DU students and faculty have structured and pushed both written and online petitions in an attempt to convince administrators to maintain the majority of books in Penrose Library on campus following the Academic Commons construction next school year.

The Sustainability Committee will present their stance on the off-campus books and their progress to faculty, staff and potentially Provost Gregg Kvistad, who sits on the committee, at their open council meeting today.

The number of petition signatures will be totaled and revealed at the meeting.

“I’d ballpark that DU groups have collectively gathered between 650 and 700 signatures at this point,” freshman Brandon Rich-Sweet said.

Rich-Sweet created the community Facebook page, “Keep the Penrose Library Book Collection on Campus,” a week and a half ago to centralize student efforts to keep the stacks in their entirety on campus.

“I noticed that a lot of people had been talking about this and felt really passionate about it,” he said. “We got over 100 ‘likes’ in one day, and are now up to 311. Our efforts have been featured on the CBS Denver channel blog, Channel 7 and Channel 9.”

Currently, along with the Facebook page, a Twitter account, two separate email addresses and website Savepenose.com exist.

Along with 100 signatures on the written petition, Rich-Sweet said the faculty-run petition at Ipetitions.com has accumulated 432 signatures.

Students working for the cause positioned themselves on Driscoll bridge last Thursday and will do so again tomorrow to sell t-shirts and get the word out.

Furthermore, members of DU’s Environmental Team (DUET) suggested student action and opted to begin passing the petition around classes to gauge general sentiment around campus and potentially gain additional support.

“There’s a number of avenues that students are using, so our petition is just one that’s floating around,” vice president of DUET, Mariah Shell said.

Students who have become active and vocal regarding the book collection would prefer that all books be kept on campus.

The original decision was to restore 80% of Penrose’s active book collection to campus following construction.

“From DUET’s point of view, the current plan for the books really goes against DU’s sustainability mission,” Sophomore Jen Kolm said. “There are other options to keep books on campus for all students to use, rather than driving the 10 miles between the storage facility and campus.”

She referred to the $4 million Hampden Center, a building that will house the entire DU’s paper collection during construction.

According to Dean of the Library, Nancy Allen, the facility provides nearly five miles worth of book storage in Aurora.

University architect Mark Rogers explained that without the storage structure, the duration of the Academic Commons project may have extended nearly three or four years.

Kolm, however, stated that she along with the 85 students whose signatures she collected, believe there are other options including collapsible book stacks or the shifting of student study and shelving areas following remodel of the library.

“By keeping books off campus, it sends the message that DU does not value the academic aspect of the library above others,” Kolm said.

Rogers expressed in early March that “we are trying to make the learning environment the focus of the project.”

Rich-Sweet, along with other ‘save the books’ advocates, met with Chancellor Robert Coombe.

“They haven’t officially stated they’d reopen the dialogue about the books,” Rich-Sweet said. “There’s definitely pressure though. At this point, it’s about providing specific evidence and research.”

As seen today, the library was erected in 1972.

Plans for the remodel include a potential skylight along with a full-use café, and perhaps even a fireplace. Construction is set to cost over $30 million The anticipated construction timeline falls over a 16-month period.

After commencement on June 6, the entire active collection housed in Penrose will be moved out.

Allen anticipates the library will be empty for renovations by June 28.

According to Rich-Sweet, the final decision on the design of the Academic Commons is set for July.

“There’s something to be said for the surprisingly quick support. I’d say it’s simply a matter of coordination. Essentially, we have created an online community that gives me some level of hope,” Rich-Sweet said.