Photo by: Clarion
DU has finally decided to refurbish Penrose library, and frankly, it’s about time.
The new interior designs to the library will be a breath of fresh air to the currently dreary atmosphere of Penrose. The improvements, which will include more technology and an improved group atmosphere, are long overdue. Education has changed vastly since the 1970s, the last time it was refurbished, with the rise of the Internet and an increased emphasis on social learning opportunities.
The current problems of Penrose are especially noticeable around finals when it can be very difficult to find an open computer or a room available for group study, while the individual study compartments remain relatively sparse. The new changes should address many of these nagging problems.
Penrose, in its current state, is hardly appropriate for DUs standing. A fear of flaking asbestos highlights a multitude of inadequacies that the university desperately needed to respond to and have. The Internet and social networking have completely changed not only the way that students study and learn, but also how they interact and live in their daily lives. It makes sense that the updated library should represent these changing social and technological dynamics.
However, the hesitancy with which some people approach the new library is understandable. It is obvious that the temporary library, available in Driscoll next year, will undoubtedly be a burden on everyone, and it is a frightening prospect that the already overcrowded halls of Penrose are about to be shrunk considerably inside the walls of Driscoll.
However, it is a necessary evil to improve the overall experience of future DU students. And before everyone starts complaining about needing a quiet place to study, there are plenty of alternative areas spread across campus for DU students to study together and by themselves including the law library.
The only thing the DU community should be frustrated with the administration about is that it took them so long to recognize and react to the aged library. In a world where technology and information grow at an astounding rate every year, DU’s ability to keep up with the growing tide has been a bit lackluster.
– AJ Gunning, Entertainment editor
Progress for progress’ sake is a concept that has seen much debate in recent years. With advances in science and technology racing rapidly toward some unknown or nonexistent finish line, the world is advancing at a pace no previous generation could possibly fathom.
Rather than a new, controversial revolution in either the realms of science or technology, however, I speak of the Penrose Library renovations scheduled to begin this June. Being a student, I have certain concerns about the changes that the improvements to the library will cause.
To be clear, I have no doubts that the renovations will produce a better library: one that better matches the rest of the buildings on campus, one that has better interior design and planned spaces, one that is asbestos-free.
No, my doubts instead lie with the period of time in which the library must set up in the Driscoll Gallery and Ballroom until construction has finished on the new, improved library.
During that time, students will have to find a replacement for the quiet solitude of the library, which now harbors those who find their own dorms, apartments or other living arrangements to be less inviting atmospheres for them to accomplish their work.
Additionally, the books that Penrose once harbored will be located off-campus and out of the immediate reach of the students that need them. Yes, they can be received same-day, but this simply adds an additional level of hassle to a system that is already less convenient than the Internet.
Finally, the matter of the asbestos is a factor that cannot be ignored. One great part of the renovation of the library is the removal of the asbestos. However, it seems that the asbestos could be removed from the building without completely tearing it down and starting from scratch. This would leave the library, and the services it provides, intact while still removing the harmful asbestos from a place that hundreds of students visit each day.
To be reasonable, these plans will most likely continue and the library will be remodeled. However, when the temporary library and new accommodations are made for the people and programs that were once housed there, I hope that these valid concerns are kept in mind.
– Dylan Proietti, Opinions editor
