Three years and $38 million later, it’s time to evaluate the new and improved Olin Library. The verdict: though the new aesthetic might inspire a feeling of academic purpose, the reality is that the library is actually a pretty poor study location.
Unfortunately, the library falls short. The first major problem is the lack of sufficient numbers of computers, which are all but required for research, locating library resources and other class assignments. During prime study hours, it is virtually impossible to find an unoccupied computer. That’s not surprising, given that each floor has only six, excluding the Arc and first level.
The computers on the first level, though, have crippled functionality. They are little more than Web terminals, and are thus not suited to a wide variety of academic needs. For example, students can’t write Word documents that record bibliographic references, highlight important quotes for Internet sources, or compile several results from searching the library catalog into one document.
The Arc’s computers are certainly fully-functional, but there are comparatively few computers in the Arc. And even the Arc’s printers are unable to make one-sided print outs, which many professors expect for academic papers.
For a project whose main goal was “Transforming Olin into a 21st-century library” by “mak[ing] Olin more high-tech,” the information technology in the library remains inadequate. Part of the problem is that planners expected many students to bring their own computers, as evidenced by the many Ethernet jacks available and excellent wireless access. Unfortunately, few students actually bring laptops to Olin.
In other libraries, the staff occupy themselves with keeping the noise level down; in Olin, they are usually part of the problem. The main study area and the largest computer cluster are both near the noisy front desk, making this a serious distraction. On level three, the Web staff leave their offices open. This wouldn’t be much of a problem if they didn’t conduct loud meeting in their offices or yell to communicate with each other, though.
Olin’s Web site boasts that one of the renovation’s “key improvements” is the rebuilding of restrooms. Yet male bathrooms only have two urinals, causing lines to form frequently. Waiting in line is time wasted, as far as a studying student is concerned. While they were rebuilding the bathrooms, surely they could have added an extra urinal or two.
Finally, the promise of a 24/7 study location was broken. Whisper’s Caf‚, which was supposed to be the spot, closes at midnight Sunday through Thursday, and 6 p.m. on weekends. Two Student Union senators have rightfully stepped up to remind the University of its promise.
Fortunately, the two biggest concerns have solutions that don’t require a multi-million-dollar renovation. Just install more fully-functional computers on each floor, and keep Whispers open 24/7 as promised.