Bender Library has taken measures to respond to a string of recent laptop thefts at the library. Bill Mayer, university librarian, said he has made it clear that the staff of Bender Library is fully committed to keeping AU students and their belongings safe.
"We have our staff on alert to watch for any suspicious behavior and to report such to Public Safety immediately," he said. "Chief [Michael] McNair and I need to strategize on more fundamental security options. Right now, raising awareness is the most effective answer to combat this issue. Students in particular need to know they should always keep their laptops with them, or watched over by a friend."
A number of changes have been made to Bender Library for the 2008-2009 academic year, including changes to security protocol and aesthetics, according to Mayer.
Mayer said these changes were a necessary step for Bender Library to better serve the AU community.
"All the projects and improvements we are making in the library are based in the fundamental commitment of service excellence for the AU educational enterprise," he said.
Bender Library has most noticeably been given several aesthetic improvements. Construction workers remodeled the front doors to allow more space between the first and second set of doors and to create a larger waiting area. New tables and chairs on the third floor, as well as 25 laptops specifically for instructional use in that room, Mayer said.
One of the most noticeable changes is the set of 225 new chairs located in library workstations and study rooms, according to Mayer.
Salone Johnson, a senior in the School of Communication, said she thinks the library needed the décor change.
"The old chairs were wooden and stiff," she said. "The new computer chairs are a lot more comfortable and make studying at the computer a lot easier."
There have also been some larger changes to the library's lower level. The Mud Box, Bender Library's café and study room, has undergone major renovations and will now extend service until 2 a.m., with the possibility of being open 24 hours in the near future, according to Mayer. Workers also added current periodicals room to the lower level, where current issues of journals are now available to the public for the first time in 30 years, Mayer said.
Mayer and the staff of Bender Library have also worked to upgrade wireless capabilities and coverage throughout the library. The improved wireless system has made it possible for Bender Library to have wireless EagleBuck$ printing, according to Mayer. He said that the new system of naming print jobs has made it possible for students who use laptops and students using a library computer to use library printers more efficiently.
Prema William, a junior in the Kogod School of Business, said there were many advantages in the upgrade to the new printing system.
"Wireless printing and the ability to name print jobs clears up a lot of confusion," she said. "As someone who does not bring her laptop to the library, the new system of naming print jobs makes it easier for me to share a printer with other people in the library."
Mayer said he continues to look to the future and said that much is planned for Bender Library in the months and years ahead.
"Everything we've done so far is merely scratching the surface," he said. "We are in need of a major top-to-bottom renovation that will upgrade and modernize our entire facility. The planning and execution of that renovation will be a major component of the way the library will interpret and align to the new strategic plan."
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