Breezeway

At risk of being politically insensitive, I want to post a sign on the handicapped doors in the Library Entrance PLEASE DO NOT USE UNLESS NECESSARY!!! Everytime those doors open, they remain a portal for the entire outside to whoosh into the Library and straight to the Reference Desk where I am held captive. More students use the Library as a refuge from the cold since we are about halfway between the farthest north dorms and the farthest south classrooms. We clocked the temps at the desk somewhere in the low sixties. Brrrrr!

It happens the most in this freezing weather because no one wants to take their hands out of their pockets to push the doors open. I am amazed at the number of totally healthy individuals who push that button even when they have nothing in their hands. Force of habit I suppose, but what a price we pay for that in comfort and heating fuel.

Students working in the Information Commons look up in surprise every time the doors swing open and stick in that position for their required three minutes. Then they look at me as if to say "Do something about that! It's COLD in here!"

I agree. Its cold in here, but I have done all that I know to do short of posting that sign and nothing helps. We weather stripped the doors with better materials, had facilities build a little shed to put over the book drop to try and stop cold from creeping in there, discovered a few heater units not functioning and got them on the repair list, convinced the HVAC guys to monitor temperatures at people's work stations and bump up the thermostats, found a gap underneath the windowsills on the south side of the building that will get caulked, turned up the foyer hot air blowers, and had the fireplaces stoked to a higher flame level.

The building overall is warmer and more comfortable, but I cannot stop the doors from standing wide open on and off all day as people push that convenient little button. If only they had installed those doors on the right side where there is less traffic, or built the foyer deeper so we could have offset the opening of the doors. But I cannot fix those things.

I can only shiver and watch as the cold air pours in. We have all taken to wearing shawls at the desk and praying for our shifts to end quickly. I hope the effect will last into the hottest days of summer, but I know better. In summer we were more than comfortable, and I suspect much of our hard earned cool air was pouring OUT the doors into the campus and beyond. It is the price you pay for insisting on manipulating your environment.