Kayden Lamphere

The study rooms in the Frank E. Gannett Memorial Library

Study rooms in the Utica University library have been offered as a resource for student success over the past few semesters. Recently, students may have noticed a change in the system of reserving those rooms. 

LibCal, a shortening of Library Calendar, is the new system for study room reservation as of this semester, replacing the Navigate application. 

According to Melissa Lawson, a librarian and coordinator of access services, the switch was made because of the accessibility provided by the LibCal interface. 

“Navigate unfortunately did not have as much control as we wanted it to,” Lawson said. “With LibCal, now we can put information about when librarians are here, when we have reference hours. We couldn’t really do that with the tools from before.” 

Lawson said the system is more versatile and offers more capabilities. 

“It allows us to do calendars, appointments, events,” Lawson said. “And of course it has [the] spaces, which is what we are using to book the study rooms.”

According to Dean of Library and Learning Commons James Teliha, the switch was something the library had been meaning to do for quite some time, as Navigate was a system installed during the COVID-19 pandemic. 

“We used it because it was the easiest thing to get out there,” Teliha said. “Now, two years later with things back to normal, we decided to go with the system we’ve already had in LibCal.” 

Internal feedback from staff and student employees, according to Teliha, was overwhelmingly positive, with convenience being one of the attributes highlighted.

Jasmine Ortiz, a sophomore biology major, said it was a seamless transition and didn’t even notice a change in the system between semesters. 

“It seemed all the same,” Ortiz said. “You just go up [to the main desk], give them your card, and you get an email about it. Really easy.”

Nisa Cetin, another biology major also said the process is similar but there are some changes and requirements. 

“I had to give my email,” Cetin said. “Which is fine, but it’s another step that we have to take. But, it only takes ten seconds, so it’s not that big of a deal.”

Lawson said the email requirement is nothing more than for records that may or may not matter at all.

“[LibCal] isn’t integrated with the BannerWeb system,” Lawson said. “So there isn’t any risk of looking any further on the profile beyond just identifying who is using the study rooms.”

According to Teliha, the library’s number one focus is providing service and being accessible to all. 

“The library has always been about serving everybody,” Teliha said. “This change allows all students, online or in person, to book and use our services, as all students have a right to.”