Starting today, Div 3 students may apply for a library carrel for spring semester 2015. The Library will accept applications, via this online form: https://hamp.it/carrel, through January 29, 2015.

In a pilot we started this fall, the library is trying out a new carrel assignment process. The 87 carrels that we have traditionally allowed Div 3 students to claim for either a semester or a year are not quite enough to meet student need. Since we cannot easily create more carrels, we are inviting those students who want a carrel to apply for one by using an online form. The library will then assign carrels for the semester based on a set of criteria for eligibility and priority.

To get a sense of how we’re prioritizing the applications, please read about the carrel request process here. If we have more eligible and prioritized applicants than we have available carrels, we will use a lottery system to determine who gets a carrel from the pool of eligible and prioritized applicants. We will notify carrel applicants of the status of their request as soon as possible after that closing date.

We know some of you will not get the carrel you want – or even get a carrel at all. Because of that, we are setting aside 10 carrels as “un-assigned” that any student can use day to day. We hope that having a number of first-come, first-serve carrels will also make the carrel access be more equitable for students. Please send your comments and feedback to: library@hampshire.edu.