Restoring ragged furniture, replacing threadbare carpet, and the need for color coordination are among the pleas of students and faculty that use the Undergraduate Library in Capen Hall.
The UGL is open to everyone in the UB community, as well as the general public, but students say the lack of a stellar visual presence leaves awful impressions to those who use its resources often or just stumble in on occasion.
"It's just not a great atmosphere for anything in there; with its day-glow carpets, odd smells, and poor lighting," said Jay Johnston, a sophomore political science major.
Matt Prussein, a senior aerospace and mechanical engineering major, said he looked at other libraries on campus and wondered why nothing has been done at the UGL.
"I wish it had more of a traditional look like the Health and Science Library on South (Campus)," said Prussein.
Renovation of the nearly 30-year-old building is an option, but the department of Information Technology said the future of the UGL is in new student resources.
The first and foremost priority for IT is to "accommodate for the tone of the times," said Stephen Roberts, assistant vice president for University Libraries. Though the footprint-size divots in the carpeting may seem priority number one, the reality is libraries are evolving.
"The actual number of books checked out has lessened, but the use of library resources has increased. People are just using them in a different way now," said Roberts.
The quintessential card catalogue is now an online database, computer access has grown more abundant and stacks are becoming electronically stored for remote retrieval, said Roberts. The evolution of libraries into so-called Cybraries will continue to be the first concern for renovations, he said.
Students, like Valerie Gasiewicz, a sophomore nursing major, agree with some of the priorities set by IT.
"Capen is very outdated, but I do think that if the decor is going to be changed, it can also use an update with new electronic organization," said Gasiewicz. "But the first priority should be the ambience, because the library is already pretty advanced technologically."
The first major renovation has been planned for quite some time, said Roberts, but has been held up due to storage problems. He said the first step in the process is the moving of one million volumes into storage to create room for change. That is projected to happen this summer.
With literal "miles of material in storage," journals that are rarely used will not clutter precious shelf space. But despite the distance, accessibility will be effortless with the creation of a remote retrieval system, in which a student can request a piece and have it directly emailed to their computer at home.
Placement of more computer centers and distribution of new study areas are also among the top priorities. The primary concern of IT is making library resources more accessible and with that in mind, qualities of comfort are addressed.
"Sure, the physical appearance has an impact on the surroundings," said Voldemar Innus, vice president and chief information officer. In addressing comfort, IT is tackling proposals of fixing cramped computer areas, an increase in wireless capabilities, and lastly the replacement of the hideous orange carpet.
"One of my biggest things is they need more outlets for laptops," said Coryn Neff, a computer engineering and pre-med sophomore, who believes that simple changes will make a world of difference. "You can't get a bunch of people huddled against a wall to study. We need outlets at the center tables as well."
"Rehabilitation of the buildings, including the libraries, is not foreign to us," said Innus. The renovation of the UGL will be an on going progress of small changes and in light of that, students can be reassured that construction noise will not disrupt their studies.
And although some students will be irate and annoyed, the shabby orange carpet and mismatched furniture will continue to be the theme of the UGL for at least another academic year. But the gears of progress have been oiled and are now rolling.
"We can now see the light at the end of the tunnel," said Roberts.
Photo: Courtesy of Matthew Messina, from the RMBERS' Instagram page
