At our library, they removed the card catalogue with the lounge atmosphere in the lobby. A card catalogue (and many of the new books and journal subscriptions) was rendered unnecessary by the new technology. This was find when the computer terminals with the electronic websites worked, but it took a while to get them up and running. And then there were bringing in student groups on tours or for special projects and occupying the terminals. So students...or faculty...had to wait to look up a call number. Oh, and let's not forget when the athletes show up to spend their hour on a catalogue monitor surfing porno sites....
That's "student-friendly" in the present double-speak. A few years back, another "student-friendly" innovation gutted the student union and replaced the small -mom-and-pop sandwich stalls, etc. with a food court full of the old familiar lineup of Wendy's and her pals.... Interestingly, the students who think this is good have nothing against which they can compare the present experience. Like fewer eateries with better food, and shorter lines..... Everything they're reshaping about the campus...not just here, but most of the campuses I've been visiting for conferences, etc....are being redesigned in the image of a mall. (Hmmm, isn't that where students and the rest of us are always treated as customers?) Of course, this has to do with the role of construction companies in electing the politicians who appoint the trustees who hire the administrators.... I am surprised that people on a Marxism List are so gullible. ML
