By Zach Maxwell
From new wiring to computer “pods” to space-saving shelves, there’s a new look and feel to the Henry G. Bennett Memorial Library.
Library Director Sharon Morrison explained the ongoing changes at the library, where 19 percent of SE students go for class-related Internet access. She describes these changes as “flipping the library.”
“We are trying to make the library more conducive to student work,” she said. “We’re doing a lot of different things, cutting-edge things. We’ve got the best-on-the-market wiring, and it should keep us going for the next 20 years.”
New octagonal “pods” have replaced the rows of computers on the ground floor. The pods are more conducive to group study and are included on all three upper floors as well as the popular study section known as “2A.”
In all, there are 50 work stations for student use on four floors, as well as two computers designated for scanning and one work station designed for students with disabilities.
All of it has been done without sacrificing book space, Morrison said. In fact, the library staff created more shelving in addition to the study space changes, she said.
For example, the DVD and video section was integrated into the main collections.
“Our circulation went up because now it’s a one-stop shop,” Morrison said. “We’re using our space more wisely.”
Another example is the library’s law collection, which has been taken from several locations and organized into one collection of federal and state case law books.
In the basement periodical floor, more compact rolling shelves have been installed, and now all the microfilm is stored down below instead of in between the computers and Henry’s Lounge on the main floor.
“For years, people would not go off the first floor,” Morrison said. “The whole point of all this is being student-centered. We want to be flexible and move the way students want us to move.”
She encourages students to fill out satisfaction surveys at the end of each semester. “We read every bit of those and respond as best we can.”
She said collaborations with Dan Moore and Wayne Williamson in the IT and telecommunications departments have helped set up the new-look library. All of it has been done without removal or addition of walls. However, the library did invest quite a bit into furniture for more relaxed study areas featuring sofas and bistro tables.
All of these changes were made possible from tuition-driven library and IT funds, as well as a USDA grant, although exact figures on the investments were not immediately available.
More noticeable changes are planned for the main floor of the library, specifically involving the Native American collection. But those changes are still in the planning and bidding stage and will involve honoring this region’s Native American heritage, Morrison said.
“Give us four, five, six months,” Morrison said. “It’s something the entire university will be proud of.”