Student Feedback Lunch Update

Student Feedback

On February 8th, the Library hosted a Student Feedback Lunch. We were very pleased with great turnout and great conversations we had! Our facilitators had so much fun hearing about what students already love about the library and what we could do to make it even better.

Since that session, the Library has been hard at work considering and implementing the feedback we heard. One thing we knew going in is that students have really great suggestions that we completely agree with because -- we already do them! And we thought this would be a good opportunity to share more widely about some of the services, spaces, resources - and more - that are available to you!

We always want to hear what you think. You can share your feedback with us at any time. We will continue to share our responses to the feedback we heard at the event and beyond!

Displays 

Several students suggested that the Library should create book displays covering topics like current affairs, history, and culture – and we agree! Head up to the upper level of the library in New Westminster, where library employees curate a monthly Collection Spotlight display. We also set up rotating displays in the New West library foyer and near the Check-Out desk at Coquitlam, featuring materials to borrow on a wide variety of topics like LGBTQ2S+ issues, sustainability, anti-racism resources, mental health, and many, many more! 

Leisure Reading 

We’ve been improving and expanding our leisure reading collection because we all know how important it is to take a break from reading your single variable calculus or organizational behavior textbook to dig into something just for fun. At New Westminster, find all our leisure reading books right in the foyer as you enter, and at Coquitlam, stroll to the study nook on your left from the entrance to browse the bookracks. There are piles of recent titles by authors like Alisha Rai and Jennifer Lynn Barnes, plus classic standbys of course!

Borrowing Equipment & Tech

Douglas Library lends out wide variety of tech and equipment and we are so glad that students know they can come to us when they need a charger, laptop or a sound system. But exactly how does borrowing equipment from us work? Most of our equipment items, including laptops, are available to borrow for 24 hours. If 24-hour loan items are checked out anytime on a Friday or Saturday, they can be kept over the weekend and returned Monday morning by 9.  

A much shorter list of equipment items can be checked out for 5 hours only and need to be returned before closing time; this includes high-demand items such as calculators, phone chargers and charging cables. Oh, and by the way, as direct result of what we heard at the Student Feedback Lunch, we’ve just increased the loan period from 4 hours to 5 hours to make it easier to borrow for use in classes and labs that run as long as 4 hours! Visit our Equipment page or talk to anyone at the Check-Out desk to find out more about borrowing equipment!
 

Student Spaces 

We heard that it isn’t always clear that the Library Classroom at New Westminster can be used as a drop-in computer lab or study space. Sometimes the door to the Classroom gets shut accidentally or is closed to keep out noise, which can make it look unwelcoming. However, as long as there are no classes happening in the room, everyone is welcome to use that space. We recommend checking the calendar posted by the door to see if the room has any classes scheduled, and if not – head on in! It’s a nice, quiet space to get some work done.

Self-Help Video Tutorials and How-To-Guides

Library employees at Douglas love to help you - but we know many students want to be able to help themselves. In our feedback session, there was interest in having access to self-help guides and video tutorials on using library resources, doing research, and more. Fortunately, we’re already on it! There are many self-learning resources on the Library website - a great starting point is our How-To-Guides page. 

Interlibrary Loans & Reciprocal Borrowing 

Interlibrary loan is truly an amazing service that we think everyone should know about! Through interlibrary loan, students and employees of Douglas College may borrow materials from other libraries, and can pick up and return to either Douglas campus library. If you’re not aware of our interlibrary loan service, you’ll definitely want to check out our Borrowing page and click on the Interlibrary Loans tab. And while you’re on the Borrowing page, you can also find out how Douglas students can take advantage of our Reciprocal Borrowing agreements with other BC post-secondary libraries and borrow materials directly from them with a Douglas ID card. 

Library Orientations/Tours 

Many students told us they wish they'd known about the library and our services when they first arrived at Douglas. Maybe you’d still find it useful to find out more, or maybe you’ve become an expert library-user and want to help us spread the word about it. Either way, students can join one of our online or in-person Library Orientations and Tours scheduled during the first two weeks of classes every semester. Keep your eye on the Library website to find out more about what we’re planning for start of Summer or Fall semesters. In addition to Library-specific tours, there are also campus tours for new students organized by Student Life. And you’re welcome to take 360-degree virtual tours of both the New Westminster and Coquitlam libraries, from wherever you happen to be in the world!
 

Keeping up with the Library 

If you’d like to know what’s going on at the library, you can follow us on Instagram and Twitter. Are you taking a social media break? Add library.douglascollege.ca to your browser’s bookmarks or favourites’ bar!