july11b.indd C&RL News July/August 2011 398 Most academic libraries care about stu-dent satisfaction and consult a student advisory group to help achieve it. Here at Carnegie Mellon University (CMU), student satisfaction has increased from 66 percent in 1997 to 92 percent in 2009. The thesis of this article is that student creativity can be tapped to increase satisfaction most effectively. We focus on three recent CMU library projects: an innovative lighting installation that has changed the whole look and feel of campus, custom designed and built fin seating, and study tables transformed into whiteboards. While some of these ideas might be difficult to replicate, the basic takeaway—allowing students to drive and design change—can be implemented on many other campuses. Backstory: Carnegie Mellon’s Hunt Library Pittsburgh’s Hunt family, founders of the Alcoa Corporation, has a long history of philanthropy to CMU. It began about 50 years ago, when Roy A. Hunt and his wife offered to build what would be the first central library on campus. Flanked by the classical yellow brick buildings of the origi- nal campus plan, the postmodern five-story Hunt Library has been a distinctive campus focal point since 1960. The Hunts’ original deed of gift stipulated that nothing would be built between the library and the neigh- borhood thorough- fare, Forbes Avenue, for 50 years (1960– 2010). Not surpris- ingly, the Roy A. Hunt Foundation of Pitts- burgh has retained an abiding interest in Hunt Library and the university as a whole. Relighting Hunt In 2009, a Hunt grandson noted in an e- mail to CMU President Jared Cohon that Hunt Library would be more of a visual asset to the campus if it were better illu- minated at night. Cohon forwarded that re- mark to a lighting professor in the schools Kristin Heath and Gloriana St. Clair Increasing student satisfaction Student innovation at Carnegie Mellon University Kristin Heath is music librarian and cataloger, and is the library liaison with the Student Advisory Council and Help Hunt group, e-mail: kheath@andrew.cmu. edu, and Gloriana St. Clair is the dean of university libraries at Carnegie Mellon University, e-mail: gstclair@ andrew.cmu.edu © 2011 Kristin Heath and Gloriana St. Clair Hunt Library by day. View this article online for color images. July/August 2011 399 C&RL News of drama and architecture, who engaged a group of three students to do a lighting study and propose a whole-building sus- tainable LED lighting system. The study revealed that savings from retrofitting the library’s interior lighting would pay for operating dramatic exterior lighting of the library façade and entrance canopy. The plan included replacing traditional lantern- style sidewalk lamps around the library with energy efficient, dark sky-compliant LED site fixtures. After reviewing the students’ presenta- tion, the Hunt Foundation provided the funds to design and install programmable exterior LED lighting to honor Hunt Li- brary’s 50th anniversary. The façade lighting was launched in November 2010, when the univer- sity celebrated the library’s golden an- niversary with the Hunt Foundation, family, and friends. C o h o n t o o k t h e opportunity with all parties present to announce that the historic “view corridor” from the library to Forbes Avenue had been codified as part of the university’s master plan. Student input Naturally, the library’s dramatic façade lighting has attracted a great deal of atten- tion from students. A few voiced concerns to the dean of students: Who’s paying for it? How is this green? But most just wanted a say in how the lights would be programmed. So the dean of students asked the library to solicit comments and survey students about what events or holidays should be recognized with special light- ing. At a university diversity retreat, it was further suggested that we post text on the library homepage explaining the signifi- cance of the lighting displays for featured events and holidays.1 In deference to one of CMU’s diversity guidelines (“Avoid focusing celebrations on religious beliefs. Even if you expand your event to include more than one major religion, you’re likely to forget or offend someone.”), our invitation to comment asked students to suggest secular holidays. Students responded, “You don’t have to be so sensitive. It’s all good!” and “If people notice different colored lights, they might wonder why and learn something new about a fellow community member’s beliefs. I think it would showcase CMU’s diversity, and just be pretty cool.” We advertised a two-week comment period, during which we took anonymous comments online and conducted random in- person interviews with students in the library. More than 200 students responded, suggesting 96 different events