How to renovate Alden Library in 10 years
By Emily Hubbell, Campus Life writer
April 19, 2007 | 11 a.m.
Renovation of Alden Library has been in the works since 2005; however, it is now amid a controversial budget deficit in a post-Baker Center world that the renovation stage will officially begin.
“I feel they’re very vital,” said Ron Young, the library's facilities coordinator, of the renovations. “This building was built in 1970 or 1969 and that makes it almost 40 years old,” Young said.
Despite the chilly attitude from students on campus, Young remains positive about student and administration responses, deeming the reactions so far “very positive, generally; they like what we have, and they want more of it.”
A major part of the library’s appeal seems to come from the Learning Commons. “We’ve done gate counts, and we’ve found gate counts have increased 30 percent since the addition of the Learning Commons,” Young said.
Many of the renovations are based on the success of these technologically enhanced areas. Young further explained, “We need more of what we have in the Learning Commons.”
The master plan for these renovations is available on the library’s Web site. The plan has several points, including remodeling the stacks, as they “are scary and invite deviant behavior." The plans also include increasing seating capacity and improving book storage methods.
Men’s and women’s bathrooms will be put on each floor and the stack’s aisles will be widened in accordance with the Americans with Disabilities Act.
While the plan is mostly finished, a major part of the issue is funding. As Young explained, “We have the outline of what we want to do—we need the money.”
The Facilities Planning Action Committee is currently debating how to pay for the renovations. When asked if students would be expected to pay, Young said, “We don’t know that yet.”
The Student Senate president and representative of undergraduate student interests to the FPAC, Morgan Allen, said, “I think we have a lot of fees right now, and I would have to be completely convinced of the fact that we would need a fee or it couldn’t get done.”
The library renovations should not affect the current budget deficit. The deficit is “operating money and this (the renovations) would not be funded by operating money,” Young explained.
The first part of the renovations will begin in May when construction on the faculty commons begins. In June, the HVAC, which cools the building and frequently malfunctions, will start being remodeled. The faculty commons and the HVAC should be completed by September 2008, according to Young.
The renovations have not yet been presented to the Student Senate. Wednesday, April 18 at 7:15 p.m. the plan will be officially introduced in Walter Hall room 104. Allen advises those who have concerns or support for the renovations to come to the meeting or to speak to FPAC or Student Senate members.
In total, the renovations are expected to take 10 years. Which parts of the renovations current students get to see remains unknown, as does the source of funding. Summing up the issue, Allen said, “The renovations are needed, but we kind of need the money.” The coming months will be important for the library renovations as the campus either accepts or rejects the idea.