We're interested in hearing what everyone has to say about the changes in the DC Library. Take the time to submit your feedback using our online feedback form!
"One has to ask what would be the motivation of all the librarians to conspire together to rig the results of their surveys and the web forum. The only answer I can come up with is they came to realize the current design was a complete disaster. This was because group behaviour completely inappropriate to a library was turning the place into a zoo. The reality is this was also the opinion of the majority of students who responded in a variety of ways to their questions about how Davis could be improved. They did not have to falsify anything. The responses they received, particularly on the previous forum, left no doubt what most students thought. If the vile coward suggesting librarians lied about their feedback and ALL of his friends had fully and vigourously participated in these forums, being the supposed majority, their voices would have won out. As others here have noted, they instead opted for the self-destructive tactic of being even more noisy and bad than they were before, driving neutrals into the majority camp."
"This forum has given me a lot to think about. I used to just think we should have all those tables and didn't like all these rules. I now think I understand how we were making it difficult for everybody. Sorry. I was shocked when the tables disappeared but now like the space. I am just trying to work and don't care about what other people say. I like the changes and am glad it is better for everybody."
"So the old saying is true: "Those who shout the loudest have the least to say." In this case, those who have be drowned out by the bullies now have a voice on this forum, where they apparently are not able to compete very well. In other circumstances I would not crow at others discomfort, but these guys have had it coming for a long time. Thank you Davis librarians for evening the score and giving the rest of us a chance to use this library with far less stress."
"I think this website is an excellent effort. Thank you for doing all you can. I realize the larger issue of lack of study space is beyond the library's control and hope the university administration is now fully aware of the problem. I realize nothing may happen for a few years, but I hope eventually this issue will finally be addressed."
"With the decreased social room in DC, I have noticed an increase in chatter at the large tables at the corner of each floor of DP. By all means, I would understand if people were whispering to one another but when people are talking as if they're outside, I think there's a problem. I'm not really sure how this can be resolved, but I'm finding a lot of overflow from DC is going into DP. The worst part is when people don't change what they're doing even when confronted. It irks me when people are talking at full volume, laughing, and making jokes and don't respond positively to people's request to lower their volume. I don't want DP to become the new Club DC."
"Hi there! I wanted to add my thanks to so many others here for what librarians have done for us. It was a complete ‘rout of the louts’ I would say!"
"DC nice now. No change it. That not nice."
"What a relief to not have this place so crammed they sucked all the oxygen out of the room! Please leave those open spaces there! We need some breathing room."
"I am glad to see some funny posts here finally. Trying to debate with some of these guys is a bit like cow tipping."
"I study at both UW and WLU libraries and this is the first time I would say Davis is beginning to approach a normal library. Unfortunately I have to modify this by saying the illusion begins to dissolve late in the afternoon and at night even without all those excess tables it is too noisy. Great beginning though!"
"I do not want to appear insensitive if this is an ESL issue, but I must ask the person who said “Not nice…DON’T CHANGE DC!” a couple of questions. How is it “not nice?” Can you expand on what you thought was “nice” before? Did you think it was especially “nice” during exam time last term? Did you participate in the winter feedback forum? With regard to not changing DC, may I ask if you have read through the libraries DC Zone page? Have you read through the rest of the comments on this page? You see, brevity is not always a good thing. In your case, we are not at all clear as to the full breadth of your argument"
"Oh boy! It takes all kinds I guess. Thanks for this forum, allowing everyone to have a say. I appreciate the clear thinking and good mental development of MOST of these posts."
"While there may be some satisfaction in the poor showing of the other side, I would much prefer a healthy debate between intelligent adults. I suppose in this case it is as fruitless as the notion of Intelligent Design! =D"
"Don’t change nice quiet DC"
"Come ON people! This is supposed to be a university forum. Can we have posts that do more than ‘Twitter?"
"It is true, it is not nice that some people are being mean. Now we have a real library, don’t change DC!"
"Yah! No change DC! DC good! DC nice!"
"Last term silly folks talked about being in a police state, now they say things have changed due to a giant conspiracy. Amazing what lengths people will go not to take responsibility for their own actions."
"I agree, don't change DC, it is now perfect!"
"Gee, I guess gorillas do talk."
"I hate to generalize, but there appears to be a correlation between inarticulate or irrational posts and support for Club DC. Perhaps a study should be done to see if prolonged exposure to noise and inane conversation rots your brain! ;)"
"While lost in this controversy over baseless slandering of librarians, I just want to say I think cell phones are the next challenge. I am so happy to know many other students are quite annoyed with them, and the behaviour associated with them. I do not know what the university can do other than spend way too much time telling children in adult bodies to put their toys away in the library"
"Not nice...DON'T CHANGE DC!"
"I noticed a quote from the old forum and had to write it down, ‘Everyone disrespects others by showing no respect for themselves.’ I suppose I have always felt this way but never saw it put so well. A lot of what has been wrong in Davis has to do with a lack of respect. As this person said, this is both a problem of no self respect and no respect for other selves. I was taught self respect is fundamental to living a good life for a human being and especially for a woman. In this country, I am shown why this is so important in seeing all the disgusting behaviour coming out of no respect for anyone."
"I have looked back at some personal notes I took during final exams last term. It was insane what happened in this library. People not only ignored the new rules but went out of their way to defy them. I really think they assumed librarians would throw up their hands and back down. For a while, that is how it looked. I think what makes this so very sweet is it hit long after we all had assumed nothing would happen. Many people here aspire to ending up in board rooms, to do that, you are going to have to lose the playground mentality."
"I would have far more respect for the old Club DC gang if they would have the guts to acknowledge their blunder during the winter exams. To go out of their way to be even more obnoxious during the Quiet Zone was a case of idiotic chest thumping. While such behaviour may have looked good to their girlfriends, it pushed librarians and most students over the edge. Can one of you tell us what you thought would happen by acting like this? Can you explain it to yourself?"
"There has been a lot of response to the claim librarians are lying. All of it has been negative. Where are all these people he spoke to? Why are they not speaking up in support of his charge?"
"Most people here are taking the time to read through everything on this site. This is not only a courtesy to everyone taking the time to post here, but gives the next person a perspective on what has already been said. These are signs of consideration and an openness to others points of view, something notably lacking from the very few nasty voices here"
"I hope we are done with this silly bloke and his accusations. We have far more interesting things to do than entertain conspiracy delusions. I hope our librarians have thick skins and take comfort at the strong reaction against this slander."
"The new ‘us vs. them’ mentality is not between students and staff, but between students wanting a real library and those wanting their playground back. Not gonna happen boys and girls. Every tantrum and wild speculation only makes it clearer this had to happen."
"I am very glad to see some sensible and reasonable suggestions here again. I am not objecting to quiet conversation in the open area, especially when people are working. I look forward to more of the new layout being constructed and appreciate you will have to wait in this economy for funds to come available. The problem was before, even when everyone was focused; the volume inevitably grew with everyone unconsciously raising their voices to be heard. Then there was the problem of all those people with nowhere better to go and socialize. It was absurd to have this open space full of tables in the middle of a library and I am grateful this mistake has been corrected."
"Did I just read someone say Davis is the ONLY space on campus for doing group projects? May I ask if the poster has happened to look at the extensive listing of other locations? Free your mind friend and get out of the rut."
"I like it! BUT then you really got to make the group study room (white boards / chalk boards), and have more of them, I feel like I am annoying people outside when i make the tiniest noise, and that's not cool, That is the reason why I booked a group study, to not distract other people who needs absolute peace... Perhaps you can move the study zones around, make all the open area silent / quiet studies. Make the area near the computers/group study rooms "louder studies" and with comfier couches and chairs. Also make the glass room a group study area, so the sound is contained. Or put some sound insulation on those rooms. The whole point of making davis centre the way it was, is to promote group studying, while we need a quieter davis library, let's not forget why those tables and chairs are there, and that talking IS necessary to studying for some people. Studying in a library is not the same thing as a class room or lab."
"I do not like the new floor plan. DC is the only place on campus with enough space for group study or for doing projects and assignments together. DC is usually very crowded and hard to find a place to sit, but by removing tables there is even less space. The open, comfortable atmosphere of DC is what makes it a good study space, but with these changes it leaves students no where to go. The Dana Porter library is already a quiet zone where it is not possible to do group work, and the SLC does not have sufficient space. This leaves DC for doing any work that requires conversation. I am strongly opposed to the changes outlined and would like DC to return to how it was."
"I have just re-read the original feedback forum and can’t resist quoting my very favourite post: "DC is a bit like a person who has slowly gone crazy. As this has happened over a couple of years, people think what they are doing is okay. They also react in an extreme fashion to any suggestion something is wrong, as insane people do. It is no use trying therapy (partitions, signs) you have to go straight to surgery. Remove the dysfunctional central area and rework the interior and the library will be healed. Thanks very much." Pretty well says it all doesn’t it?"
"I like the link to the Record article on this forum. If people want things to go their way, they have to get involved all through the process. They can’t just whine when it is over and demand a referendum. Hard core members of Club DC displayed contempt for the process, staff and other students, last winter and are now waking up to the fact their actions can only have contributed to Club DC’s demise. It couldn’t happen to a nicer bunch of guys!"
"Several posters have correctly pointed out this was not the student’s decision to make. Librarians are not supposed to be day care workers chasing after naughty children. They are charged with making the collections and facility available for students to use. When students themselves become a problem, it is the librarian’s job to address this. When I first came here, DC was already spinning out of control. I had been to other universities and never saw anything like it. I could tell staff struggled with the situation and others in my program said the library was a joke and they seldom went to it. My Faculty and other staff contacts had a similar low opinion of it. Congratulations for your decisive move and ignore all those who contributed nothing to the process."
"Most people I talk to say they like the change and hated Club DC with a passion. Am I lying?"
"We do need more group space than all this scattering of places suggested. It is true there are lots of classrooms too, but the truth is this university should have built a proper study hall, outfitted with what is necessary, a long time ago. The administration should never had allowed the library to set one down in the middle of a library in the first place. They should have listened then and built a large open space everyone could go to."
"These changes are wonderful! You have killed the monster and gone to great lengths to address the study space issue on campus. Thank you for both sets of effort."
