Suddenly, one of the hottest
tickets on the CCNY campus is a winning lottery ticket for a library study
carrel. September’s lottery distributed 646 chances—one per customer—to
win the use of one of ninety individual carrels for the fall semester.
The spring ’99 lottery will be held in early February.
Certainly, running a lottery
is new to us in the library, and we are still working out the kinks in
the process. Not only is it a new idea, but the need to run a lottery
was quite inconceivable until this past summer.
In the fall ’96 semester,
just two years ago, more than half our study carrels sat empty. Their
use was seriously restricted by rigid allotments to departments, among
many other regulations.
Since that time, we have
opened up the process to the entire campus community. In spring ’98,
this resulted in long and unruly lines on carrel-distribution day.
Those long, loud lines which distracted other library users, made us realize
that we needed a more equitable process such as a lottery.
Why are study carrels suddenly
so popular? Well, if your home life is such that there’s no quiet
place to hear yourself think, or if you are easily distracted by others
when studying in reading areas of the library, then a study carrel can
provide distraction-free quiet for you alone.
Because our carrels are not
completely soundproof, there are a few rules governing their use: one person—no
sharing, even if not in the room at the same time—no food, no music.
And we ask that you check out at the circulation desk any books you want
to take into the carrel.
So what do you need to be
able to enter the carrel lottery next February? As long as you provide
your tuition receipt for the spring ’99 semester, your valid CCNY ID/library
card, the $10 key deposit (refundable), and have no prior violations of
carrel-use rules, you qualify to enter the raffle. Watch for posters
announcing the next lottery at the library entrance and other library locations.
Comments, suggestions and
feedback regarding the library's services are always welcome and should
be addressed to me by calling x7271, sending email to prgcc@scisun.sci.ccny.cuny.edu,
or by dropping by NAC 5/333 (Cohen Library).
Pamela
Gillespie
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