With many large construction projects currently underway on campus, it can be easy to overlook the more subtle changes. In response to requests from the student advisory board, D.H. Hill Library is getting spruced up with the addition of new quiet study areas.
David Hiscoe, N.C. State libraries director of communication strategies, said the problem boils down to too many students and not enough space.
“One of the problems we’ve always had is not having enough bookable rooms,” Hiscoe said. “We’re taking small areas here and there that weren’t efficiently using space and turning them into student seating.”
According to Hiscoe, N.C. State can currently only seat about five percent of its student population in libraries. While this figure should double by the time the James B. Hunt Jr. Library on Centennial Campus opens, the UNC System strongly recommends that at least 20 percent of the school population should be able to find space in the libraries.
“N.C. State just hasn’t had the money,” Hiscoe said. “But we’re gradually making progress.”
Students may be familiar with the large quiet rooms in the south tower book stacks – visible upon exiting the elevators – and how they were often not used to full capacity. On floors three through eight, each of the big rooms has been converted into two quiet rooms, for a new total of 12 rooms in the stacks.
Each room has new furniture, two monitors–which will let students share the work on their computer screens–a large glass writable wall, and a plethora of power outlets both in the desks and along the walls. In addition, the rooms feature electronic sound dampening – little speakers that emit a small amount of white noise to make the environment quieter.
On the second floor, there is still just one big study room, but it has been outfitted with all-new technology.
Another major change can be found on the second floor of the West Wing, in an area that once housed rows of old computers, VCR’s and 8-track players. This outdated technology has been cleared out to create a space now called “the living room.”
This new quiet area also has new furniture – desks, chairs and lounge-style couches – and large windows that overlook Hillsborough Street.
These areas are completed and ready for students to use.
Another significant change is under construction on the ground floor of the West Wing, opposite the Creamery. Rows of periodicals and print journals have been consolidated to make room for what will be yet another quiet study area, separated from the activity in the creamery by a large glass wall.
“There was lots of old space that was used to hold periodicals and the like,” Hiscoe said. “But now many student’s number one option for finding that information is online.”
An outside, patio-like area is also under construction, and both are due to be completed in mid-July.
According to Hiscoe, the project was funded by a one-time grant of University reinvestment funds to help address the serious lack of student study seating, especially group study rooms, in the libraries. The 13 rooms, including construction, audiovisual equipment, furniture and networking, cost about $400,000.
“This is the first real refurbishment for this space since it was built decades ago and will continue to serve students for decades to come,” Hiscoe said.
The new library on Centennial Campus has also facilitated changes at D.H. Hill.
“We’re moving a lot of the books to the new library, which clears up space [at D.H. Hill],” Hiscoe said. “We’re testing out the new layout and technology, like the furniture in the study rooms and the large touch screens near the Creamery.”
Overall, the long-term plan is to convert space that wasn’t needed and open up as much seating as possible.
“We open up seating every chance we get and try to make the new technology as accessible as possible,” Hiscoe said. “Not many universities have access to these kinds of features.”