"I want to say thanks to librarians for doing this for us. My friends and I are very sorry for the mean thing that guy said to you. We do not agree at all and know you are trying to help us. This is the kind of thing bullies do and you must stand firm for us"
"I have the opposite reaction to most people here to the guy accusing the librarians of lying. It makes me smile. To make such a suggestion means they know they lost and now they are trying to sling mud at the winners. The only problem is they also have to sling it at most students using the library as well. No problem. Their mud only sticks to themselves. Think of it as the last gasp of Club DC and you will smile too! :) :D"
"My guess is the way things are going, you will have to have another Quiet Zone during final exams this term. Even with so many tables gone, people insist on being way too noisy every night. If you do try to moderate this again during exams, please give the rule some teeth by hiring some real security types. Stand firm behind your own rules! If you consistently kick out the troublemakers day after day after day, you will regain control of this place and we can have a library."
"Many people have already said this, but I must repeat it. During the Quiet Zone, people had a choice as to how to respond to the changes. Even those against any challenge to Club DC had a choice. They could become part of the solution or remain part of the problem. The solution could have been different. If all those against the changes constructively engaged in the discussion, on the feedback forum and elsewhere, perhaps some other novel solution would present itself. If they had shown the slightest regard for their fellow students who objected to how noisy Davis had become, we could have had a dialogue. Instead, they did something bizarre and ridiculous. They became noiser and in other ways magnified the problem to the point no reasonable person could disagree with this result. No point in lashing out now as librarians and the majority of students happy with this. It’s your own fault and if you must beat someone up, beat up yourselves for being so ignorant."
"Can you folks explain to me why so few of this supposedly huge number of students, who loved the noise in here, never got around to posting their views on the first forum? Everyone knew about it and we were encouraged to voice our opinions there. Some critics did, but no one can claim they were in the majority. As someone recently posted on this new forum, every time someone spoke against changing the library culture, half a dozen posts came quick after addressing and answering their arguments. Can you also explain to me why the overwhelming majority of comments on this new forum are positive? Well it could be an evil conspiracy where librarians rigged the vote because they like watching poor little students suffer. It could also be a lot simpler and way less silly. The reason the majority of posters to the first forum wanted change and the second forum are so happy with the changes is because THE MAJORITY OF STUDENTS THOUGHT THE PLACE WAS TOO DAMN LOUD!!!"
"While I also find the use of the term “lying” offensive, people here are getting too hung up on it. What the website and poster say is “Feedback provided by students and staff during a quiet ‘DC Exam Study Zone’ pilot last semester reflected a resounding need for reduced noise level in DC.” Anyone looking through that forum, which has been provided for everyone to see on this new site, will have to agree with this statement. Period. The claim of lying is offensive yes, but more important, it is just plain WRONG."
"I am very upset by the offending post earlier today. The person making it must live in a frightening world. Do they also think everything on this current post is an absolute lie? Are we all lying if we don’t agree with you? Please reconsider what you have said! You have hurt and insulted not only library staff, but students!"
"I am also ashamed at the student accusing librarians of lying. We are trying to move towards being productive adults, but some of us haven’t left high school. They make the rest of us look bad."
"I’m sorry, but this guy is crazy! He says, “based on the feedback provided in the winter (which I read all of online), it is an absolute lie that there was resounding support for the change.” Is he reading the same feedback forum I am? http://www.lib.uwaterloo.ca/dczone/feedback.html How can anyone look through all this and honestly claim most people did not support the changes? I ask everyone to look at this link and read through it. There is no way any sane person can come away from this not convinced that most people posting to this site hated the old Davis and a great many suggested something very close to what we see today. Why would we have so many people saying ‘thank you for listening to us’ on this new Feedback Forum if they did not feel heard? I think this guy is nuts and thinks no one will bother to look closely at what he says."
"Hmmm, this person (saying the winter feedback forum was an “absolute lie”) sounds like he has access to source material we should all look at. He (I assume we are talking about a guy, sorry if I am wrong) says the old Davis layout “is proven to be more effective than quiet study for a large percentage of people.” Well! Sounds like important information needing to be added to the footnotes. May I ask what studies are being referred to? How was it proven studying with war games and idiot cell conversations going on beside you is more effective than quiet studying? May I also ask how large a percentage is “large?” Citations please."
"Librarians are paid to be here, but I think most of them look on it as more than a job. The one’s I speak to appear happy to be here and ready to do all they can for us. It is an absolute insult for some self-absorbed brat to accuse them of lying. Like others have said already, is this the best you can come up with?"
"It is evening and the Feedback Forum has had nothing new on it for a while. I am sitting here looking around at the other students and trying to figure out which one thinks everyone is lying to them. I suppose they look like anyone else. I just can’t understand how they can be so alienated from the rest of us. I wanted this to happen. All of my friends wanted it too. We are not lying to you. The librarians have always been friendly and courteous when I went to the desk. They come out and walk around, not for their health, but to make sure things are good for us. What are you doing for us? Have you ever given other people a single thought or are you only fixated on what you want?"
"I am in here all the time and agree the DC staff deserve a medal what they put up with. I would also say the ones having the bad luck of working here at night deserve more. Staff working in the morning and afternoon have no idea what a zoo this place can be at night. Even with all those tables removed, the one’s left are way too loud at night. You all deserve medals and the night shift deserves a world cruise! I speak with all of them and see how tired and frustrated they get. I look out when at the desk and see what they see, a bunch of damn kids! Unless the police are here at night, I was spending as little time in this riot zone as possible."
"I would suggest this angry post not be met with more anger. I am quite sad reading it. The suggestion of librarians falsifying or distorting their feedback is so absurd, it can’t be taken seriously. When someone starts suggesting a conspiracy, I am reminded of some courses I have taken. The notion of conspiracy is born out of feeling out of control. Life is not working out, what you wanted and KNOW is right is not happening – so it has to be somebody’s fault! In this case, a student is so convinced everyone loved the old Davis, the only way he can imagine this happened was by collusion between a group of shadowy librarians. I am wondering if this theory takes into account the huge positive response on the old and current feedback forum. Is this secret cabal editing out the vast majority of posts? Are they killing off any students impudent enough to ask “Hey! Where is my post?” Conspiracy scenarios are only limited in their scope by the mental health of those entertaining them."
"I am trying to get my head around how it is possible we can all come to the same library and have such mutually exclusive perspectives on this - to the point where someone could actually suggest librarians are lying about what most students want. This mentality does not allow for the possibility of anyone seeing things differently than them. Most, but not all, of my friends agree with me Davis was completely out of control and needed a radical makeover. Despite this, I am not so insular I can't conceive of people loving it that way and not wanting it to change. This extreme claim suggest an unhealthy mentality, unable or unwilling to acknowledge different viewpoints. For them, the only way this could have happened was by a library-wide conspiracy. The world, and certainly UW, is too small for this kind of fearful and intolerant attitude."
"Buddy, we wanted LESS people in here! Don't you get it?? There were TOO MANY PEOPLE IN HERE! Now there is breathing space and lots and lots of other places to go."
"By moving these tables out, you have broken the club culture strangling DC. People have plenty of places they can go instead. The only reason for people to gripe is because they lost. The reason they lost is because when they had the chance and saw the signs of what might come, they went and did the most stupid thing possible, be more obnoxious and hostile than before. They are as much responsible for these changes as the librarians and now refuse to admit their silly mistake."
"I am as others here very unhappy at the poster suggesting the librarians were less than truthful about student input. I am also unhappy about how negative this forum is becoming. I suppose it is healthy to get these things out, but look forward to these little spats coming to an end. We all are supposed to be studying here. For my part, I am very happy at the change and am much better able to think and work in this more library-like setting"
"How could someone accuse a bunch of people they don't even know of lying, all over not being able to ruin the library for the rest of us? It is just this sort of arrogance that led to so many of us hating Club DC."
"I am surprising myself with how angry I am at this recent post. I have been involved with many debates and have disagreed strongly with others, but never, never, never did I disrespect someone for seeing things differently. This suggestion of deception on the part of librarians reeks of the worst kind of spoil sport mentality. If this person and their "numerous" friends felt so strongly about this, they must have had many good arguments for the winter feedback forum, which is available for review on this DC Zone site. You would think if the librarians had something to hide, they would have not allowed us to look at it again. The fact is by far the majority of respondents said they wanted just what has been done. We can only conclude this huge population in favour of another strategy. This involved making things worse at Davis during final exams. If they had one brain between them they would have realized this was a stupid action only ensuring the end of Club DC. They chose to show complete disrespect and do so again today. No wonder most people are glad to be rid of them!"
"I think that it's ABSOLUTELY TERRIBLE that you removed so many tables from the group study area. People looking for quiet aren't using that space to begin with. We need more group space not less AND the space that they've been moved to is too small and eliminates half of the seating around some tables."
"We now see the true face of Club DC!"
"I had to scroll quite a way down to see the source of this sudden outrage. I agree with what everyone has said since. I hope Davis Librarians see this as evidence that they do have widespread support. Your efforts to provide alternatives and your clear commitment to do all you can to help us do our work is the best refutation of such baseless accusations."
"Hahaha! Some people are so dense they cannot comprehend any way most people think differently than them. Meanwhile the absurdity of their position is obvious to everyone else. How sad to have this utter meanness on what has been such a good public forum."
"Until today this has been such a positive and constructive forum, then one poster craps all over us! I recall one earlier post saying as far as they were concerned, “us” and “them” meant librarians and serious students vs. selfish bastards. We have a clear illustration of this point here."
"To the person suggesting the librarians lied about the amount of support they received I say you make me ashamed to be a student here. To stoop to such depths to support your position, which is already lost, only shows how bankrupt it was to begin with. You not only attack staff trying to make this a better place, you attack other students who hated Club DC. Perhaps you are just being consistent. You didn't care about us before, why would you now?"
"Talk about sour grapes! It is pretty poor form to lash out at librarians for the fact you and your friends are not happy about this. Me and my friends and a great many others are quite happy thanks for asking."
"Unbelievable! I have just read the post suggesting because DC librarians wanted the change, they lied about support for it. People have said they were grateful for this anonymous format due to pressure and bullying. Now we see others benefit because they can smear a group that have put up with so much shit from their kind and get away with it. The best way to deal with such low, low tactics is to condemn them and then do the opposite. If this is the best you guys can come up with, then you deserve to be thwarted, which you have been."
