The Undergraduate Library (UGL) has received a number of complaints in recent weeks about its poor study condition. Excessive noise makes studying very difficult, explained undergraduate librarian Yoram Szekely, who feels the UGL in Diefendorf Annex has become a "social hangout." Student opinion seems to concur.
"You could study here if you didn't have any friends," said Debbie Friedlander, who uses the library frequently. "There are UGL groupies here all the time. The UGL is like an intellectual coffeeshop," Ms. Friedlander added.
Eugene Small, a UGL student assistant, observed that the library is quiet in front and noisy towards the back. Evelyn Mayers, another student assistant, said that "there's no place else to talk," as there is in Lockwood Library. She suggested carpeting could reduce the noise level a great deal.
Outdoor refreshments
"Locking the back door to the library and forcing people to
go outside to get coffee is "purely typical of the
bureaucracy which this campus passes off as normal," one
student complained. Another said, "You have to go outside to
take a break and people don't like to. So they just hang out in
the middle section."
There are 15,000 undergraduates who use the Main Street Campus, and only about 1800 library seats to accommodate them, statistics show. "This situation is ridiculous," said Mr. Szekely, who has written a five-page memorandum to the Director of Libraries to point out this lack of space.
Half of Diefendorf annex is occupied by 12 classrooms and a suite of offices, which are "useless compared to the library," according to Mr. Szekely. The library is used 19 hours a day, while maximum possible use of the other half, is 14 hours a day, he noted.
Mr. Szekely added he is doing all he can to alleviate the noise problem. He maintains that it is basically a matter of space, a problem that can be solved only by action on the part of the administration.
10 months old
The library, approved by the Faculty-Senate in April 1972,
opened only 10 months ago. According to Mr. Szekely, it was
originally meant to occupy the entire Diefendorf annex. "We
got half," he reported. "Not only that - we were made
to take the reserve operation." The library presently has
space for 40,000 books, space which will be fully utilized by
next September.
There is little that can be done to change the design of the building, as most of the walls cannot be rearranged for structural reasons. Mr. Szekely explained. "We wanted to provide a variety of areas," he added, emphasizing the need for a traditional reading area, a lounge for periodicals and a reference area. "Noise is related to lack of space, not design," he said.
Also from the Spectrum, October 15, 1974 in the classified section:
WILL THE PERSON who "borrowed" the "Quiet! Study Area" sign from the Undergraduate Library, please return it. It was put up in reponse to student requests, and was quite expensive. Return both the sign and stand and no questions will be asked.