Libraries make ‘significant change’ in Ohio State semester switch

Brandon Klein
Sun, 26 Aug 2012 22:13:20 +0000
News

As the transition to semesters draws out the university calendar, Ohio State libraries have lengthened a few of their schedules as well.
“The most significant change that we have implemented is in our loan policy,” said Larry Allen, communications coordinator for OSU libraries.
Tony Maniaci, the head of circulation services for OSU libraries, said the change occurred over the summer to align with the semester system. Undergraduate students can borrow books for 42 days, which Maniaci said is double the previous loan period in the quarter system. The loan periods have also increased for graduate students from 70 to 120 days.
Students can still renew their books from campus libraries as many times on the semester system as they could in the quarter system unless there is a request for the item, he said.
However, the three-week loan period has not changed for items borrowed from OhioLINK, the Ohio Library and Information Network, which encompasses 88 universities and college libraries.
However, Maniaci said students can renew items borrowed from OhioLINK six times instead of the previous four-renewal limit, provided that there are no requests for the item.
“Lengthening loan periods enable(s) students to more effectively conduct research and study in the semester-based environment,” Maniaci siad.
Tim Walters, a fourth-year in business, agreed.
“It’s good for students and allows you to think more on your research because you have that item longer,” Walters said.
Rachel Mentzer, a first-year in international development, also thinks the change will benefit students.
“I feel like that’s a good thing because the classes are going to be longer, so you’re going to need the books longer,” Mentzer said.
Mentzer said she has some concern about students holding onto library books for the whole loan period while other students have a request for the item, even if they no longer need them. She said the library should come up with a system to encourage students to return library materials as soon as possible in case another student needs them.
Maniaci said it’s too early to tell what effect extending the loan period will have on students.
Aside from the changes to the loan policy, hours for four libraries on campus were extended for the Fall Semester: the Architecture Library, the Fine Arts Library, the Food, Agriculture and Environmental Sciences Library and the Geology Library.
Allen said the semester conversion was not the main reason to extend the hours, but to instead restore hours that were reduced a few years ago. However, he said the conversion was considered the right time to restore the hours to help accommodate new and returning students entering semesters for the first time.
During the weekdays the FAES and Geology libraries are open from 8 a.m. to 8 p.m. Monday through Thursday, and 8 a.m. to 5 p.m. on Friday. The Architecture and Fine Arts libraries open at 9 a.m. Monday through Friday, but Monday through Thursday, Architecture closes at 10 p.m. and Fine Arts closes at 7 p.m. On Fridays, Architecture closes at 6 p.m. and Fine Arts closes an hour later.
The Fine Arts, FAES and Geology libraries are closed on Saturdays, while the Architecture library is open from 1 to 6 p.m. On Sundays, the Architecture library is open from 3 p.m. to 10 p.m., while the Fine Arts Library is open from noon to 4 p.m. The FAES Library is open from 4 p.m. to 8 p.m., and the Geology Library is open from 2 p.m. to 6 p.m.