I would like to respond to the concerns raised in the January 10th article, “Penrose renovations inspire opposing views” by Clarion staff writers AJ Gunning and Dylan Proietti.

One of the major concerns the authors expressed was the availability of quiet study space during the period that the Penrose Academic Commons is under construction and library services are offered at Driscoll. I would like to assure students that we are very aware of the role Penrose Library plays in providing a space for study and academic work on campus and that we are currently planning to maximize availability of study space both in Driscoll and around campus.

Beginning mid-summer, the Driscoll Ballroom will house the current library’s main floor services – the Research Center, Writing Center, Math Center, and Circulation Desk – around the perimeter with study seating in the middle of the Ballroom. The UTS Help Desk will be located in the UTS building, and the UTS computer lab, will be housed in the Driscoll Gallery adjacent to the Ballroom. We will also post alternate study locations on our website, so everyone will have good study options across campus.

We are also aware of the concerns of both students and faculty regarding the length of time it will take to have books and other materials retrieved from the Hampden Center and delivered to campus. We are planning to have two delivery vans running in a continuous loop during the hours the library is open and we are setting a goal of delivery within two to four hours. Since this has not yet been tested, it is only a goal, but we join you in wanting to have delivery be as fast as possible.

Finally, I would like to respond to the suggestion that building issues might have been addressed while leaving Penrose Library open.

The option of staged renovation was seriously considered but ultimately rejected for a number of reasons including cost, the length of such a project (at least three years rather than one and a half), and the confusion that would be created for students by the need to move the collections and services multiple times throughout such a project.

We are very excited about the vast improvements to the library that the Academic Commons project will afford. As the Clarion writer stated, we will be working hard to make sure our library building supports the current nature of academic work by shifting the focus of the building from paper to people.