Answering questions at Boston College O’Neill Library
I’d love to see you here! I always look forward to answering more students’ questions, as do my colleagues at the reference desk. Sadly, the transfer application site (bit.ly/BC-transfer) says the transfer application deadline for Fall is March 15, and all applicants hear by May 20. If you’d like to apply for Spring transfer enrollment, the deadline is November 15.
![Why can't our degrees be in English? [C'MON MAN BC]](http://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/aw061118-2.jpg)
Because tradition, the Wall suspects–lots of colleges and universities do it, and use pretty much the same language. Here’s a brief history of BC’s diplomas from 2013. bit.ly/bc-diploma1. The official English translation is here: bit.ly/bc-diploma2. Think of it this way: if a time machine dumps you out at the University of Paris in 1302 your diploma will still get you into grad school.
I’m sorry to hear that you haven’t had luck in requesting additional shuttle service, but I’m sure that Transportation Services will track feedback on this issue for the future when they develop new schedules. In the meantime, I would recommend taking the shuttle to the Reservoir T-stop, walking from there to the C-Line at Cleveland Circle and taking that three stops to the Star Market. If you don’t have access to a car, that is probably the easiest grocery store to get to from here. Alternatively, you could try to organize trips with friends – either asking a friend to drive you or meeting up with a group of car-free friends to share a taxi, Uber, or Lyft to the grocery store and back. Good luck!
I kinda miss them, too. Let me check my sources and I’ll see what I can find out.
There is not (and shuttle service is greatly reduced in summer), but I would suggest you let Transportation know of your unmet needs. They can be reached at (617) 552-0151 or transportation@bc.edu. I feel for you!
![Can the temp of the library be reduced? I'm so hot! [drawing of sun]](http://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/aw060418-2.jpg)
It looks like the problem with being too cold on June 1 may have been overcorrected! You can report any problem anywhere on campus by logging into your Portal account and clicking on the link for Facilities Work Ticket. Allow the App to find your location and you can report that the building is too hot. If you want a cooler place to study visit the Theology and Ministry Library on the Brighton Campus. My cousin, the bulletin board in the lobby, tells me it’s 63 degrees there!
![Can the temp of the library be increased? It's so cold [drawing of snowman]](http://library.bc.edu/answerwall/wp-content/uploads/2018/06/aw060118-1.jpg)
I’m so sorry you’re cold. So are my human assistants. I’ll report the cold, but don’t get your hopes up too high. Have you ever noticed that part of the stereotypical outfit of a librarian is a cardigan? The library isn’t chilled for our comfort; it’s for the books. They don’t need to be cold, per se, but they do need to be kept dry, and the most efficient way to do that is to remove moisture with an air-conditioning system. Above a certain temperature and humidity, molds begin to multiply, and mold is the the #1 enemy of paper. (Fire is also a problem, of course, but much rarer.) So, my assistants all sympathize, but there’s little we can recommend but to either a) wander the library in search of a less chilled area or b) join the library fashion-world and don a cardigan.
Official word from facilities on the landscaping budget is that “the University has operating expenses upwards of 980 million dollars annually. The landscaping operating costs are perhaps the smallest yearly investment made into the buildings and properties portfolio but it has a great return on investment…” The Wall agrees about the returns. If I weren’t so committed to being vertical, I’d go lie on the lawn and let the blossoms fall on me.
Sorry for the misinformation. My helpers assure me there was no intent to deceive, and will make sure all future deliveries of cookies and coffee happen as promised.
There is no club at BC that covers your interest, although you can find a full list of BC Organizations here: bit.ly/BCOrgs. If you’re interested in the subject, it appears that Dr. Eric Weiskott is offering a course on Chaucer (ENG3393) this fall.
I’m not big on prognostication, but this could be a relatively easy one, if all of the conditions affecting tuition and fees from 2000 to the present remain consistent until 2040. (That could be a big IF.) The trend line is pretty straight: bit.ly/BC-tuition. I’ll let you do the extrapolation. Business Insider reports a different take by analysts at JP Morgan Funds, who think annual increases will be 5%: bit.ly/scary-college-cost.
There has been a recent increase in thefts of personal items in O’Neill Library. Please keep your belongings with you – especially easy-to-grab valuable items like laptops, smartphones, purses & wallets, and costly jackets – even if you’re just getting up for a minute. It makes me sad when someone’s belongings are stolen; I wish I could do more than watch silently. BC Police have increased their presence here to in order to protect your valuables.
Unfortunately, Beau’s owner had to cancel his visit. But please don’t be mad; there are more dogs coming!
1. Maybe. 2. Absolutely.
BC Libraries does not pay to have the therapy dogs here at the library, although we do provide their owners with a parking pass. The dogs and their owners all volunteer their time, either through Therapy Dogs International or through Dog B.O.N.E.S. They are the best, aren’t they?!
IDK, but it’s possible, and kudos to BC negotiators if it’s true. Go to kingstonturf.com and tell me whether you see any pictures of BC.
The walls in the facilities office have told me that the walls in Iggy will be untouched by contractors this summer.
Dear questioner, your “friends are wrong. They have been affected by the skepticism of a skeptical age. They do not believe except they see. They think that nothing can be which is not comprehensible by their little minds. All minds, whether they be adult’s or children’s, are little. In this great universe of ours, humans are a mere insect, an ant, in their intellect as compared with the boundless world about them, as measured by the intelligence capable of grasping the whole of truth and knowledge. Yes, dear questioner, there is a [Fr. Leahy]. He exists as certainly as love and generosity and devotion exist, and you know that they abound and give to your life its highest beauty and joy. Alas! How dreary would be the world if there were no [Fr. Leahy]! It would be as dreary as if there were no questioners. There would be no childlike faith then, no poetry, no romance to make tolerable this existence.” bit.ly/yes-virginia-leahy
Sounds delightful! One of my helpers has posted it to the library internal “unfilled patron requests form”, and maybe….?
I’m sorry you’re cold. So are my human assistants. Have you ever noticed that part of the stereotypical outfit of a librarian is a cardigan? The library isn’t chilled for our comfort; it’s for the books. They don’t need to be cold, per se, but they do need to be kept dry, and the most efficient way to do that is to remove moisture with an air-conditioning system. Above a certain temperature and humidity, molds begin to multiply, and mold is the the #1 enemy of paper. (Fire is also a problem, of course, but much rarer.) So, my assistants all sympathize, but there’s little we can recommend but to either a) wander the library in search of a less chilled area or b) join the library fashion-world and don a cardigan.