"Someone is accusing librarians of lying? What f***ing nerve!"
"What intellectual cowardice leads someone to attempt to discredit the results they don’t like by calling Davis staff liars? How desperate can you get? How blind can you be? Your contempt for all of us only reinforces our respect, support and admiration for librarians trying to take back this library. What respect did you ever pay us when we asked you to keep it quiet? Your selfishness and arrogance are now rightly rewarded and your libel will be given the disdain it deserves.'
"I have heard DC librarians referred to as a class act. I agree. Those promoting Club DC have received a variety of other titles, some of which I though went over the line. Not any more. Seeing someone actually accusing librarians of lying goes WAY OVER THE LINE."
"So now the forum and paper ballots were all rigged? Did it ever occur to you more people disagree than agree with you? I suppose for that to happen you would have to actually stop and listen to us, a hard thing to do when you were making so much noise."
"So, when someone from Club DC decides to grace this forum with their presence this is the best they can do? Name-calling is the last resort of someone who has no argument."
"I suggest students take a look at a column in today's Kitchener-Waterloo Record titled: ‘Democracy is more than counting ballots in a referendum.’ It is written by UW student Kate Daley. While not an exact match to our situation, I think it is good given this shameful slur on librarians and the notion the majority is somehow not represented by these changes to Davis. http://news.therecord.com/Opinions/article/561195"
"To the person suggesting some sort of library fraud I have a wake up call. Students are not in charge of the library or the university. While this institution is here for students, there are many decisions that have to be made notwithstanding what some students may think. In the case of Davis, I understand every branch of the university, from the President’s Office down, had their say. The fact one student says all their friends agreed with them in no way supports such an outrageous accusation, it only reflects on the quality and quantity of their friends. May I ask if you dare to suggest all of us are lying too?"
"What absolute gall! Someone dares to suggest Davis librarians are liars? Based on what facts? We heard some people tampered with the paper poll and yet the Davis Oafs still lost. They lost every vote, except the web poll, revealing there are HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS of Club DC’ers out there! And you wonder why there has been so much gloating on this site?'
"I am offended by a recent post suggesting DC staff are liars. Leave it to Davis Boors to stoop to such tactics! By slandering them you also slander all those students who clearly support this change.'
"I have just seen the post suggesting librarians have lied about the feedback they received. That is pretty low I must say. The fact the poster said all the people they talked to hated the idea is anecdotal at best. Any unbiased examination of the librarians actions showed they bent over backwards with numerous surveys in a variety of formats trying to gather feedback and that most people said ‘Enough - do something!’ My question to this poster is ‘where is your proof?’ You said you read all the posts from the previous forum. Why didn’t ALL your friends add their voice? Why are they silent now? Why is it the overwhelming majority of posters here welcome the change? As it stands the handful of dissenters appear more than a little peevish, you most of all. Either back of your claims with hard evidence or shut up."
"I am sorry to say it is still getting quite noisy here at night!!! What does it take to shut these people up?"
"I am not at all surprised those loving the old Davis are not participating in this forum. They didn’t have much to say in the previous one either. For all their noise, their arguments were quite feeble. Every time one of them made their case, five or six subsequent posters completely dismantled their position. I think now they have had a major realignment of their butts by librarians they know enough to keep quiet."
"I am very angry to hear about the student making trouble for others about this change. It leads to my having even less respect for the Club DC crowd. It appears instead of engaging in a healthy debate about the issues in this excellent digital arena, they choose to play dirty pool behind the scenes. They also appear to be just plain dumb to think they could actually turn this around."
"I don't like the change at all. There's tons of quiet space on this campus (not to mention everyone's own bedroom) that people can go to when they need quiet study. This DC space was the only place that had the infrastructure (i.e., desks and chairs, working wireless) to assist those who need group study. That type of study is proven to be more effective than quiet study for a large percentage of people. Plus this area is really small compared to the overall study space on campus. Finally, let me just say that based on the feedback provided in the winter (which I read all of online), it is an absolute lie that there was resounding support for the change. Most comments (and most people I talked to) hated it. I know the librarians were pushing for the change, but don't lie about the feedback received."
"Several people have beat me to it in pointing out that those loving the old setup sabotaged themselves by their behaviour. Both in the winter during exams and this term, they did everything to force Davis staff to act. Had they had an ounce of brains they might have piped down to avoid having their party zone taken away from them. It is hard to deal with the extreme variety of emotional maturity in this place."
"It is great to see quotes from the last feedback forum mentioned on the poster. It shows those of us hating Club DC had friends with long-range plans to improve Davis"
"I am a 2008 alumna and I used to like crazy old DC! But I guess I like the noise and 'Club DC' culture only in retrospect (nostalgia?) and was probably complaining about it when I had to be there, hunting for a desk in the quiet area because the main area was really just a ... fun place (nostalgia again!)."
"I have read the post about the bullying and think I know who is doing it. I saw this person take a hissy fit last week over the changes. She was away during the winter and did not suffer through final exams here. She thinks she can talk to “the person responsible.” She was on a rampage last week trying to start a campaign. She is not finding many people interested in joining her cause and so I hear is making things difficult for some peoploe. It doesn't matter, we all have better things to do. I have told her she needs to grow up and realize no big decision is made by a single person in a large institution. Nothing like this happens unless everyone affected was consulted and involved in the decision. I have heard profs and librarians say Davis has been dysfunctional for years. This forum makes clear the majority of students support this as well. I heard talk about bullies but until now didn't believe it"
"Winter exams were the lowest students sunk around here. I have been very down on DC and UW since. Now, the librarians have shown us how to fix things. No debate, no argument, just do what is necessary and enjoy the result."
"Great improvement. Barriers were a bad idea, but removing all those tables really made the difference! Noise has gone down to the point we can hear ourselves speaking in quiet voices. Imagine saying that in Davis?"
"I have a brother in Grade 7. Looking at the comments here reminds me of him because he is a vocal critic of cell phones in his school! If anything, it is worse by the sounds of it, with teachers unable to control an already rowdy classroom full of kids with short attention spans. He tells me his teachers spend half their time confiscating ringing cell phones every single day. I can only assume this is a problem in all public schools, high schools, colleges and universities across the country. I showed him these comments and right away he pointed out that jammers are illegal in Canada and the U.S. Doh! He said “blocking” signals is legal and every school should do this. I have re-read these comments and see most people know this already and are only recommending “blocking” cell signals. He also said WiFi would not be affected. Good thing I consulted an expert! ;)"
"Amazing how this simple removal of excess furniture has transformed the place. I would not believe it possible. I am also impressed with how mature most people are being about this. Even those against the change are now coming round."
"Well it is a start. I hope you continue to work to ease out the loudmouths. I realize this is not your problem and the university should take responsibility for the lack of study space on campus."
"When the last feedback forum was on during winter exams, it became clear far more people disliked the old Davis than liked it. You would not have known looking around because the bad apples dominated the scene. The same is true for cell phones. Everywhere you look people used them despite clear signage they shouldn’t. Again, this forum is showing the truth. A lot of people find them disruptive, annoying and disrespectful. I suppose if you counted how many people were on their phones to those not on you would see how few are on them constantly. I think what bothers me the most is how completely unconscious many people are in using them. They must be on at all times and every call MUST be answered immediately no matter what the situation. I wish there was some way of blocking cell signals. This would dramatically reduce the noise pollution in here."
"I can’t stand to see the bullying happening again this term! Have whatever opinion you like about all the excess tables gone, but how dare you try to force people to agree with you and threaten them!"
"I remember the last feedback forum during the winter and how a clear majority said they were fed up and the library had to do something. As much as I agreed with them, I didn’t think librarians had what it took to go against the gangs holding this place hostage every night. I sadly must agree with an earlier post about the illegality of jamming cell phone signals. You can easily buy jammers, but they are illegal to use! I thought there are subtle things you can do to block the signal and perhaps the university could quietly do those instead."
"Thanks for putting together the list of alternative study spaces. While my friends have been yakking on the phone and playing games, you have been working to help us do what we are supposed to be doing here."
"Give me a break! Davis was the “lively library”? A playpen is lively. A schoolyard is lively. The Bomber is lively. A “lively library”? How about a “lively study hall” and a reasonably quiet library?"
"Some people have no idea of what the word ‘quiet’ means! They have no comprehension of how their stupid chatter affects other people. Only black and white works for them. Unless you enforce silence, they will babble like monkeys."
"Davis is 100% better!"
"I vote you ban cellphones in all libraries. Bloody annoying to be have people gabbing away while everyone else tries to study. I've asked a few people to please be take their calls elsewhere... I've had people acknowledge me and promptly end their cal but I have also been glared at and even sworn at. Now I just find a librarian, if I can be bothered. The same goes for asking people at the study tables in DP to be quiet. Some people have even tried to explain to me, "that only the lower floors are supposed to be quieter floors." Clearly the librarians need to spend a little more effort to publicize the actual policies regarding noise."
"Forget about the 'mixed furniture' and go with study carrels. As you have already learned, informal areas promote casual conversations and noise. As far as the use of mobile phones, it would be helpful if the libraries on campus (DC and DP) were consistent and more explicit about their use. A sign at ever entrance should remind people to turn mute their ring tones and that either the concourse (DC) or the stairwells (DP) are the only acceptable places to use talk on their phone. Likewise, a few signs on each floor would go a long way to reinforcing the idea (Laurier has signs on every floor and a few in each study area). As far as blocking mobile phone signals completely, see Radiocommunication Act (R.S., 1985, c. R-2). Being more assertive and explicitly stating that it is ok to text, but not talk is probably a better idea."
"Thank you Davis library for doing something about this excessive noise."
"You guys better watch it when you start saying, “Where is my vote?” about the library! Iranian students and others will be rightly offended at your taking a phrase associated with a struggle for democracy in Iran and applying it to your silly antics in the library! Besides, you did have your vote. You voted by flapping your big gums twice as hard and loud during the Quiet Zone. How did that work for you?"
"Anyone being rude to librarians should be kicked out immediately and banned from the library. You let them talk to you like that once and it encourages them and others to continue."
