Friday, November 13, 2009
Avalon Speirs considers Anschutz Library her second home, remembering late nights and countless hours of her college career there.
“Every time I would tell my parents I was at the library, they would laugh about how it was probably a bar,” Speirs, Chicago senior, said, “no really, I spend all my time here.”
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Students study in the former annex of Anschutz Library. Anschutz is currently undergoing renovation to provide more space and technology availability to students.
Anschutz library is celebrating its 20th anniversary today. In 1989, Nancy and Phillip Anschutz donated $6.5 million to establish a library endowment in honor of Phillip’s parents, said Rebecca Smith, the director of the communications and advancement of KU libraries. After 20 years, Anschutz is in the midst of getting a face-lift to better fit students’ needs by fall 2010.
Jennifer Church-Duran, assistant dean for user services, said Anschutz is being remodeled to expand its student commons area as well as provide more computers, citing the increasing role technology has had in replacing books. She also said the renovation would ease student traffic and consolidate some of the services the University offers.
“Sometimes finding a table or a place to plug in my computer is impossible,” Speirs said. “You hate to be that person standing in the middle of Anschutz, desperately searching for a place to sit, but it always felt like a little victory when you saw someone packing up their stuff.”
Smith said making Anschutz a “one-stop-shop,” by placing technical help, the writing center, tutoring, KU Info and places to meet with an adviser, is something that would greatly benefit students.
Church-Duran said the quality of a library directly correlates with graduation rates, which shows the important role libraries have in student success.
But Kent Miller, associate dean for operations and administration, said acting in the interest of students wasn’t always easy. Surveys online and in front of Wescoe Hall have allowed students the opportunity to voice their opinion on what changes should be made in order to better serve their academic goals.
“It’s not always obvious to us older folks what you students need,” Miller said. “We’re trying to encourage a constant flow of input in order to meet these needs.”
“We are constantly evolving, trying to meet and anticipate what will help students most,” Smith said.
He said Anschutz would be filled with the resources needed by students, including more comfortable furniture and locations designated for quiet studying.
Adding more power supplies, fixing the leaky roof and making space to accommodate individual and group study sessions are some of the other changes being made. Church-Duran said that an outside firm will be chosen to create the prototype of Anschutz’s transformation, but that students will be consulted to actually create the space, including those from the architecture and design programs.
“The goal is to have the prototype in place by next fall, but we need the input first,” Miller said.
The improvements will be made through the use of state funds, alumni donations, KU Endowment and the KU Parents’ Campaign, fund for libraries to upgrade facilities as well as purchase new computers and books.
The University is comprised of seven libraries: Anschutz, Watson, Gorton Music and Dance, Spahr Engineering, Murphy Art and Architecture, Spencer Research and Regents Center at the Edwards Campus.
— Edited by Jacob Muselmann
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