Patron Comments - March 2011

Comment: The selection of books on display for Women’s History Month is disappointing: 2 books on yoga for pregnancy, a book from a reality TV star?!  How about books about great women in history.

Response: This is a very popular display table that changes and is updated frequently.  A review of this table and the table in youth services this afternoon had books about a number of important women including Geraldine Ferrara, who passed away this week.

Comment: Please put a changing table in the children’s restroom, which uses the blue key.

Response: Thank you for the suggestion.  We will pass the request onto facilities.

Comment: The new screen at the checkout line is a minus for our family. One more flashy screen…other than that we love the library.  Thank you.

Response: We are delighted that you love the library and we are sorry you do not appreciate our screen.  This is an opportunity to inform our patrons of new materials and upcoming programs while they wait to checkout.

Comment: Every day I take out 5 DVDs.  They are all in English on the outside, but are in a foreign language.

Response: The library has an excellent collection of foreign language DVDs.  Our reference staff would be happy to show you how to identify which DVDs are in another language with subtitles. 

Comment: I understand the need of a guard to "watch" the library-but there is one certain guard who hovers over you all the time. Most of the patrons that come to the library are adults-and we do not need to be supervised all the time. Whenever I come into the library-he is always talking to the Reference desk, or going to the gas station to get a cup of coffee. As a former Securitas guard myself-you're not suppose to leave your post just to get a cup of coffee, and you need to respect the privacy of other people which he does not do.  Usually this guard is in on the week days!! I do not know his name-but I do know a lot of people do not like him, and FYI-when he’s working-his guard license needs to be shown at all times.  That’s a rule for Securitas guards!!

Response: Thank you for taking the time to send us your thoughts about the security procedures at TCPL. We appreciate all of our security guards and their dedication to helping make the library a welcoming and safe place for everyone. I invite you to make an appointment with me to discuss any specific concerns that you may have regarding security procedures.

Patron Comments - January & February 2011

Comment: Library staff is always polite and helpful. I appreciate their professional attitude. They do try to remind customers about food and noise.
Response: Thank you for your kind comments about TCPL staff. They are dedicated to providing the best possible service and do try very hard to help everyone use the library appropriately.

Comment: The volume of noise is rising every day and it is difficult to use the library resources for research. People talk loudly, headsets blast music, computers play music; cell phones go off and people shout; students get tutored at classroom level volumes. Whatever happened to respect of customers and “silence”? Why isn’t it encouraged?
Response: We are very sorry that this has been frustrating for you. We do have quiet areas within the library such as the Ezra Cornell Reading Room. Your descriptions highlight how the world around us is changing and how traditional notions of the library are changing as well and we would be happy to ask anyone talking overly loud or shouting to be quieter.

Comment: I enjoy the art displays at the Library; I especially liked the costumed dolls. Anymore costume dolls on the horizon?
Response: Thank you for your comments about the art exhibits. We have a wonderful art exhibit coordinator. The Erway Dolls are usually on display in December each year.

Comment: The Library should have been open more days between December 22 and Jan 3 to accommodate residents of the county who do not vacation away for the week. There was no access to the internet services and no access to children’s services for their education. Many people on a limited income have no access to newspapers.
Response: We apologize for any inconvenience and appreciate that the library is needed for access to services, materials and the internet. We try very hard to have a schedule that works best for our community and we are open many holidays when other libraries and institutions are closed: President’s Day, MLK, Jr. Day, Veteran’s Day, etc. This year, while the library was closed, we were able to have some much needed maintenance work done that cannot be done when the library has regular hours (Painting, carpet cleaning, etc.)

Comment: The upholstered chairs are so dirty that they actually smell. With the threat of bedbugs, could he Library use a K2R(dry cleaning product) to clean them?
Response: Over the holiday break, all the upholstered furniture was given a “deep” cleaning by facilities staff. We regularly inspect the furniture and any dirty or damaged furniture is removed for repair, cleaning or replacement. Upon reading your comment, we have been in touch with facilities to inspect the chairs more often and to have them cleaned more often. Thank you for this feedback.