Monroe Library has started this year off by changing and adapting its space and resources.

The familiar yet rarely used journals on the Monroe Library’s second floor have been removed. The library has eliminated the “print journals that could be replaced by stable online versions in PDF format or that no longer served our curriculum,” according to Laurie Phillips, associate dean for technical services and library liaison. Instead, students should expect to see more study and teaching space on the second floor and, most importantly, space for Information Technology to move in.

“This was the most desirable option for creating the space needed without damage to the library’s collections,” says Phillips, who then justified that decision explaining that use of print periodicals has decreased “dramatically” in the past ten years. Phillips pointed out that this means students will have to be more versed in Journal Finder now that all resources will be online.

Phillips has found that the majority of students have had positive reactions to this change. One student enthused by the alteration is psychology sophomore Emily Szlarski, who says, “I use the plugs, outlets and desks more than I use the journals.” Szlarski also appreciates the benefit of being able to access the online journals anywhere. This is a certain contrast from the print journals, which required that students pay to photocopy pages if they needed to use the information anywhere outside of the library. Other students are disw.

She also expressed her concern that moving the articles also removed a level of convenience. “So it’s disappointing to know that they’re only available online,” she said.

The majority of faculty is pleased with this decision as well. Still, some faculty members are less enthused, as they are more comfortable with print than the online journals. “There were some faculty who were concerned that we may not have taken their needs into consideration,” Phillips expressed. Some of the journals were given to departmental libraries while others were offered to academic libraries across the country and state.

Phillips explained that this alteration is not so much of a loss as a gain since it provides a substantial addition to the library’s collections. “We were able to purchase six new JSTOR arts and sciences collections, the Sage humanities and Social Sciences back file, the New England Journal of Medicine and the Journal of the American Medical Association,” Phillips explained.

Phillips encourages us to “stay tuned for some exciting new development at the front of the second floor” as the space is developed. 

Information Technology Move

Formerly located on the first floor of Monroe Hall, Information Technology has been moved to the second floor of Monroe Library. This decision was made last spring after Provost Dr. Kvet asked the library’s faculty and staff to allow IT to move into the library. This resolution was thought of as a cost efficient alternative during the construction of Monroe Hall.

“The cost estimates for the Monroe building renovation were too high,” Laurie Phillips, associate dean for technical services, explained. “Moving IT to the Library allowed the university to save money on the construction of Monroe.”

This is not to say that there will be no costs associated with this transition. “There is still a lot of electrical work to be done to accommodate everything IT does, but it’s much less than the construction costs for Monroe,” Phillips explains.

While the electrical phase is still in the works, IT has started

to settle in at its new location. “IT already has offices in that area of the library and has a computer room with the built- in uninterruptible power supply already there under the floor,” Phillips says.

The periodical journals that seemed to define the second floor of the library have transferred online to make these accommodations. All print journals have been removed in order to make room in the back section of the second floor of the library nearest Miller Hall to make room for Information Technology.

Phillips feels that this change is “definitely for the better. We would not have undertaken this if it hadn’t been a win-win for all parties – the library, our students and faculty, IT and the university as a whole.” Phillips went on to explain how this will positively affect the students. “This will also give students an advantage since they will not have to go to another building to get help from IT anymore,” she said.

Honors addition

The Honors Department, including the lounge and administration, is in the process of being moved from Monroe Hall to Monroe Library. “We should have all of the same resources and a little more space,” director of honors program Naomi Yavneh explained. “The only resource we may lose is the kitchen, unfortunately.” Honors is another department moving from Monroe to the library because of the construction. This change is also being put into effect to create a more accessible location for Honors students in all colleges.

“It is considered the ‘best practice in Honors’ for the program to be located in a central, prominent location on campus,” Yavneh said. “In 2010, an external evaluation of the University Honors Program was conducted by representatives of the National Collegiate Honors Council, and they recommended that Honors be moved either to Marquette or the library to make it more visible and to reflect its importance to the university.”

Golanka appreciates the convenience of this new location. However, she points out that a slight inconvenience may result since the Honors lounge never closed when it was in its former location, whereas its new location may cause it to close with the library itself – at 2 a.m. Yavneh says this will remain the location for the Honors department after construction and for the “foreseeable future.” The move will be complete by December.

Jade Domingue can be reached at [email protected]