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FAQ
Why
does Library West have to close for two years?
The entire building has to be gutted before it
can be updated. Fire safety regulations have changed in the decades since
Library West was built and substantial changes are necessary.
The central stair has to be removed and fire
sprinklers need to be installed. To provide increased student seating in
the new Library West, the collection will be housed in compact stacks.
Those will require metal rails to be embedded in the concrete floors.
Asbestos and lead-based paint will be safely removed.
In addition, doing the project in two years will save $1.5 million
that we can invest in improved features for the finished building.
The
new Government Document area is wireless. What about the rest of
Marston Science Library and other locations?
Wireless
connectivity is
available throughout Marston Science Library and also in room 100 of
Smathers Library. The campus
wireless coverage map is on the Web at:
http://net-services.ufl.edu/provided_services/wireless/map.html
How
do students and faculty request materials to be retrieved?
Books
and other materials can be requested with the retrieval request form
located on the libraries' catalog pages. Online
requests can be placed from your home or office - anywhere on- or
off-campus.
Is the collection
browsable?
The
collection can be browsed online and retrieved. The online catalog allows
searches by keyword, author, title, subject and call number order. The
call number search approximates the
same order as books sit on the shelf. A librarian will be happy to show
you how to do online browsing, or you can learn how by visiting our Web
site. Items you find through
online browsing will be delivered to Marston Science Library.
You can then check them out, or have us return them immediately to
storage.
Why can't the library digitize all the
books so that we can have browsing access?
There are a number of reasons we
cannot do that. It is illegal to copy books that are copyrighted (anything
published after 1923 in any format including digital -- even if they
aren't available in any other digital format.) And there are many other
rules which you can find at
http://cidc.library.cornell.edu/copyright/
I need access to back issues of journals for my work. How can I
replace browsing access for two years?
Please ask our reference librarians and bibliographers for help. There
is a list of subject specialists on the libraries' Web page. They know how
to use both electronic and print abstracting and indexing services, online
catalogs, and electronic databases in such a way that they can identify
the relevant materials for a given research purpose. The libraries
subscribes to 27,000 journals (print and non-print). We have about 18,000
electronic journals. While we certainly don't think that e-journals and
information are the full solution, they do help.
Where
are the public computers that were in Library West?
The public computers have moved to the first floor of
Smathers Library, in room 100.
Is seating limited?
Yes, but not as much as you might think. Library West had only 400
seats. There is some space in Smathers Library and all of the other
libraries on campus are open to students. Marston will make their graduate
carrels open to humanities and social science graduate students as well as
science students.
Comments and Questions
Our goal during construction
and renovation is to continue to provide high-quality service to you, our
users. Responding to your comments, questions, and concerns will help us
meet this goal. Please tell us what they are.
Send your comments, questions,
and concerns to construction@mail.uflib.ufl.edu
A library staff member will
respond to your message as soon as possible. Thank you! | 
