Someone could buy a good amount of things for $36: two T-shirts, a purse, a pair of shoes or a whole lot of food from the George Sherman Union. My eyes turn into money signs at the thought of having some extra cash in my wallet, but unfortunately for me, Mugar Library has deprived me of that money.
Freshman year, I had the unlucky experience of having an overdue book, and it cost me about $36. That was enough to make my jaw drop and to wonder what we’re being charged per day. The library’s overdue book policy says that for each day before 27 days, you are charged 50 cents, and after that it jumps to two dollars per day after the book is recalled. It doesn’t seem like that much, but it really starts to add up after a while.
The real kicker is that if you never return the book to the library, you are charged $100 or the price of the book (whichever is greater). That’s a little pricey if you ask me.
Besides altering the book prices, there are few other things that Boston University could do to fix up the library. Firstly, there are a disproportionate number of outlets compared to desks and chairs. While there are outlets at each of the individual cubicles, the larger tables that can fit about eight people only have two outlets. I constantly find myself looking for an outlet so my laptop won’t die on me. And don’t even get me started on the outlet situation in the basement. The basement is my favorite place to study because it’s the quietest, but there are only about 12 outlets on the entire floor.
Secondly, it might be nice to have more than two hours to check out a reserved book, or maybe they could actually let us take the book out of the library. The least they could do is not charge us $2 per hour if we return it late. It’s understandable that there is a time restriction so that other students can have a chance to read the book, but maybe it could be extended to a one-day reservation.
Thirdly, the printing system needs an update. I don’t know how many times I’ve gotten stuck in that mile-long line that never seems to move. They could also use a new system to organize all of the print jobs so the students can pick up their orders more quickly.
Finally, under no circumstance should a singing group be allowed to practice in one of the classrooms in the library. Don’t get me wrong, I love music, and I’m an occasional fan of “Glee,” but the library is supposed to be a quiet place where people can study, not an auditorium.
It’s seems as if Mugar could you use a little help from BU to spice up the place. Who knows, maybe they could use all of the money that they make from overdue books?
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Becoming an adult involves learning to take responsibility for your own actions and errors. Becoming a member of a library involves familiarizing yourself with that library’s rules and regulations. All libraries have fees for overdue books, and I have a great suggestion for how to avoid them: stop complaining and return your books on time.