Volume 67, Issue 4

Wilf Campus Library Sets New Policies
Problems Still Persist

by Hillel Broder

Responses to last year’s online questionnaire surveying student perceptions and concerns of library service have prompted the Pollack Library administration and associated student committees to establish new library policies and agendas for the growing Wilf Campus population.

The 208 students who responded to the survey expressed four primary concerns: insufficient hours of operation; inordinate noise levels; untimely responses to inter-library loan requests; and incomprehensive print collections available to students.

Some students using the library and its resources have commented on its superiority and usability.  One Rabbi Isaac Elchanan Theological Seminary student currently enrolled in Touro College commented, “[The library is] much better than Touro’s, that’s for sure.  It’s amazing you can find the journals [and publications] you need.  In Touro, they don’t have any journals!” Yeshiva College sophomore Aaron Segal remarked, “I really like the library. The service [here] is excellent.”  YC sophomore Menachem Wecker had similar sentiments towards the library, but he suggested that the library “should improve … to be open 24 hours [a day].”

Many other students, however, consider the library lacking in relation to other top-tier universities.  “When I had to do a research paper for class, the professor directed me to Columbia’s library saying that YU wouldn’t have the material I needed,” explained a Yeshiva College senior.  “Columbia’s library is beautiful, quiet, and really conducive to studying, things which I find lacking at our library.”

Although strides are being taken to improve the decorum and overall experience at the Pollack Library, an investigation of organizational methods in both the Mendel Gottesman Library of Hebraica/Judaica and Pollack collections highlighted incredible differences in both libraries’ management and efficiency.  According to some knowledgeable observers, the Gottesman library is in a “disastrous” and “code red” situation.

Apparently, the undersized staff in Gottesman, combined with the heavy use of the Gottesman collection by Yeshiva faculty and outside researchers, causes the re‑shelving of misplaced books to be “nearly impossible” according to some.  “This often results in permanently misplaced books,” noted an official with knowledge of the situation.  Additionally, the flow of seforim Gottesman takes in overwhelms library staff; it has been reported that “some new seforim have not be shelved for months because of lack of available shelf space.”

Compounding the situation, the “[Mendel Gottesman library] staff is half of what it should be, and the budget is a third of what it should be,” said one acute observer of the library situation.  “However, Pollack does not seem to be suffering any of the same problems Gottesman is.”

Pollack Library Improvements

Addressing the unanimous demand for extended weekend library hours, the library administration, in concurrence with the Office of Safety and Security and Facilities Management, has tentatively instituted Saturday night hours for complete library availability.  The library will now remain open until 1AM on Saturday night, a time many students deem essential for academic purposes.  “Use of the library is especially helpful when shabbos ends early, as it does now,” said Sy Syms junior Mitch Appleson.  “All students should take advantage of this opportunity.”

When asked about the tentative enactment of the popular Saturday evening library hours, Dean of Libraries Pearl Berger replied, “Because of the involvement of a number of university departments, this service will be continued only if it is warranted.”  Berger noted that the Office of Safety and Security is currently tracking student usage of the library Saturday evenings, and to her knowledge so far they have seen no reason to discontinue the service.

The library has tackled the issue of excess noise in the library by distributing and posting flyers throughout the library and university.  “It needs to be understood that this is an open building, and noise containment is difficult,” explained Berger.  Along with the entire library staff, Berger has requested that students “cooperate and be considerate” of others who desire a quiet work-study environment, as “the staff does not want to be confrontational.”

To emphasize the responsibility students have towards other students, the library staff plans on distributing additional flyers and hanging posters reminding students of the Library’s purpose as “a place of that facilitates quiet study and research.”  Furthermore, Berger noted that “at some time in the future, we hope there will be structural changes that will improve the facility to accommodate current needs and uses to which students put this building,” though she does not anticipate any major architectural projects in the near future.

One student commented on the noise situation. “Although ideally all students are expected to maintain quiet, and most do, it only take one student to make noise to disrupt everyone else’s work.”  Another student, an irate YC senior griped, “The noise level in the library often reaches obscene levels… It doesn’t matter who’s fault it is – whether the students, the administration, or the architects who designed the building – but something has to be done to bring the library to its intended purpose, namely an area of study and exploration in a quiet and respectable environment.”

The next meeting of the Student Life Committee will explore the possibility of closing off the open area on the 4th floor for group study use.  While not a major renovation to the library facility, student leaders feel that this will help alleviate the consistently uncontainable noise level.

Some students have taken great issue with the noticeably absent staircase connecting heavily used library levels.  Indeed, YC junior Yair Haindin insisted that “[it] kills me every time I have to take the elevator from the ground to second floor.  If the main exit is electronically alarmed, why can’t a stairwell just be opened from the first to second floor?  This is a tremendous hassle for everyone at YU.”

When asked about opening stairwells for public use, without elaborating Berger replied, that “for security reasons, I can’t see how it could realistically be done.”  The reason, according to some administrators, is that there is a problem with the building design making it impossible to have a staircase open leading to the ground floor.

Facilities Management could not be reached for comment concerning possible structural enhancements to the library.

Another concern students voiced in last year’s survey addressed an alleged delay in filling inter-library loan requests.  In response, said Berger, the library staff is currently investigating and recording time lapses between request and delivery.

The fourth primary issue students mentioned in the online survey was a desire for a comprehensive print collection. To accommodate this request, Berger replied, the library will “need an increased budget.”

One promising upcoming improvement in the library is an enhanced Yeshiva University Library Information System (YULIS) database system.  As the current YULIS system is “not as effective and efficient as we would like it to be in the current web environment”, said Berger, the updated YULIS system will be a “major shift” in database usability and efficiency.  She noted that the current system has been in place for close to seven years.  The YULIS upgrade is planned for semester break.

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