Thanks for your comment.

Wascana Library is a busy place and it can be a loud place at certain times of the day. Each program area at Wascana has a diverse set of needs, including the way its students work. This means that the library must encourage students to use our space for collaboration and group work, while also balancing it with opportunities for quiet study.

Wascana Library is as a social hub on campus, and our aim is to provide a space where everyone is comfortable. At lunchtime, the library is at it’s busiest as students use this space to work on group projects and talk about assignments between classes. If you came back to the library at another time in the day (especially after 4:00 PM or on the weekends) the noise levels are significantly less. Students who wish to do some quite study usually take advantage of this time.

Robin Canham, Librarian, Wascana Library

New Media Printing at Woodland

Comment from a student printing to the library printer from the New Media Communications Program Lab: The student mentioned that he/she preferred the old system because it allowed him/her to be at the Library printer when the print job was being released from the printer. This is because it takes a few minutes to go to the library from the New Media Communications Lab and his/her job could get lost and also the student’s privacy is compromised.

A call has been logged to the IT helpdesk to create a new print queue (which would be the same as the existing library print queue, just a different name). This will enable a “hold/release” function on the new print queue.  Students in the New Media program will be able to print to that new queue, and then go to the library and release their own print jobs using a web browser.

This will be setup in the Media Arts Production Lab, the New Media Communications class lab, and also the computer lab that these students share.

Robert O’Neil
Program Head, Woodland Campus Library