Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
You mean human dude? Hmmm… I’m usually thinking more about other walls whose looks I admire from afar. Handsome dude, handsome dude… Well, there’s a guy by the name of Ignatius who hangs out on the other side of Devlin Hall, he cuts a fine figure, don’t you think? He seems popular. I certainly see a lot of people lounging near him on warm days.
It is a lot quieter in summer, but there are still things going on. Check out bit.ly/BCEventCal, look for flyers in the O’Neill Atrium, maybe visit the McMullen Museum? It’s also a great time to get off campus and take in all that Boston has to offer.
I’m having my assistants research this question. In the meantime, can you offer some clarification: Do you mean the statue along the driveway to the South of Bapst, or the one in the niche on the north side of the building (facing Comm Ave.)?
Update 6/6/19: If you mean the one along the driveway, yes, that’s St. Mary. The significant iconographic detail is her foot on a snake (bit.ly/mary-snake). A shrine in that location seems to have been planned by Senior Sodality in 1948; the earliest existing photo that could be found is in the 1951 Sub Turri (bit.ly/bc-sub-turri-1951), but that seems to be a different statue. It is unclear when that one was replaced with the current one, which does not have a plaque.
Interlibrary loan services (ILL) involve thousands of libraries. Therefore, most of the policies governing these services are not established at a local level, but through consortial agreements. Most academic libraries do not offer alumni members with ILL services primarily because of contractual agreements with publishers, and practices established by the library consortia they belong to.
Yikes! I will pass your wildlife sighting on to the administration. But as far as I know, rats are generally unimpressed by wealth…
There are 3 flatbed scanners in the Digital Studio on the 2nd floor of O’Neill Library… IOW, almost right below me.
Güle güle!
I’m not sure what you mean: the oldest book currently checked out?
If you mean oldest publication date, my library assistants attempted to glean this information by wrestling with the information system, and it turns out to be a much more complicated process than anticipated. IOW: we don’t know. If you mean longest checked out, theoretically, that would be 4 years because faculty and staff can check items out for a year and renew 3 times. If a book hasn’t been returned after its last possible due date, it’s marked “missing,” after a month and is no longer checked out, so the checked-out clock stops. IOW, again, we don’t know. My assistants might not always have all the answers, but at least they’re honest about it!
Update 4 years later (July 2023) : a patron recently returned a book they found in their attic, which they’d checked out over 20 years before while working on their master’s thesis.
αἰὲν ἀριστεύειν!
They are automatic doors, set to work with the disability access buttons as you approach. The mechanism makes them a little harder to open if you’re not using them automatically, but makes it much easier for lots of people who would have trouble with a standard door.
You are not your grades, or the classes you take. Your worth as a person is something you have regardless of how you score or what you do for work. Do your best, and maybe figure out if you can do a little better next time. It will be OK. And if you’re really sad about that particular class, look for another way to learn what it teaches.
Staplers (plural). Between short life-spans and repeated kidnapings (stapler-napings?), the library was having such a hard time keeping up with replacing them (often more than once a week, at $20 each) that there was a decision to stop. Staff are exploring options such as affixing a weapons-grade heavy-duty stapler to a work area with a heavy-duty cable or a strong adhesive, or in a locked room with closed-circuit cameras. (That’s a joke. Sort of.)
Though I’m always sad to see people go, I’m happy to think they are commencing the rest of their lives, well prepared by their BC education to prosper and make the world more just & peaceful. Best of luck!
There is an appointed time for everything, and a time for every affair under the heavens. (Ecclesiastes 3:1)
The only way out is through. But brainstorm about ways you can make sophomore year more appealing and meaningful. Are there some opportunities you haven’t yet had a chance to try at BC? Some new goal you can set for yourself for the year? People you want to get to know? Effect political change? I’d hate to see you going through the motions when there’s a whole awesome year ahead for you to experience and give yourself to.
This is a common request, but word from On High is that we’re sticking with dogs for now.
I will forward your request to the decision makers, but I suspect beds will not be arriving soon. I have seen people in the library carrying pillows, so they have been able to find accommodations somewhere in O’Neill- creative furniture relocation may be your solution.
The Wall sees all, tells some.
IDK, but I’ve heard Dean Tom Mogan runs as if he’s training for Rocky 9.
The library is quite crowded during finals week and seats are not reservable. Finals are an exciting time for me with all the activity. I recommend arriving at the library early in the day, like 9:00 am, to find a spot. Check for alternative spaces here: bit.ly/FinalsSpace
