Furman University's James B. Duke Library is beautiful. Walking out of it at night at seeing the chapel across those reflection pool is a great moment. I have many great things to say about the library. The things I like include: books, DVDs, wide range of study spaces, ability to socialize or study hard, and the whole attractive look of the library. Despite all of the great aspects of this place, I want to briefly address three things that bug me.
The first qualm I have with the library is the lack of an additional door. The library is very close to the Dining Hall and the University Center which are two of the most visited places on campus. People spend many of their days studying in the library and then taking a break by going to the Paladen or DH for a quick meal. Since the library only has a front door, students have to walk out the front of the library and then around the back of the library to reach their destination. A simple entrance and exit from the lower level of the library could be really useful especially during heavy rains and cold winter weather. It makes sense. Every other building on campus has multiple entrances, so that the building can be walked through essentially. Taken from the DH, this picture below shows where and how convenient an additional door could be.
The second qualm I want to address is the chairs in the study rooms. While the lower seat height bothers me, the main problem is how they rock. These chairs are not fully rocking chairs but they are definitely not sturdy either. I asked a friend about them and she said, "Oh my gosh, they scare me all the time as they suddenly rock while I'm focused on studying." I can be sitting in these chairs and it will suddenly start to move and I get this scared feeling like I am falling. These chairs are actually a big reason why I am not a huge fan of the study rooms. A library also is not the best place for these chairs because students love to rock into the wall. I often hear people in the rooms next to me rocking back and forth hitting the wall with the back of their chair. Another thing that bugs me about these chairs is that when I try to push them in, they just rock up instead of sliding forward.
The last quick qualm I want to mention is the inconsistency of outlets throughout the library. The tables and cubicles with the built-in outlets are great for plugging in my laptop. The trouble is that not all cubicles and tables have them. There is one row of tables along the right side of the library that has only a few outlets along the whole wall. As for the cubicles without the built-in chargers, my laptop charger does not reach the wall outlet, so I cannot study in these. I am just confused why the library did not purchase only tables and cubicles with outlets since students would be using their laptops often here.
I'm so glad you posted about this. One of my biggest issues with the library is your number one qualm. Why on Earth did the designers not think to put a door near two of the most heavily visited places on campus? Perhaps they were fed up with the obesity of America's youth and wanted to implement their own sort of passive protest, but I doubt it. Another flaw I see in the library is the lack of a coffee shop. It just makes much more sense to me to have a small section of library reserved for an Einsteins type establishment. People may argue that such a thing would cause undue noise which is true, but think about your regular Barnes and Nobles which has a Starbucks located in the corner. People are still able to go to store and get the peace and quiet they need to read or study.
ReplyDeleteI totally agree with your number one qualm, that's something that's bothered me too. I've had people tell me that there is a back door to the library somewhere, but I've never found it. I'm also pretty sure you can only leave the library through it, not enter it.
ReplyDeleteThe lack of door thing is definitely a large concern. I have actually heard that SGA has plans to add an additional door at that very location. Unfortunately I don't know if this will actually happen given that it would require hiring extra workers in order to man a desk there, but that would definitely be much more convenient for everyone!
ReplyDeleteThe library does actually have a few back doors. Through my previous work at the help desk, I have access to one of them for quick entry into the office. I can't imagine using the library without the door though, especially when walking over from my apartment in NVB. I know one of the issues with implementing a public back door involves library security. Barcode scanners would have to be present if a new door were constructed.
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