Students will now be required to scan their ID when entering the O’Shaughnessy-Frey library after 10 p.m. The new protocol, put into effect on Oct. 24th, is due to library staff wanting students, faculty and materials to be safer at night.
Sheila Yeh, Associate Vice Provost for Libraries, said the new security measure needed to be implemented.
“Between 10 p.m. and midnight closing, the staffing is reduced to only one student employee and the site manager,” Yeh said. “Normally we welcome the public to come into the library and use our resources… we believe providing such a privilege up until 10 p.m. is adequate.”
Misbehavior is not a frequent occurrence at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey library, however staff did notice that when it was happening, it was happening late at night.
“We hope to mitigate these situations with the card swipe access implementation,” Yeh said.
The staff at the O’Shaughnessy-Frey library worked in collaboration with Public Safety, who considered and granted the proposal for the security measure. Public Safety Technology Manager, Chris Gilbertson, programmed the access on the exterior doors and Dan Meuwissen, Public Safety Director, granted the request.
So far, the library staff has heard positive feedback. There have been no objections to the new rule and although Yeh said they have not noticed any changes, student workers have felt safer when working the late-night shift, knowing that only St. Thomas members are in the library during that time.
“The implementation is still new; we do plan to evaluate the effectiveness by collecting feedback from the students who are in here studying late. We will make modifications if it is necessary,” Yeh said.
Sophomore Nate Raddatz works the circulation desk until midnight three nights a week and agrees with Yeh saying he never felt unsafe, but there is reassurance in the new protocol.
“Not necessarily have there been any (changes), but yes, I feel safer,” Raddatz said.
The new security measure started in late October and will be the new normal at St. Thomas, although many other universities have utilized the card swipe feature for many years. Requiring identification provides added safety and peace of mind for everyone using the library.
“This is a large building to be supervised by two students only. We believe it is judicious to take advantage of the card swipe technology and limit the traffic during the very late-night hours to only the current St. Thomas students, faculty, and staff. This helps us protect our students, faculty, staff, our collections and our building,” Yeh said.
Noelle Gahnz can be reached at gahn8228@stthomas.edu.