Monthly Archives: August 2024

Welcome New & Returning Students!

by Stephen Francoeur

View of third to fifth floors across the library atrium

We hope you’re as excited about the fall semester as we are. There are so many services and resources we want to share with you. Here is a very brief overview of them, but feel free to come into the library and ask for more details, as there is a lot more to explore.

Things to borrow from us:

Things to access online:

Things to do in the library:

  • use our study tables and carrels for individual and group work 
  • reserve a group study room 
  • meet with a librarian for research help 
  • use our desktop computers and printers 
  • daydream, recharge your batteries, plot your next move

We’re open seven days a week from 7 AM to 11 PM (with a few holiday exceptions). Hope to see you in person or online!

Finding Quiet in the Library

by Stephen Francoeur

student studying at table

Today, we are launching a new library policy around the issue of noise to ensure that one of the library’s key functions as a study space is maintained. Last year, in a survey with over 600 responses, we found that two-thirds of students indicated that their efforts to study in the library were interrupted at some point by noise. The more the library is allowed to become a space for socializing, the less it can be a space for study; a better balance must be struck. This new policy is designed so that the library is as much a place for group work and study as it is for individual work and study. 

As you move around the library, you will see signs letting you know which of the two zones you might be in depending on the floor you’re on: a “quiet group zone” or a “quiet zone.” You may have noticed that both zones are labeled as “quiet.” If you take a look at the Noise Policy page on our website, you’ll see that the quiet expected in the “quiet group zone” allows for talking in low voices so you and your group can interact but not so loudly as to disturb others. The quiet in the “quiet zone” aims for an even more serene environment that allows individuals to maintain focus on their work or reading. 

This new policy is aligned with the Baruch College Code of Student Conduct. If you feel that others on your floor in the library are making too much noise, you can:

  • contact Public Safety at (646) 660-6000 or stop by the guard’s desk at the library entrance
  • use our Ask a Librarian service to chat online for help
  • stop by the reference desk on the 2nd floor
  • politely remind those making noise about the policy (there should be signs nearby to point to)

If you have any comments or suggestions about the new noise policy, we’d love to hear from you.

Restricted Access: Aug. 16-27

by Stephen Francoeur

turnstiles at library entrance

During the brief period between the end of the summer session and the start of the fall semester, the library is operating under “restricted services.” This means that the library is closed to all students except if those students are returning items that they have borrowed or they are taking care of fines. For this limited service, the circulation desk is open from 9 am – 5 pm on weekdays only. There are no other on-campus library services offered during this period (studying, printing, borrowing materials, etc.)

Baruch College faculty who need to borrow items or use our spaces can do so from 9 am – 5 pm during weekdays during this period.

All online library services, though, will still be available: ask a librarian (chat or email research assistance, interlibrary loan requests, database access, etc.)

We will reopen fully on the first day of the fall semester: August 28. Library hours will be their usual 7 am – 11 pm, seven days a week schedule.