CMLE, Programs

Day Eighty Two of the CMLE Summer Fun Library Tour!

this is the bike we have at HQ!

At CMLE Headquarters we love our bike desks! And we are not alone – more libraries are starting to use them for patrons.

PEDALING TOWARD THE FUTURE
Texas A&M libraries install bike desks to keep with changing times

“…The six stationary bike desks were installed and open for use Tuesday in three locations across the campus: Evans Library, the West Campus Library and the Medical Sciences Library. The adjustable units include an attached desk space, a water bottle holder and a ride computer to track the time, distance and calories burned during each session.

Jared Hoppenfeld, interim director of the West Campus Library, said at about $300 per unit, he is confident the bikes will be a good investment. He said not two minutes after installing the units at his library, a group of students had already gathered around to give them a try.

“I went downstairs to get the signs, and when I got back three students were taking pictures, sitting on it and asking me questions about the bikes,” Hoppenfeld said.

He said in the first day of being installed, eight students responded to a voluntary online survey about the bikes and several indicated that they would be “more likely to come to the library to study if they could use the bike.”…

Hoppenfeld said the bike desks are a part of a larger effort in the libraries to implement innovative strategies and technologies. As resources increasingly move online, Hoppenfeld said they are hoping the new opportunities help keep the libraries relevant.”