"I have participated in many forums and usually come away feeling nobody listened to what I said. Not this time! Thanks for hearing what I, and many others, said loud and clear. Thanks for quoting us in your poster. It makes me feel like I really do have a voice."
"Dudes! When are you going to get it through your thick skulls that this is a library and not a lounge?? If you kicked out the people just hanging out because they love that Davis atmosphere :P you would find a third of those people at the main tables are actually working."
"I agree with many here cell phones are the next necessary target in getting this library back on track - all libraries actually. Please find a way to block or jam the signal and noise issues will drop like a stone."
"Wow! Thanks! I may actually stay and study here sometimes."
"Some people need to get a life! They do not come here at night to study, but to hang out and party. Party in a library? While the silent study area is better, people don’t know how to behave their all the time either, but the open area was the worst. Thank you Davis for taking their bully toys away."
"Someone here mentioned about the Courtyard in Environment 1, we decided to go over and check it out. It’s like an indoor café with the gentle sound of running water all around you. Who would want to stay in dark, crowded Davis a minute longer?"
"I was struck by the line on the poster titled “Listening to you,” and quoting from what students said on the last forum. Despite your having every reason to treat us like children for misbehaving, I feel like you guys really respect us. Thank you for your affective and considerate action to turn Davis around."
"What an improvement! Thank you!"
"There has been something very wrong with Davis for a long time. In the morning, it can be a very pleasant study experience. At night, it turns into a zoo. I watch as people I thought agreed with me about this start acting up with the rest. It’s like everyone catches a nasty virus after 10 p.m. In the morning and early afternoon, the open area was usually nice, but the thugs take over at night and ruin it for everyone. Thank you for trying to put up with this as long as you did and in the end fixing this problem."
"Seeing the quotes from the winter forum on your poster makes me feel like my voice can be heard. It also shows how quiet intelligent behaviour can overcome the shouting of louts."
"Davis was a clubhouse full of noisy juvenile people. Thank you for your efforts to change this awful situation."
"To DC staff: thanks for getting in the drivers seat and demonstrating who really runs this library. It is refreshing to see people not hiding behind endless surveys and just moving ahead with what we all know needs to happen."
"I saw a sign once outside a store and never forgot it. “Silence your Cell phones! Turn them off! No ringing noises or babbling voices. You are not in a phone booth. Enjoy your personal conversation outside.” We should have this sign up at both libraries. We should have this sign up near everywhere on campus!"
"Davis librarians deserve a big thank you from the silent majority who put up with so much for so long."
"I switched from another university and notice here what cowards students are. Where I was before everyone told noisy folks to shut up. They were in the minority and new guys not knowing how to act in a library were wised up real quick. Here, people suffer in silence or get the librarians to come. If everyone just said what they thought, in a polite way, this situation would be a lot different."
"We have booked an interview room in the Tatham Centre before and it works quite well. Now there is less room at Davis we are going there and wonder why we ever stayed in Davis to begin with!"
"Thank you for listening to those unable to shout over the bullies. Thank you for giving us a library again."
"Librarians have proven it is possible to make the necessary changes despite a noisy few objecting. The annoyance factor has dropped by half. Now it is time to do something about all these cell phones. The lesson is clear. People will not consider others unless they are given no other choice. Please block cell signals and the annoyance factor in here will drop in half again."
"I heard someone compare Davis to a swamp needing to be drained. Great start but I hope many more changes are down the road to ensure Club DC is truly dead."
"There are many times I need to sit with friends and figure something out. We do this by talking. We get through hard stuff and then naturally take a break. We need a place we can do this without getting shushed all the time. I understand why having a big crowd doing this together is no good in a library. We will be going around to the other places, many we have never visited before."
"Just like in the winter, this forum is the place to say good job! People still hassle anyone saying this out loud, but they know they have lost. Thank you Davis for helping us."
"I am trying to study when suddenly the person in front of me jerks upward and reaches for their phone. Blah blah blah blah blah blah blah blah and way more than that ensues. I have no need to actually say what was said, because believe me, my “blah blah” is way more interesting! This interruption was completely worthless and should not have happened. Please just block the signal as you are dealing with an addiction and most people will not voluntarily stop using them otherwise."
"Thank you for doing this. You know how a library is supposed to operate. You are the professionals, carry on doing what you know is right."
"I like the proposed new series of enclosed study rooms along the Ring Road side of the building. This is just what I saw on the first feedback forum. Thank you for listening to our suggestions."
"I was away last term but heard about the first Quiet Zone. I am glad there are no partitions up this time. Removing most of the tables is a big step forward. Thanks to library staff for providing good information on all the alternative places we can go."
"Here is a great article for all of you who hate overuse of cell phones ;) http://www.cbc.ca/news/background/tech/cellphones/pearson-comment.html"
"Thank you for the changes. They are long overdue."
"I am so glad the library is doing something about the noise problem. I need a good library to study. High fives to librarians! = )"
"IF IT WILL REDUCE THE TERRIBLE HORRIBLE NOISE THAN YES, IF NOT THAN NO. ALL I WANT IS FOR THE FREAKIN' NOISE LEVEL TO BE REDUCED"
"I was not expecting to see this strong thread of anti-cell phones here, but I am not surprised. I do not hate cell phones because they are an inanimate object not worthy of emotion. As others have already said here, they are a tool, just like any other. What I do hate is people’s cell phone behaviour. For instance, I hate people who see nothing wrong with interrupting an existing conversation to answer their phone. I absolutely despise people with no sense of self-respect blabbing away for everyone to hear about the zero contents of their brains. The absolute worst is overhearing the excruciating details of someone’s love life. All such activities have no place in a library! I join the others here in calling for a complete blocking of their signal. I also agree this should be extended to all academic settings on campus."
"Thank you for listening to us. Thank you for showing you read and understood our comments on the last web forum. You librarians are thinking about us way more than my classmates are."
"Fait accompli!"
"Club DC was terrible and ruined the entire library. Thank you for carting the problem away! ;)"
"I hear Davis has finally done something and removed some of the tables. I will go over today and check it out. I have avoided the library for two years now, only coming in when I absolutely had to and always in the morning. I would rather have a tooth pulled than ever spend another night trying to study in that place."
"The bullies have lost and have to leave. Now we can work in a healthy atmosphere. Thank you librarians for listening to all of us."
"So they call goofing off “collaborative study” do they?"
"Thank you librarians! My friends are selfish and could care less if they bother anybody. The only place I can say Davis is so much better is here. You are looking out for us, even though some of us do not deserve your consideration."
"I have just opened another Reserve book with pages torn out. I listen to people complaining about the tables being taken away. Who helps me do my work? Librarians! Who makes everything harder? Other students! I heard someone talking about ‘us’ and ‘them.’ As far as I am concerned, ‘us’ are serious students and the DC staff helping us, and ‘them’ are the brats making everything bad here."
"I do not understand why some people have no clue about what is and isn’t appropriate to jabber away about on and off their damn phones! Do us all a favour and keep your private business to yourself!"
"I am proud to see my comment used in the Quiet Davis poster. I am glad to see the tables gone and welcome the new library. What I said about people having no self-respect or sense of privacy also had to do with cell phones. I am glad to see others complaining about them. Cell phone culture degrades people and should not be part of a library or classroom setting."
"The lounge in the new Accounting section of Hagey Hall is a great place to work. At least for this time of year it is also a nice walk."
"Excellent and about darn time. DC was totally unusable before."
"People hate change and so some will be angry about what has happened in the library. Don’t worry! They’ll get over it. Come the fall a whole new group will come in not knowing what it used to be like. First-year students will accept the rules and in no time, Club DC will be remembered with all the affection of an old hangover."
"I am already an odd one for not liking idle chat. I thought this was the sign of an intellectual and I might meet one or two at, you know, a UNIVERSITY. Unfortunately, everyone here is as addicted to stupid cell phones as the most brainless **** in high school. Not only is their constant ringing annoying, the content of the conversation, loudly declared for everyone to hear, is pointless nothing. They are a complete disruption to studying and should be stopped."
"Hallelujah! It’s the Miracle of the Disappearing Chairs and Tables! Hallelujah! Behold the bullies thrown into confusion! Witness their writhing to and fro and frothing at the mouth! We laugh and point at them, knowing now it is to no avail! Our Librarians stand with drawn swords ready to protect us. The devils are cast out and depart to create a Living Hell elsewhere. And now … Lo! The Kingdom of a Real Library is at hand! Hallelujah!"
"There needs to be more variety of places to cater to those wanting to work in groups. The silent studiers have lots of options, now we have lost the old Davis, we have to run around looking for empty classrooms and lecture halls? This sounds pretty chicken shit for what is supposed to be such a prestigious university."
"I think part of what makes this change so dramatic is many of us saw all these surveys and the ineffective Quiet Zone and thought the librarians were unable or unwilling to take decisive action. To go from piddling around to removing most of the tables is the closest thing to a library version of “shock and awe” I can think of! Way to go!!"
"Sweet!!! The mob scatters and a library begins to emerge!"
"So there is “a resounding need for reduced noise level in DC,” yah, we have known that for years and years. The last website forum made that abundantly clear. I am glad to see all this evidence has finally led to something being done about it."
"A great idea! the DC study tables were a great place to study, until about 10:30AM then it is too loud, and I will pick up my bags and walk all the way to DP just to get some peace and quiet. All of the "group studying" that happens in the afternoon and at night is much better suited for the SLC. In fact, want a nice quiet place to study at night (9-10pm)? Go the the SLC lunch tables, and its quite quiet (unless there's a dance group practicing in the atrium). Fact is, those loud DC people should be relocating to the SLC, and leave the library for real studying. Want to really group study? Book a room. Go to the SLC. Sit outside. Thank you DC for trying to implement at Quieter Davis."
"DC has been a pretty twisted place in the past. Thanks for cutting out part of the problem. Time will tell if this is enough."
"I have just looked at the DC poster. I want to thank you guys for really listening to us. There are lots of times we are out of control and our voice does not count for much. For the first time in a while, I feel my voice was heard on this. Thanks for all your work on your web site to show how many great places there are on campus to study."
"Thanks so much for the effort. Place looks great and sounds much better!"