or holidays to observe. Twenty-two occasions were nominated four or more times. The libraries’ Student Advi- sory Council (SAC) discussed the results, and prioritized 17 occasions to be celebrated on a holiday schedule or as they occur during the year.1 Some of the events share color schemes (U.S. holidays, Lunar New Year, and Valen- Hunt Library transformed by night. For a video of the Hunt Library Light Show visit: www.youtube.com/watch?v=tO2ul3JBoTg. C&RL News July/August 2011 400 tine’s Day), helping to achieve maximum satisfaction within the parameters of a lim- ited number of available lighting presets, including a default “every night look.”2 Students also voiced concerns about the lighting being “green.” Engineers on the project replied in terms of an overall increase in dark sky compliance and the energy sav- ings of LED fixtures, concluding that exterior lighting costs about as much to operate as a coffeemaker. However, to complete the sustainable whole-building lighting system that students initially proposed, the library’s interior lighting must be retrofitted. This larger project has yet to be funded. Backstory: SAC and “Help Hunt” A couple of years ago, the dean of librar- ies was surprised by an over-the-transom proposal from three engineering majors who liked to study together in Hunt Library. Charged to “do something for good” as a group project for class, they had brain- stormed and talked with fellow undergrads about the library. Then they wrote “Help Hunt,” a proposal that outlined a number of creative low-cost ways the library might be made better and more appealing for students. The dean invited the students in to talk about their ideas with the newly formed SAC, and SAC decided to move forward on several of the projects. The dean was able to provide $50,000 from a discretionary fund to pay for the projects, which were implemented over two years. Several Help Hunt ideas remain on the drawing board, pending funding from interested donors. Fin seating at Hunt Hunt Library’s aluminum and glass con- struction is supported by structural col- umns—fins—spaced four feet apart. One of Help Hunt’s ideas was that it would be great to have seats installed between the fins in some windows overlooking a quiet garden area. Subsequently, the Help Hunt engineers recruited three of their friends from the school of architecture (the Archies) to give legs to the proposal. The Archies came up with an ingenious modular seating design that incorporated shaped ergonomic seats, adjustable desk surfaces, and task lamps. Over several semesters, they iterated their design with their advising professor, Help Hunt, SAC, and library administration. After the final design was approved, they built and tested a prototype. To complete the project, the Archies created milling specifications and had the modular pieces for ten units cut from plywood by a commercial firm. Over the summer and fall, they constructed the seats (gluing the plywood pieces together to create solid laminated surfaces, sanding and hand-finishing them, and bolting to- gether the freestanding units). Finally, they transported the carrels to the library and installed them. Within hours, the seats were in use as if they had always been there. Because they are up against the windows, using them during a Pittsburgh winter takes a strong constitution, but everyone loves these window seats! Tables into whiteboards Another idea Help Hunt students proposed was transforming ordinary library study tables into whiteboards, and making white- board markers and erasers available at the library circulation desks—in temporary exchange for the student’s CMU ID. After investigating options, from whiteboard paint (least expensive) to high-pressure laminate whiteboard surfaces (most ex- pensive), Help Hunt chose a medium-cost solution, a self-adhesive whiteboard film that they could install themselves. They tested it on one table in fall 2008 and learned two things: the material was tricky to apply (hard to line up with table top and apply without bubbles), and students loved the whiteboard functionality. So Help Hunt persevered, learning to work with the ma- terial and having better success with each table. By the end of spring 2009, ten tables had been converted to whiteboards—and July/August 2011 401 C&RL News they were in constant use. However, heavy use took its toll; by the end of 2010, the surfaces were peeling and could no longer be erased clean. The Hunt Library experience with con- verting tables to whiteboards inspired staff at the Engineering and Science Library to convert three of their study tables into white- boards using water-based whiteboard paint. Unfortunately, this experiment was unsatis- factory from beginning to end (from smelly wet paint through