Theme VI:
THE MORTON & ANGELA TOPFER LIBRARY CAFÉ
Beginning in the spring 2000 Library Café service hours expanded significantly. First, we
responded to a request from Vice-President Little that we open an hour earlier, at 8:00.
Next, the vice-president asked for a proposal (submitted March 10) for operating the
Library Café around the clock, seven days a week.
For economic reasons, the College elected to staff the Café during the extended late-
night hours with a security officer: there is no Café staff presence, technical assistance,
or printing after midnight Monday through Thursday, after 5:00 PM on Friday, and after
6:00 PM on Saturday and Sunday. The new hours took effect mid-April 2000.
Opening the Café on a 24/7 basis has presented a major challenge to both Café staff and
Library Systems staff. Although the Library Café is now a 24/7 operation, a plan for
sustained 24/7 support and maintenance has yet to be put in place.
Security Issues
While the network is protected by software, PCs, printers, and laptop ports were
instantly vulnerable.
Once the Café staff go home and a security guard takes over, students have no access
to printing, and no technical support. They do not know what to do when computers freeze
or crash, how to retrieve a document that disappears, or how to troubleshoot e-mail
problems.
A 24-hour operating schedule means that the Café's PCs never rest. As a result, they
are burning out in record numbers. Staff are busier than ever with maintenance work,
particularly at 8:00 AM when staffed service begins.
In the fall 2000 semester, more than a dozen of the 50 "A" drives were replaced.
Students incorrectly insert and eject their diskettes, jamming the silver metal
springs in the floppy drives.
Countless power buttons have worn out and been replaced.
Despite Security's best efforts, Café policies are often relaxed during late night hours.
Students evade the security officer in charge of the space and create mischief in areas
that are off-limits to them. Morning clean-up of X-rated materials left on PCs has become
an essential routine.
Students and staff alike express concern about safety when they leave the Café at
night and the surrounding area seems dark and deserted.
Facilities Issues
Café bathrooms have become a serious problem: they are cleaned only once a day,
insufficient for a facility offering 24-hour service.
The Café itself is a sty by morning when the maintenance staff arrive. Waste baskets
are overflowing. The remnants of food and drink litter the carpet.
Because the Café lights are always on, they burn out at an alarming rate. The fixtures
use a special non-standard bulb which must be installed by Facilities staff; it is not
uncommon for four to six dozen lights to be out at the same time.
The Café is a high-traffic area: bindings on the carpet tiles are fraying. Chairs have
marred the paint on the walls (chair rails would be an excellent investment).
Despite the new chiller plant's having come on line, temperature extremes persist: often
the Café is either too hot or too cold.
In short, while the Library Café remains the campus's showplace in terms of both
technology and design, its 24/7 operating schedule requires a maintenance plan to match.