"Selfish students are our problem and DC staff and the police the solution. Pretty sad commentary on human nature don’t you think? If everyone just behaved like decent adults we could all get on with it, but the only way to make this library work is by forcing the thugs out of here."
"Excellent! Good to see the DC is quieting down. I never study there anymore mostly because of the noise. If you want to study in groups, there is this amazing things called classrooms. Maybe you've heard of them? I've been using them since first year and I have access to chalkboards and large tables. I can even crank the tunes if I feel like it. And what's even better is that I can do this in a group as well. And without bothering people! So don't complain about group study areas when there are hundreds of empty classrooms every night"
"The so-called “freedom to talk” is not absolute. You do not have the right to be so noisy the rest of us go deaf. We have the “freedom to hear ourselves think” you know!"
"Boo hoo! All of a sudden all these big guys are complaining they can’t take reserves to the of the new locations in enough time to work before they have to bring them back. Give me a break! You have plenty of time to get to the Davis caf! Happily, there is now only one in the building, instead of the former two, one being in the *middle* of a library."
"Yes! Yes! Yes!"
"I really can appreciate those saying they need noise to work. I don’t understand it, but I still appreciate it. The problem is there were times no one could pretend what was going on here was “collaborative study!” That point aside, I agree people who want that kind of atmosphere deserve a space. My point is such a space should NOT be in the middle of a library!!!!!!! Silent studiers do what they need to do and bother no one. NOISY STUDIERS BOTHER EVERYONE! GET IT??? One type of studying is appropriate to a library and the other is NOT. Davis staff have done the majority a service and that is reflected in this forum. UW now has to address the fact after fifty years there is still no open place for noisy studiers to gather and work freely in the atmosphere they wish."
"Thank you for this feedback forum. It is very encouraging to read what most people think and know the bullies are a minority."
"It is sad to see the only way to make people behave is to take away their toys. We are supposed to be young adults, not babies! A small noisy minority of students ruined Davis and we have no one but themselves to blame for the librarians taking away all those tables and chairs. Some of us liked the old setup, but only in the morning. Every afternoon it got too noisy and at night, the police had to come many times. Disgusting!"
"Thank you!"
"I have a cell phone and use it to stay in touch with friends, but I am beginning to hate it anyway. I resent how people expect me to be available to them instantly. If I switch the phone off, people panic thinking there is something wrong. “No there’s nothing wrong! I just don’t want to be bothered every five seconds!!!” There is nothing wrong with not having your cell phone surgically attached to your ear. There is plenty wrong with them going off in inappropriate places. I think libraries are one such place and they should not be able to get a signal."
"Students gripe about the librarians and then leave their junk all over the table, right beside the garbage and recycling bins. You are not at home and the librarians are not your parents! Grow up and get over yourselves."
"Thanks for starting this process. It’s great to see something actually getting done. I hope this is just the beginning and at some point we will see this place turned into a real library."
"For every one cell call actually serving some useful function, there has to be at least one thousand totally inane, trivial, pointless, stupid, idiotic, time-wasting calls. Please do something about this moronic chatter spreading like a virus through the library!"
"I think most people have very poor communication skills and are too easily intimidated. There is no reason a small group of people can wreak it for everyone around them. I see too many people just putting up with a bad situation and not doing something about it. We are supposed to be learning to be functioning adults and one way to be this way is by saying “hey you keep the noise down”."
"We do not respect other forms of addiction; we should not respect addiction to stupid cell phones. They are an annoyance! They get in the way of what we are supposed to be here for. Other than SLC and residence, there is no reason they should function anywhere else on campus. I also leave mine at home when I go to school."
"Thank you for “continuing the quest for a quieter Davis”. At times like these, it is clear the general public can’t be counted on to make the best decisions. If it were up to students, Davis would have continued to be a clubhouse dominated by idiots. It took real leadership taking firm action to fundamentally alter the situation for the better.'
"Thanks for having some open space in the library, the place was way too crowded before."
"Thank you Davis."
"I have read through all the comments here. There are a lot! I find it interesting there are almost no negative comments about the change. I also wasn’t expecting this attack on cell phones. My guess is there have been lots of people holding their tongues who now feel someone will listen to them. The big poster quotes students in the last forum’s request for the tables to be removed. People see how their comments have translated into concrete action. Perhaps this is why there appears to be a growing campaign against cell phones here. I also think the Club DC fans just get it the battle is over. They finally realize most coming here did not sit in the centre and make a racket like them. I guess most don’t see any point in debating the obvious."
"Get over it and move on people. You had a chance to play nice but you decided to be bad. Now look where it has gotten you."
"The new layout looks great. I like the idea of us getting more natural light in too."
"Blah, blah, blah, blah! Why is it people are so in love with the sound of their own voices? Why do they have no shame in saying such trivial and petty things? Why do they have no clue that others detest having to listen to them?"
"Bye, bye bullies! Please don’t bump your head while going out the door and taking your noise with you.'
"Better watch out loudmouths! Davis librarians are in town! :)"
"We had never heard of the courtyard in EV1. What a find! It has to be one of the most beautiful study locations on campus! We will never consider taking up space in stinky old Davis again!"
"Michael Jackson died yesterday. So did Club DC. Jackson will be missed while Club DC will not."
"I think that if your plan is to keep students away from the DC library, then it is perfect. Everyone knows that the DC library has a quiet study area and a "non-quiet" study area. If you're looking for complete silence then you can either work in the lower level of the DC library or at the DP library. By creating a "quiter library", you are making it extremely difficult for the students who can only study with a certain amount of noise to get there work done. I think the new plan is a complete waste of space and my tution money."
"Did anyone ever bring up the notion that Davis was likely in breach of the fire code with the excessive number of students in here? If a Fire Marshal had ever visited, UW would have had to pay a big fine and would have been forced to make changes anyway. It is much healthier and safer now."
"Asking selfish people to behave is useless. Literally pulling the chairs out from under them works! I could just sit here and watch the gangs come in, gape, look around and leave again all day! :)"
"Thank you for empowering us. We said what should happen and you listened to us. It makes us feel like we can make a difference and that the real power in the world comes through dialogue and organization, not getting into gangs and bullying others. Now we see our voices are heard, many people are speaking up on cell phones too. My friends and I have cells. We can turn them on and off as needed. We can live without them for days at a time. Like someone said here, they are a tool and we are not their slaves. Other people cannot live without them for a second and this is unhealthy. It is also bad when the library is full of their chatter, having nothing to do with our work."
"Thank you for listening to us."
"I am so happy to see these messages about the cell phones. People were addicted and suffer withdrawal if they cannot blab to their friends every hour. There is no reason for them to work in classrooms or the libraries. The university should limit their use."
"I had given up hope! Thank you for beginning to address this terrible situation. There are far too many people squeezed into this place. Thank you for providing information for other places we can go."
"The new Optometry space is fantastic! Other than to get stuff I need, I would far rather study there than in Davis."
"Michael Jackson and Club DC died on the same day. One was the King of Pop and the other the King of Crude. R.I.P. Michael, go to hell Club DC."
"No. If students want silence, there are many other libraries on campus - DP for one. DC was fine the way it was, as a collaborative group study area."
"I am here Thursday night and this place is quiet! What? Davis quiet on a weeknight? Isn't this when the place is a zoo and the cops are called to evict noisy people? Yup, Thursday night and all is quiet. While some people mutter under their breath, most look around and say they like the change. After all that drama in the winter, who would figure it would turn out like this?"
"I remember someone saying last term saying Davis was like an insane person. They said psychology was not the answer but surgery. Congratulations on a successful operation!"
"How about blocking both cell phones and youtube? That way the wifi would suddenly work and the babble would be reduced to a minimum."
"I wonder if anyone will thank you for all your hard work on the new section of your web site and on that Quieter Davis poster? You guys have spent a lot of time working this all out for our benefit. You may hear more from the complainers, but most of us are grateful."
"How sweet to see all the bullies realizing they have no power!"
"I don't know what can be done about this, but the RBC area has been getting quite rowdy at night."
"When I have to go to class or the library, I leave my cell in my apartment. I am paying to be in school and do not want people bothering me with moronic text messages and pointless phone calls. If I do take it with me, I make most of my friends with the “off” button. That is probably my favourite feature. ;)"
"Please jam cell phones in both DC and DP."
"Oh no! Not enough tables to play games at? Poor you!"
"Wow! I thought for sure you librarians would do another bunch of surveys and then have a dozen committees study it to death. Instead, you took charge. Way to go!"
"The library has begun to do the right thing. People will not consider others and are at base selfish. The only way to change this situation is to break up the layout, which you have done. I am sure you will watch how this works and proceed accordingly. Until now I had small hope of DC ever changing. I am feeling much better now that I see the staff taking decisive action."
"Davis librarians rule!"
"There are times when I want to be completely unavailable. Cell phones attack this and so I just turn mine off. One time I do not want to be contacted is when I am studying. I set aside time to do my work and do not want to chat. Why is it there are so few people do the same for the benefit of us all "
"Thank you for this. The place is much improved."
"To the people saying they don’t have time to get a reserve, go to an alternate site and work on it before it is due I have a suggestion. Get a life or get a golf cart! :D"
"Is there a reason one extra table is still here?"
"Defend your chair! Never before have chairs become a hotter item to steal than computers! Librarians please enforce a rule to say only four chairs per table. Do not let them steal our chairs to cram around their open tables! If there is not enough room for you, why don’t you go to one of the other posted study areas? Give the rest of us a break will you?"
"I thought I was the only one who found it immensely rude when in the middle of a conversation, a person’s cell goes off and they immediately answer it. I just let mine ring when speaking to someone and they act like I am crazy. When I talk to someone, I am focused on them and the next person can just wait. I always put my cell to vibrate anytime I am in a building, let alone the library. As I am here to study, I never just answer it and only text when I have time and if the message is worthy of response. Given I am in the minority and constant cell phone use degrades significantly the study environment, I join the others here in asking the signal be blocked. No one it appears is willing to live for a second without it unless forced to."
"I have seen the police in here many times this term. I think moving out this much furniture will help a lot but wanted you to know there were many students smiling to see the thugs being tossed out."
"This forum is way beyond what I expected. I thought people only open their mouths to complain. The silent majority should speak up more often."
