Q 1. I examined the list of books that were recently bought by the library. I think many books are for pleasure rather than study. What do you think about this fact?
A. The school is trying to reduce the purchases of fantasy and heroic novels. The Committee of Book Selection regulates the list. However, the quality of books is related to the quality of requests for books. Therefore, it is more important for students and professors to request good books.
Q 2. In the Computer Center, there are no enough headsets and word programs for students to use. Do you have any plan to remedy this situation?
A. The library has 63 computers and 30 of them have headsets. All computers bought before January, this year, do not have headsets but others purchased after January have them. As for word programs, 20 computers are installed with those programs.
We originally planned to divide students into two groups, one for word processing and the other for surfing the Internet, as a good way to increase the usage effectiveness of our computers. But if students feel inconvenienced, we can install more word programs in the other computers, too. It is not so difficult to do that.
Q 3. Have you not heard the complaints about using the LAB? Do you have any plan to enhance this situation?
A. There are 10 recorders but none of them are broken. Each of them has small defects. We try to repair the broken machines but we do not have enough money in our budget to do it. We are working on it. We have heard many complaints about the LAB so we are planning to move the whole LAB to the side room late this year if the budget allows it.
Q 4. I think the whole facility of ours is not big enough for students to use. Do you have any long-term plan to remedy this situation?
A. Our library is not a small one. The entire size of ours is 3,840 pyong and this is big enough for 15,000 students. (We estimated our school population at 10,000 students). As for bookcases, our library can hold 800,000 books and we now have 400,000 books. Considering every year that 4-500,000 books are purchased, we have 7 years of time left to fill our bookcases.
Besides, we are preparing a small library in 21st Hall building that is going to be built this September. It will be on the first floor and will have 180 pyong and hold 4-50,000 books.
Q 5. Do you have anything to say to students?
A. The essential part of library is quietness. In other countries, as soon as entering the library, every student becomes silent. But our students still make noise. Another problem is using cellular phones.
It is the common etiquette to turn off cellular phones or switch phone bells to lamp or vibration modes, but many students do not think about this. We considered an electric wave circuit breaker, but this is illegal and many people are opposed to it, so we do not operate it. The most important thing is that students have to be considerate other people and practice self control in the usage of cellular phones.
The UOS Times
webmaster@uos.ac.kr