Well played students..I am right in assuming they are wrong?

[Acidmouse]

Let me set the scene..

I work at Leeds University on the main student website, we work for the Library who have various eteams that provide much of  the teaching &  learning and support websites for the University. There are 3 main Library's they have various clusters, learning zones, books, readers etc in.

The National Student Survey that is hugely important for University's in this country has the Leeds University Library at an excellent satisfaction level and  approval ratings from students have increased to a really high level. This rise in how the students view the Library has come off the back of major cuts across the Library and University over the past 3-4 years. Last year the Library took about a 15% cut in budget and staff. Net result is more work for smaller group of staff to provide a high standard of service (the students views based on the recent NSS results).

We have the LUU at the University who are rightly so always pushing for more services for the students, longer Library open hours, more books, cleaner Libraries, the list goes on and on...Sadly I don't think they realise if you open longer the money has to come from somewhere.....basic stuff you would think.

Now the Leeds Student paper, has had a campain against the Library about the high rate of fines for students not returning the books on time. Now they are harping on about the Library not telling people where exactly this money is spent...and their recent article is here:

http://www.leedsstudent.org/2012-02-24/ls1/ls1-news/library-cant-trace-your-late-book-fees

I have read it a few times and its sending me on life tilt. Am I being unreasonable to be pissed off students are wasting their time here? I mean do they expect the Library to audit every fine and say where it goes? its it the Library's fault students don't bring their books back? I can tell them without being told the fines pay staff and for books. No shit Sherlock detective work needed there m'lord.

So on one hand the students are very happy with the library and have told us so, but the paper seems to think its the Library's fault the high level of fines and that we have to tell them exactly how that money is spent?

I am tempted to post a response/comment on  the site but not sure due to me being unable to express a clever/witty enough response and working for the Library. Ain't they got better things to do? anyone fancy coming up with a suitable response? 
   

[leethefish]

all students should be shot 

[Acidmouse]

all students should be shot 

I can confirm that is not a suitable response for me to post

[Jon MW]

meh - that's what journalists do, I wouldn't expect it to be any different in a student paper, local paper or national

[Acidmouse]

meh - that's what journalists do, I wouldn't expect it to be any different in a student paper, local paper or national

Yes its not suprising but its such a non  story.

[kinboshi]

Just taken on a student journalist for the project I'm managing.

Do I need a gun?

[leethefish]

Just taken on a student journalist for the project I'm managing.

Do I need a gun?

this should do it

[leethefish]

or this

[outragous76]

or this

incred

[henrik777]

You could point out that they have a free option if they think it's too much.

Sandy

[scottbrown]

or this

Lee my friend, I have seen you resorting to shooting people on various threads. I think you may need help.

And Acid, let them have their 5 minutes of shit fit. If they don't find a conspiracy then their paper will just be like the internet. Porn and cats. If by some amazing twist of events they end up picketing the library, just have a little chat to Lee here.   

[scottbrown]

Sorry but I love this;
Jon said: “Although it’s not pragmatic to chase down every penny our institution spends; there is a certain degree of trust that has to be involved in order for the relationship between a University and its students to function.”

Like the trust the Library put into its students to return books on time yeah?

[kinboshi]

The library does trust the users to return the books on time (or at all). The ones who have been fined have betrayed that trust, and have also deprived a fellow student of the opportunity to use that book for their studies.

I can't think of many things that you can hire for a certain period that don't incur charges for extending the hire period beyond the agreed rental duration.