"Thanks for being so determined and committed despite the constant bitching and whining."
"So the missing tables and chairs are in SLC? If you guys love them so much, why don’t you go over there and keep them company? Please?"
"Please install cell jammers throughout the library."
"Don’t make me laugh with your plans to organize to bring all those tables back! There is no way this was done without the approval of all levels of administration, faculty and staff being involved. I bet the Feds were consulted too, how else would all the tables and chairs end up at SLC? You were outplayed, outmaneuvered and shot yourselves in the foot by your own actions. If you want to punish those responsible please go ahead and bang your own heads silly - but outside the library please where there are nice fat pillars up to the job."
"DC librarians are a class act! They endure childish behaviour while quietly working towards a masterstroke to end the situation. Looks like staff are a lot smarter than some students!"
"Thanks very much for putting up with those [b**] crap and then showing them just who is boss!"
"I feel so good about librarians doing this. Thank you! It is good to know you are on our side. Now I see you do hear us, and work hard to make things better, please think about how to stop all these annoying cell phones everywhere. Thank you again."
"You pay your tuition but it is up to you what happens here. If you are irritated by moronic cell phone chatter or people talking loud or playing noisy games, politely tell them you are trying to work. I think most people honestly forget sometimes and just need a pleasant and firm reminder. If a student tells a student, you don’t get this dumb us vs. them attitude."
"Thank you so much for making this place a library."
"The DC Zone web page disproves most of the childish things a noisy few have been saying about this change. It represents a compassionate, well thought out response to what was an impossible situation. Congratulations for bowling them over!"
"A 'plague' of cell phones? I never thought of it that way but it is true. It is getting worse and worse and way more intrusive. People are clearly addicted to them and have no sense of when not to use them."
"After all that debate and those surveys, librarians have proven themselves to be our best friends. Thank you for hearing us and taking back Davis library from the zoo animals."
"I agree with the posts about the cell phone issue. While owning a cell phone, I have worked hard to not allow it to control my life. I do not have to immediately respond to a call, any more than at home. My home phone has an answering machine and call display, meaning I am in control of it and ensure its service to me and not me to it. The culture growing up around cells does not allow for anything but complete slavery to it. I refuse to bow to it and am disgusted by evidence all around me others who do. For the sake of our studying, please do the same things to cell phones you did to the mass of tables, remove them by blocking the signal. Thank you."
"I agree with the post about the alternative study spaces not being enough for peak times. Then what? How many empty lecture halls are not properly outfitted with the resources we need for long-term group study? Come on UW! This university is 50 years old and still we don’t have a permanent study hall?"
"I am surprised more people don’t use the term “noise pollution” when speaking about Davis. It had become unbelievable what was accepted as normal here. Thank you DC librarians for taking such a dramatic step, which I am sure was not your first choice. I know lots of people said, “Just move the damn tables out!” Some of us realize there had to be a lot of difficult issues and many additional parties that would have had to be brought in to enact such a plan."
"Going to Renison and St. Jeromes are great alternatives to Davis. A word or warning though, what used to pass for normal Davis behaviour is not acceptable in any other library. I hope soon Davis will become a real library like the rest on campus."
"I wanted to say here what we all think. This place needed clearing out worse than any dorm. Thanks."
"Thank you for providing a safe forum where I can say I HATE CELL PHONES!!! I detest seeing all these self-absorbed yammering hordes polluting the air with their facile prattle! How did our culture degenerate to where such mental and emotional trivia is not hidden with shame instead of shouted out for everyone to hear? No responsible educational institution should allow them anywhere near where academic activity is taking place, including the libraries. Please, please block the idiot boxes!"
"I have tremendous respect and admiration to you librarians for what you are doing. You have shown that bullying and whining cannot withstand the will of the majority. Thank you!"
"I was glad to see the dividers go. I am really really, really, glad to see all those extra tables and chairs go. I think there should be a strict count of how many chairs there are and keep one chair per study cubicle and four per table. People are stealing chairs from empty spots to cram them around the tables with cable connections, meaning when new people come in they have nowhere to sit. Looks like you have more work to do!"
"Here we go again with the name calling and arguments. Change happens and sometimes what you have to do is adapt. You lost this battle guys, move on."
"I have been to other universities and have never seen such abuse by students of other students. Thank you Davis library for doing something about this."
"People hog the wireless watching full-length movies and other crap and then complain it is slow! Leave the wireless as it is and stop giving out Ethernet cables then watch how fast this place clears out of those so-called social studiers!"
"Nail polish? Along with stinky food, I am now smelling nail polish?! I wish you had some sort of scent-activated alarm that would go off to discourage all these strong odours."
"The only way you are going to begin to stop this plague of cell phones is by aggressively enforcing the no use rule. The next time one of the damn things rings, please take the phone away and keep it for at least an hour."
"I wish I had known about moving the tables out. I would have loved to help! Great job and thanks for not giving in to the noisy few."
"I was so disappointed to come back this term and find nothing had changed. I could not believe after all the feedback students gave on the website last winter nothing was going to be done. Thank you for hearing us over the roars of selfish bullies."
"Finally someone showing leadership! There are times to consult and times to act. Congratulations Davis for working to make things right."
"Davis librarians are my heroes! Thanks for standing up for us."
"I have a confession to make. I fantasize about buying my own personal cell phone jammer online. I would take it into public places and watch everyone go crazy when their damn phones won’t work. I hate the stupid culture they create and would do my part to scramble them whenever I can. I would love to bring it into the library now I see how many others share my aversion to them. I would prefer more institutions would just install their own and help cut down on this cultural blight. You would think “intelligent” institutions like universities and university libraries would have before now."
"Thank you DC staff for killing this monster."
"Others here have already said this, but it needs to be repeated. The reasons for this change are obvious. The librarians asked students to be quieter and a few of them responded by being noisier. If they had been smart, they would have toned it down and perhaps the tables would still be here."
"I was very sorry to see nothing come out of the winter Quiet Zone and was resigned to spending as little time as possible in Club DC. Thank you librarians for restoring my faith in good people standing up to bullies."
"Librarians have demonstrated great restraint with moronic behaviour while clearly working hard to improve things for everyone. I think they come off looking far better than many students I know!"
"Once upon a time, we all managed quite well without knowing “Club DC” existed. We then discovered it and some of us loved it while most loathed it. Now it is gone, we will adapt and move on to other realities. Such is life."
"Every house has different rooms where different things happen. While there can be exceptions, things work best when everyone respects what is appropriate and where. The university is like a huge house and we have to understand what happens in SLC should not happen everywhere else!"
"There comes a moment when you have to say “enough”! I am glad to see DC has finally reached that moment."
"Like most people, I own a cell. Unlike most people, my cell phone does not OWN ME. There are many places I turn my cell OFF, out of respect for other people (Wow! How often do you hear anyone say that?) This has always included the library. I do not have to IMMEDIATELY answer every call. People can WAIT until I answer my messages. I am not a SLAVE to my technology. How about you?"
"Thank you, thank you, thank you!"
"Like the rest of life, people’s selfishness ruins everything. If they just a little considerate, there would have been no need to remove the tables and chairs. The reason this had to be done is some people are completely self-centered and so ruined it for everyone else."
"This removal of excess furniture is a long-overdue correction to an impossible situation. I appreciate it must have been a difficult decision as libraries like to be full. The problem was it wasn’t full of serious students, but selfish, noisy idiots."
"Did I just hear someone use the term ‘noise-friendly library?’ Now there’s a silly phrase if ever I heard one. Aren’t we surrounded by noise pollution? Haven’t there been many studies done on how noise reduces our concentration? Isn’t it bad enough I still have to listen to cell phone babble *inside* a library? The notion of a ‘noise-friendly’ library is not ‘progressive,’ it’s stupid. If you need to study in a group, get a room. If you need to discuss the most numbing and brainless trivia for an hour and a half, take your silly phone outside my hearing! Some old-fashioned notions continue for good reason, because they are right! A library being a quiet place just makes sense."
"There is lots of room downstairs and elsewhere on campus. This is a very good change."
"Different people study in different ways. It is going to be a big hassle to check out all these other spaces to see if they are already full or not. This university should have one of those study halls, or several large open spaces we can go to."
"I heard this back in the winter and now this forum is up, I will say it myself – library staff deserve medals for all they are trying to do. I am ashamed of people I know letting their petty agendas get in the way of what is necessary for everyone. Librarians are thinking of what is best for everyone, whereas some students are only thinking about me me me me me me me!"
"I am so relived to see anti-cell posts here! There were some in the last forum but it appears the issue is more intense now. Like most people, I have a cell. Unlike most, I just turn it off before coming into the library. I am with the person saying we should hit anyone on the phone with a bat. It doesn’t appear anything else works!"
"Good for Davis! The issue of lack of study space is something the university administration should make a priority. It was a mistake to try to have this kind of open group setup in the middle of a library."
"Checkmate!"
"It takes guts to admit you were wrong. It takes backbone to change things even though a lot of money was spent setting it up this way. Congratulations to library staff for biting the bullet for our sakes. Ignore the boors and ignoramuses, look at what a majority are writing here, where no one can bother them for saying it like it is. Thank you and feel free to keep improving the place."
"I love the new open space! Davis was way too crowded."
"I was on workterm in the winter and only heard a few things about the library trying to change the atmosphere at DC. I didn’t expect much but am pleasantly surprised to see the tables and chairs removed. Honestly, I didn’t think the staff had it in them!"
"Thanks so much for saving this place. I hope it is enough."
"After the last term, I thought DC library staff had given up. I am so glad to see these changes and hope more are coming. You guys are heroes for doing all this and getting hassled for trying to help us."
"Get over yourselves and move on, preferably as far away from DC as possible so the rest of us can hear ourselves think."
"I am a little worried about exporting the noise to the lower floor. I suppose their racket will not filter up much to us, but my guess our librarians “fighting noise crime” days will just switch to a new front."
"I propose every time a cell phone rings in the library it is confiscated until the end of the day. I would love to see this happen! I bet people would actually pay attention to the signs and put their things to vibrate quickly after that. Of course, it would also lead to howls of outrage, better just block the signal inside the library."
