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BOOKY MCBOOKFACE Volume 9, Issue 10 Melbourne Law School students say recent changes to level three of the Law Library are much-needed, and couldn’t have come sooner. The renovations have seen an overall reduction in the size of the law student study area, along with the removal of several computers and a lounge area. Several bar-style desks have also been moved to outside the 'law students only' area. The changes were made in an effort to better accommodate the primary users of the Law Library - commerce students.  The current queue outside the MLS library level 3 entrance “Our research revealed that commerce students feel marginalised by the inclusion of a law students only area in the library,” said Library Manager Cherry Bookson. “As a result, we’ve made this area smaller and reduced the overall level of amenity it provides to law students. It is hoped that these changes will make the Law Library a more welcoming place for commerce students.”
Law students who spoke to De Minimis say the changes were needed because the law students only area was clearly too big, reflected in the fact that it was always far too easy to find a vacant desk. “I’ve never, ever had a problem finding a desk in the library’s law student area,” said second-year student Alison. “This indicates an oversupply of seating, which comes at the expense of commerce students who generally can't access the area. Plus, even if I were ever to find the area full, walking up two large flights of stairs to find an empty desk in the library with my backpack, laptop, water bottle, textbooks and lunch is a breeze." Students have also embraced the fact that the law student area has not been access-controlled for much of the semester, a decision which has vastly improved accessibility for non-law students and thieves. More recently, there have been rumours that the new sliding door will make its inaugural opening motion in coming days. Staff say additional changes are afoot in a bid to further improve the library. These include plans to remove already scarce power outlets from the law student area, and to replace the rectangular desks with more of the impractical, unusually-shaped ones. According to Bookson, the ultimate goal is to entirely eliminate law students from the Law Library by late next year. Next week an advertising campaign will be launched to promote the recent modifications to the Law Library. The campaign will see the changes promoted through a series of posters to be placed throughout The Spot and the Giblin Eunson Library. Commerce Faculty lecturers will also be asked to encourage students to take advantage of the law building. The rest of this week's issue:
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Milton
10/5/2016 08:30:22 pm
The new study area is a triumph of markets. The reduction in supply of library seats will increase productivity by incentivising students to spend long hours at the library, lest they literally lose their space at the table. Also, students who are not committed to arriving early enough at the library will simply not find space to study, and their grades will suffer accordingly.
John Maynard
10/5/2016 09:15:42 pm
The legal graduate market has entered a period of Great Depression from which we will not recover without assistance. Automatic stabilisers have not slowed the decline, and your classical economics 'triumph of markets' has reduced supply of library seating to meet the lower demand for our services. Comments are closed.
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