New Library Look

At first glance, Preus Library looks like an ordinary library: a large brick building, multiple levels and many books. However, Preus Library has experienced more changes in the past six months than it has seen in years.

Upon descent into the bottom floor, one might notice a large board covered with various post-it notes, hand-written comments and prompts. This graffiti board is a way for students to comment on random prompts, such as ‘I wonder why … ’ and to express themselves.

“The idea came from Northwestern Michigan College’s library,” Innovative Services Librarian Jennifer Rian said. “It really starts with an initial prompt like, ‘I wonder why … ’ and then from there people take it in a lot of different directions. The prompts are designed to be open-ended.”

The other side of the board is for suggestions for the library, similar to the suggestion board that was in the library last spring. The responses will then be archived to keep track of conversations and suggestions.

“We’re looking at this board as a ‘what should we do,’” Director of User Services Diane Gossman said. “There are already some suggestions that have come out of this, some of which we are acting on now and some of which will happen later, so you will see changes coming based on suggestions that are on the board.”

Students appear to really enjoy the opportunity to comment and offer suggestions for the library.

“I think it’s interesting to see what all the different people have to say,” Matt Rosene (‘15) said. “It’s cool how people respond to each other and draw arrows off of one another too.”

Another major change to the library is the addition of vending machines. Currently, there are four machines in place, the newest being the coffee machine that came Nov. 10. This addition also came as a result of suggestions on the spring whiteboard.

“We saw food and drink all over it,” Gossman said. “I think one option would be to have some type of café and that may happen down the road but for right now we thought, ‘let’s get some food and some drink in here and let’s do it through vending machines,’ which we’re seeing in other buildings on campus.”

The vending machines have also been well received because they allow students to remain in the library longer without having to leave to grab a snack.

“I believe the installation of vending machines in the library was very beneficial to me,” Alex Kalal (‘14) said. “It allows me to enjoy refreshments while studying.”

While vending machines do not always offer the healthiest choices, the library’s machines are color-coded to help students make healthy choices.

“The spiral things that hand out the snacks are color-coded,” Associate Professor of Library and Information Studies/Research Andi Beckendorf said. “The green means it’s a healthy choice, so if you want to have options in there for healthy choices, that should help people make those choices.”

Additional changes to the library include food-friendly furniture.

“We were very intentional about the type of furniture we chose to foster people coming and studying for awhile or just passing through to write something on the graffiti wall,” Beckendorf said. “You have the option to stay there with your food or you can take your food to other places in the library.”

While all of these changes are working to transform the library into a more user-friendly and relaxed area, there are still more changes in the future.

“We wish we had more outlets in the library right now,” Beckendorf said. “As a way to help solve that, we’re offering extension cords for checkout. It might not be the ideal, but it helps people know we’re listening to them.”

The library is working on adding more outlets to the walls on the upper and lower levels, and hopes to have this project completed by spring.

As more suggestions come in, the library will continue to listen and evaluate what people would like to see for the future of Preus Library.

“We want to make this a place where students, faculty and staff want to come and spend some time and can do their homework, hang out, take care of their research needs,” Gossman said. “[We want it to] be a destination for them to come to.”

Although Preus Library has come a long way in the past six months, it will continue to change to meet the needs of the students who spend many hours hard at work within its walls.