"The library is very cool to take away the tables and provide an extensive list of other library, classroom and lounge spaces for us to use. How can anyone argue with this clear number of good alternatives for group study while allowing Davis to become a real library again?"
"Somebody just said Davis is supposed to be a social library. Just what exactly is a “social library?” A place where students actually trying to work have to compete with youtube?"
"It was brilliant of you to provide this info about where else to meet. It’s great to watch the whiners having no ammunition. Maybe they will just leave and we can do what we came here for."
"It was a librarian blitzkrieg! From appeasement to total victory in one day! Now the excess table issue is settled, I agree with others here the next battlefront is the plague of cell phone jabber. Looks like librarians have the right stuff for that too! :)"
"Please install cell phone blockers all over DC. I am so sick of them and want to smash them all!"
"Like many amenities, cell phones a convenience and not a right. You do have a right to pull it out when your car breaks down. You do not have the right to sit there and emit a stream of the most moronic chatter in everyone else’s hearing. I request the library block cell phone reception and hopefully this is followed across campus. It does not matter if this affects WiFi reception. People completely abuse the wireless anyway by eating up bandwidth with porno and war games. It appears the only way people will act responsibly and with any consideration is if an authority gives them no other option."
"Students want to be taken seriously by faculty and staff. Yet, they have behaved like naughty children in Davis. Many clearly still have a bit of growing up to do."
"Thanks to Davis staff for cleaning house. Now they have lost their habitat, I hope the noise polluters will migrate somewhere far, far away."
"I thought this place was hopeless but I was wrong. The answer was not in getting students to be considerate, but in librarians taking back control of the library. DC also set up this forum, which shows what students really think about all this. Thank you for all you have done for us."
"Thanks very much for getting rid of the tables."
"I am glad to see mention of cell phone use on this forum. I have a cell and turn it off before I come into the library or class. I think there should be baseball bats issued at the door to clobber anyone whose cell phone goes off. The library has shown excellent leadership in removing the tables and providing alternative places for group study. Please do the same in ending this plague of cell phones."
"I hope this is just the beginning of necessary changes to Davis. The culture here was getting worse and worse. Many of us didn’t come here at night anymore. I look forward to seeing how this works."
"Yipee!!! The overpopulation problem at Davis is solved!"
"Thank you for giving us a safe place to give our feedback. It takes courage to stand up to the mob. Good for you!"
"It looks weird now, but all that open space means far less people in here. It was unhealthy in every way and a breeding ground for irresponsible behaviour."
"We saw mention of the Map Library in EV1 and found it. It is the tiniest place, but is well set up for group study. While people are always on the computers looking at maps, the tables are often empty. They can hear you all over the room so you can’t get away with being a Davis boor."
"Finally! Someone else appears to hate cell phones as much as I do!! Please block their signals to any part of campus where intelligent activity is supposed to take place. Every time someone puts one of the things to their ears, their I.Q. drops significantly. If you really must keep in touch with all your little friends every fart, and describe your own in such detail, text each other and spare the rest of us!"
"As a young parent, I see a profound experience gap between most of my classmates and myself. When my girl becomes willful and disobedient, I first try to ask her to stop what she is doing. If she persists, I change the situation. She is too young to realize her resistance strengthens my resolve. Young adults should know better. By your actions, you ensured these changes would happen. You should know better by now."
"I am furious at this situation! People say those of us wanting noise-friendly places are oppressing everyone else! Fine, keep your stuck-up library! Until this university builds a study hall, we are out of here!"
"Great! Fantastic! Thank you!"
"Thank you for doing this."
"Thank you DC librarians! Instead of caving in to bullies, you had the guts to do the right thing!"
"I hope cell phones are next on DC’s list! They encourage rude behaviour and dumb down conversation. Now that earpieces are becoming so small, it is impossible to tell the cell phone blabbers from the schizophrenics! They serve no function in the library but continue the very culture the removal of the tables was meant to address."
"That’s your ‘normal indoor voice’ eh? I guess I would go deaf at your house."
"Thank you for hearing all the calls on the last forum to remove most of the tables! I don’t often feel like my voice was heard, but you heard me."
"I am strongly opposed to the new layout. During normal (non-exam) weeks, DC was the place to go for group collaboration. My experience is that those who prefer "individual studying" are in the minority, and there is already enough other places in DC to accommodate them. The changes made are a huge step in the wrong direction."
"I naively hoped with a change of terms things would be better. I then thought it was no good and Davis would never change. Thank you librarians for doing the right thing."
"If I weren’t an Atheist I would be saying “Thank God! THANK GOD!” Oh well, THANK DAVIS LIBRARIANS will have to do. :)"
"The new layout of the library seems to solve many of the current problems. Thank you for struggling with this dilemma under significant financial constraints."
"To President Johnson, thank you and the rest of UW administration for your part in supporting the DC library removing an excess of furniture and so addressing the extreme levels of noise and other inappropriate activity in the library. Now this significant issue has been addressed, another lesser but also problematic one is becoming more obvious. Cell phone use is a significant part of the noise problem in DC, DP and other libraries on campus. I think it is wholly inappropriate for cell phones to disrupt any aspect of a university environment. As with the former ‘Club DC’ crowd at Davis, their noise level made them feel they dominated the library, when in fact all around them most students hated their racket. Now those people thinking they have the god-given right to use their cell phone whenever and wherever they want think they are in the majority. They are not! Most of us have cells but are adults about where and when we exercise that right. Many are now expressing in this forum the need for blocking cell signals in the library and elsewhere on campus. I ask that UW administration look at a campus-wide solution, much like the old “if you must smoke go outside,” policy. Thank you."
"The "Group Study Spaces" page is very useful. Didn't know so many study spaces existed in other parts of the campus. Thanks for putting the document together!"
"The problem with those liking noise while studying is simple. What you liked made it bad for everyone else! People who need to study in noisy groups need to find new places to go. How about just downstairs for a start? Hardly anybody goes there and we won’t hear your racket up here."
"Hey! You guys actually did it! Librarians get things done!"
" I know nothing about running a library and neither does any other student going here. What I do know is this place was a mess and I am grateful it is starting to get cleaned up."
" I love all this open space! We were sardines stuffed in a can before. Now I can breathe."
" I watch you guys walking around in shock and shake my head. Had you played ball in the winter and again this term and kept things quiet, the librarians might not have taken this step. As it was, you left them no choice. Who is responsible for this dramatic change? Take a good look in the mirror."
" Talking with friends is not a problem, blabbing on your cell as if you were in SLC is. People will not be reasonable and will always take things too far. The only way is to take this social space out of the library. "
" Thank you. Now you guys have shown every one who is in charge I have a question. Why are cell phones allowed in a library? Show the same good governance by blocking these annoying nuisances. "
"I hate the culture of people talking on their phones anywhere, anytime about absolutely nothing! Why is this being tolerated in a library? Please block the damn things so people have to prattle away out of earshot."
"All the dopes whose actions led to the tables being removed should walk across the road and get a job in construction. You guys did everything possible to make everyone else hate you and destroy your cause."
"I used to think university students were smart, but looking back over what happened at Davis during the winter and spring, I am not so sure. The noise makers chose to not only ignore the polite and clear message to tone it down, but to openly defy it. The librarians put up with this while clearly having the upper hand all along. They had the institutions of the university behind them. You guys are now sucker punched and have only yourselves to blame."
"Librarians rock Davis! Librarians ROCK!"
"Thanks for turning this madhouse back into a library."
"Now you have shown such consideration for us regarding too many tables in the library, I hope you will take similar action with the glut of cell phones. People will not follow the rules and should face the same result all those table hogs have now met."
"Thank you! Club DC is dead! Yes!!!"
"Giving us a list of empty classrooms and study spaces can only be a temporary measure. What is needed is a real study hall, or at least some permanent place we can go. You are turning social students into gypsies wandering campus looking for a home. ;)"
"We now need to do something about all these damn cell phones. They do not belong in a library."
"Nothing like a little “Spring Cleaning” to freshen up the place! Thanks a lot."
"For a while, I have come to get what I need before going anywhere but Davis to study. Everywhere else seemed reasonable whereas Davis, especially at night, was ridiculous. Thank you for making this a library I can work in again."
"I have just heard you actually moved a lot of tables out of DC. Amazing!"
"Fantastic! Now Davis staff has demonstrated leadership, it is time for UW administration to do the same. Space is the issue, what are they going to do about it?"
"I have been an avid DC studier for about 3 years. I've never had a problem with the library because I am better at learning in a not so quiet environment.This library has been a group study library since the building was created. I realize that the it gets loud, but for those of you who are so bothered by it, there is a library called Dana Porter right around the corner with 10 floors where you can study quietly. There are also so many places on campus that support quiet study such as;SLC,many empty classrooms,St.Jeromes, home,cubicles, etc. DC was the only place where people could study in groups and interact, and it's very unfair that no one is taking into consideration the students that work better in groups, or in a louder environment. At least make the first floor group study. "
"So there actually are times when careless and insensitive actions have consequences? Perhaps the world isn’t going down the tubes just yet. Thanks DC for showing these selfish troublemakers the door!"
"There are some life lessons here a few are realizing. 1. While students are vital, they do not run the university. The administration, faculty and staff run the place and we are just passing through. 2. You have to listen to the opposition. Most of the worst noise culprits I know quickly stopped reading the previous feedback forum when it became clear a majority agreed with the librarians. You willfully ignored the clear signals most students were giving out. 3. Heightening the behaviour that started all this only ensures the situation will change. It also brought more students over to the librarians’ side as your behaviour worsened and you pissed off more and more people. Bottom line, you walked into this like the dupes you are."
"I started off as a cell phone junkie, but it is just one more piece of techno junk I got tired of. Unless they are caught, few students pay any attention to the signs. It looks like no one is learning from what has just happened to the tables. If you ignore the rules set down by librarians and supported by most students, your privileges will be suspended. Please block cell phone signals into the library."
"I like the new layout for the library. It appears the many students suggesting layout changes in the last forum have been listened to carefully. Thank you for hearing us! I especially like the series of enclosed study rooms all along the Ring Road side of the building. Thanks to you, Club DC will be extinct."
"Terrific move! Nothing like ending a silly debate by removing the source of the problem."