rapid product failure). Because of the over- whelming popularity of whiteboard tables for informal group study in the library, SAC and Help Hunt have recom- mended upgrading to the most expensive and most durable option: high pressure white- board laminated to ½”- inch fiberboard, cut to fit and attached to table tops with a band of metal trim. This option increased table height slightly, and required installation by university facilities services. With this implementation, in an effort to extend the life of the new surfaces, the library is making available whiteboard cleaner, as well as markers and erasers. Conclusion These experiences were, for the most part, unique to one university and to circumstanc- es at a particular time. In the Hunt Library lighting project, we had the happy conver- gence of idea-anniversary-donor, as well as an ideal façade for dramatic exterior lighting. The new look advertises the library and our campus as a lively, modern, and fun place for students, and we further have engaged students to ensure the lighting reflects their interests and concerns. With our SAC and the serendipitous advent of the Help Hunt group, we have been privileged to partner with enthusiastic, creative members of our target audience. By listening and respond- ing within our means to student needs and priorities, we are transforming the academic library experience. Although our custom fin seating is probably a unique Carnegie Mellon phenomenon, white- board tables and many other student-centric in- novations are universal. The takeaway—for any library, at any in- stitution—is to engage, l i s t e n t o , a n d w o r k with your students. At CMU Libraries, work- ing with students has been hugely positive. Student satisfaction with the library is remarkably high. Why? Not because we are spending more— which, of course, we are not—but because we are investing in the things that matter to students. Do we have a café? Yes. Are we open 24/5? Yes. Are we weeding collec- tions and storing low- use materials to make room for students in the library? Yes. Are we focused on the digital future of libraries? Yes. Do we support stu- dents working in groups? Yes—we have built some group study rooms, and hope to build more. We are soliciting donor support for our first group study equipped with projec- tion and other technology so that students can practice presentations and panels, or watch videos for class. We continue to make the library, as a whole, a welcoming flexible collaboration space. Active use of whiteboard Ten window seat study carrels were de- signed, built, and installed by three architec- ture students. The students and their work were featured on the dean’s 2010 holiday greeting, sent to university colleagues, and library donors. Photo and design by CMU Communications Design and Photography Group. C&RL News July/August 2011 402 tables indicates that they do help students to work or study together. Our university believes that students’ learning to work to- gether in groups is a key to their preparation for leadership in a global world. We are con- fident that these and future student-initiated innovations will push student satisfaction even higher. Notes 1. Student-selected holidays: Lighting celebrations (number of suggestions) sug- gested color Valentine’s Day (36) red St. Patrick’s Day (26) green Pittsburgh sports events (11) + Super Bowl (9) = (20) black ‘n’ gold July 4 (19) red-white-blue Lunar New Year (18) red Christmas (15) red-green Halloween (13) orange-black Memorial Day (11) red-white-blue Earth Day (10) go dark! Presidents’ Day (8) red-white-blue Holi (7) TBA Veteran’s Day (7) red-white-blue Diwali (6) TBA Martin Luther King Day (6) TBA CMU Carnival (5) CMU colors, moving Flag Day (4) red-white-blue Labor Day (4) red-white-blue 2. Other “Help Hunt” projects:  = completed • = pending  Provide staplers and three-hole punches at copiers and printers.  Reconfigure some stacks to improve user space.  Update study areas with tables and chairs that are easily moved around. • Create additional casual, comfortable meeting and seating areas (pending donor support). • Create a mural in the central stairwell of the Hunt Library (pending donor sup- port). Three volumes reveal published resources from the 18th century to the present day that describe and document women’s and girls’ lives during the era of the American Revolution. The encyclopedic scope of this new bibliography makes it an indispensable resource for libraries, schools and women’s issues or history collections. $195 (shipping included) from The DAR Store: www.dar.org/darstore | (888) 673 - 2732 America’s Women in the Revolutionary Era 1760-1790: A History Through Bibliography Daughters of the American Revolution Library | www.dar.org/library