"I don’t know anything about running a library and so defer to those who do. There are many times in life where a small and noisy segment of public opinion, based on ignorance and selfishness, cannot be followed. Clearly, Davis is one such place."
"The way some people were talking, you think such a move would bring a revolution. I look around and everyone is getting on with it. No one is complaining. This morning I feel better about the student body than I have in some time."
"I can’t stop grinning! The bullies may as well have moved the furniture out themselves! By being morons and making things impossible in here, they sealed their fate. They got everything they deserved. Thank you librarians!"
"Fantastic! I thought it would never happen! Congratulations for taking charge and giving us our library back."
"Not good. If you need somewhere quiet to study, go to the Dana Porter. The DC is a good place to get group work done because it had no noise restrictions and now that there is, there are limited spaces to finding a place to do group study work. "
"Thank you for all your hard work. Thank you for giving us this forum. Librarians care about us. Students are selfish, tearing pages out of books and hogging them so no one else can study! The last thing you should do is listen to those bullies!"
"Please enforce the no cell phone use by impounding any phones going off."
"Thank you for listening to us!"
"Obviously the bad apples aren’t out of bed yet and don’t know what is coming. I am happy to see so many people agreeing with me this is a good thing, but come tonight I expect some major whining and tirades on this forum."
"I love all this space! We so needed it in here. Thanks!"
"The DC Zone website is right about it being up to our Deans and Department Chairs to address our need for adequate study space. Our profs need to know what is going on and play a role in finding solutions. Lobbying our student societies to open up more space is also a good suggestion."
"Davis library has come to symbolize all that is bad about student life. This is where you saw the worst of everything. My friends and I also think it was the source of a lot of it. Thank you for cutting out the heart of the hateful Club DC. Hopefully, its death will bring back some manners and consideration among students here and across campus."
"I am concerned about the tone of some of these posts. I know we were frustrated at the situation, but hope we can be civil about this. We are all here to further ourselves and learn many things, including how to disagree respectfully."
"I see only those happy with these changes are saying anything so far. Fine, we already know how much they thought of all of us with their inconsiderate actions. We will manage just fine without hearing anything more from them now."
"People here have no idea what ‘quiet conversation’ means! And then there are those damn cell phones! I think removing so much furniture was a good idea and will make a huge difference. There were way too many people in here and even if they spoke quietly, their numbers magnified the noise."
"I don’t know anything about running a library. Davis was sick and the librarians knew what to do to cure her. Thank you for doing your job so we can do ours. I just hope the ignorant pigs who made this place so bad will leave with the tables!"
"You really, really did it!! Awesome job!"
"This is like an unexpected birthday present! I wrote on the old feedback forum saying please take out the tables. When this didn’t happen after the term ended, and things started getting really really bad again, I was quite frustrated. Whatever the reason for putting this off, thank you so much for doing it now."
"I love planned changes map. Turning this war zone into an ‘individual study area’ is the sweetest kind of revenge on Club DC!"
"There is no end to the idiocy and arrogance of some people. If you had looked at the last feedback forum you would have known your actions led to this change at DC. You ignored the majority and now the majority is going to ignore you."
"I love the brief answer to the question ‘Will the tables be coming back?’ on the website. NO! I think some people in here haven’t heard this word near enough in their lives. This isn’t your house and librarians are not your parents. This is the real world where you don’t always get your own way. Everyone hates bratty behaviour and the best answer to it is do exactly the opposite of what the brat wants. The majority always suffers in silence around here, but we are clapping now."
"I am so looking forward to seeing all the excess furniture go! I also agree with some posts about cell phones. Now we know you guys mean business, and when you do something it’s for real, please address this out of control cell phone situation. The next problem in Davis and across campus is WAY too much cell phone jabber."
"Thank you for showing such bold action for the good of all students, despite the rowdies."
"I am very upset that the group study tables at DC will be taken out. Though the Library website posts other resources for group studying, I don't think that they even come close to the demand for group study spaces at this University. Granted, I do not study at DC very often, but I have always found that it suited my needs and I actually prefer it to DP where DP is always so quiet that I find the quiet to be actually distracting."
"Talk about a knockout punch! Davis librarians 1, Davis bullies 0!"
"DC staff were fully justified in making these changes without any prior announcement. Some students have shown nothing but contempt for librarians trying to make Davis a functioning library. It was right for them to work everything out and then just make the change. Students forfeited their rights to complain by their bad behaviour. In fact, their vile manners likely accelerated the process. Now they see what their disrespect has gotten them."
"What a relief! Thanks for this."
"Thank you for this forum. I agree with removing the excess chairs and tables and like the proposed layout for the library. I look at the design and have hope Davis can be cured of this bizarre culture that settled over it."
"Club DC is going! My friends and I will not miss it one bit!"
"It is sad the university had to resort to these measures, but a small group of thoughtless students gave them no choice. The open area was supposed to be for ‘collaborative study’. If people had considered others and did what common decency and common sense said they should none of this would have happened."
"I don’t know what planet these people are on who say Davis was fine or even great before, but they are dead wrong! The fact the staff are taking such drastic action means something was broken and needed fixing. I was here in the winter and could not believe how bad it got during exams. You idiots sealed your fate with your actions. Any librarian having doubts about what had to be done would have been convinced by your complete disregard for everyone else. Thank you Davis for making things right here."
"22 tables and 88 chairs is a start, how about all the cell phones next?"
"Congratulations on finding your backbone and fixing the obvious. I thought the library staff would never stop dithering."
"Thank you for listening to us and working to improve Davis. Thanks also for this forum. I bet you are going to hear many thank you’s here!"
"There is a good reason we don’t have referendums on everything. It reminds me of something I read somewhere, “Everyone has an opinion, but is it an *informed* opinion?” I remember someone saying last term if students voted on everything to be built on campus there would be a dozen more bars here. There are times when the professionals have to do what is right. That is what happened here. Thanks librarians for showing real leadership in this situation."
"Mind-blowing! When I saw the librarians not kicking people out near often enough, I thought this place would never get any better. Good for you for having the decisive resolution all worked out."
"I hate some of my classmates. I love the university staff for doing this. Some students are so small minded and self-centered! Librarians work hard to fix our library. Thank you."
"This has happened because some people have no sense of boundaries and insisted on pushing themselves into other people’s space. If everyone considered others, they wouldn’t make such a racket in a library. Thank you librarians for ending this madness."
"I can only hope the other libraries are ready for the onslaught of Davis Louts and will quickly inform them of the library manners they so lack here."
"You thugs never seemed to understand “quiet” and “shut up,” how about this? GAME OVER! :D"
"You guys rock! No stereotypical librarians at Davis! Way to go in taking control of our library and giving it back to us. Thanks a lot."
"You guys could have been clever and behaved during the winter exams – but NO! You had to be tough guys and make things worse. All you did was ensure the librarians had no choice but to do what they did. Didn’t your parents teach you tantrums are counterproductive and always lead to the opposite of what you want?"
"I love the map of the new library! Thanks for healing this sicko place!"
"What a simple and elegant solution. Remove the furniture and the oafs literally have no place to sit. Smart move DC! It hasn't happened yet but I am sticking around to watch the show."
"Now that the library has demonstrated the necessary leadership to address a large noise problem, I hope they will do the same for a smaller one. Cell phones are unnecessary in a library. Just like with the Quiet Zone last winter, most students appear completely unwilling to abide by quiet rules. I am constantly irritated by having to listen to people’s inane conversations. Was it only ten years ago they came on the market? How did people manage before this? Cell phones are just one more example of an unnecessary, overloaded technological toy. I am putting forward a plea that cell blockers be installed in all UW libraries. Thank you."
"BWAHAHAHA! Who’s the man now? Selfish loudmouths are no match for librarians!"
"I thought the bookshelves were going to go between the internet tables. Wouldn’t that help keep the noise down better?"
"Davis is obscenely overcrowded and this was the core problem. The librarians are a class act for coming up with the simple solution. By removing a lot of furniture and providing other study options, you will effectively neutralize the opposition and give the rest of us a most welcome relief from this unpleasant work environment. Thank you for your cleverness and compassion."
"I like the proposed layout a lot. I hope more of these changes come soon. Please add cell phone blockers to your list of changes."
"I like the phrase, ‘a resounding need for reduced noise levels in DC’. The noise debate was over a long time ago. Even those resisting change contributed to this good result by making things so bad librarians had no alternative. It was like a kid having a tantrum about going to bed and being put in their room sooner because of their actions. I noticed in the last forum that most of the noise hogs could barely compose a functional English sentence. The few that did talked utter nonsense about how Davis was ‘dynamic’ and a ‘new type of library,’ as if this place was some cutting-edge academic innovation instead of a juvenile clubhouse. Now we will have some breathing space, can we do something about all those god damned cell phones going off everywhere?"
"Thank you!"
"I love the map of the new library layout. I wish we could see more detail of the ‘Individual Study Area.’ Seeing it blank like that makes me nervous."
"Some people are so arrogant as to think what they want is what everyone wants. They sit in the middle and make noise and thought the library is theirs – it isn’t! The library is for everyone and it was only a small portion of students who now sit in the middle. Far more sit in the Silent Study area and even there, we can hear you! Despite your intimidation and attempts at vote tampering, the majority spoke on the web forum and other print forms last term. People do not want confrontation and so put up with what they hate, while hoping the librarians will fix the problem. Our patience has been rewarded! We are grateful this situation will be finally fixed. I also like the idea of new open spaces as the library is far too packed now. Two significant problems remain, cell phones and hot food. I do not know what to do about stinking food other than complain, but hope cell phone signals can be blocked in the library. Some people will never respect others by not using them every five minutes to babble away about absolutely nothing for everyone to hear."
"Thank you for doing this!!!"
"Librarians knew Club DC was a catastrophe. They have removed the main source of the problem. There are other issues, cell phones in particular, which need to come next."
"I think the map of the new library is great. I would like to see how the individual study area will be laid out. “Mixed furniture in clusters” makes we worry we will have another lounge and therefore a new version of Club DC."
"The way to treat a boil is by lancing it and letting the poison drain away. The central open area is a boil infecting the entire library and the noise coming from them is the poison. Thank you DC for demonstrating who has our best interests at heart!"
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