Students should expect significant changes in the West Campus libraries beginning this winter.
Aaron Welborn, director of communications for Duke University Libraries, introduced the new plan for the David M. Rubenstein Rare Book and Manuscript Library at the Duke Student Government senate meeting Wednesday night. The project officially begins over winter break when the special collections library will be temporarily moved. About one-third of the collection will be housed on the third floor of Perkins Library, while the rest will be transported off-campus to the Library Service Center. The interior construction will pose challenges for students until renovations are completed summer 2015.
“Our goal is to have no interruption of library services during this time,” he said. “It is going to be one of those show places of Duke when it is finished.”
The large interior renovation will transform not only the rare books library but also the surrounding areas including the Gothic Reading Room, special collections library and the political science department. Over 32,500 square feet—six miles of linear materials, including books and manuscripts—will be moved during this time.
Beginning May 2013, he noted that the main entry to Perkins will be closed, and students will be able to enter through the side door between Perkins and Bostock Libraries. Off-campus materials will be available upon request from the Library Service Center and will be delivered within 24 hours.
“This is a good time to remember that there are 10 libraries at Duke, and all of them have good study spaces,” Welborn added.
The plans for this renovation began in 2000, but because of budgetary constraints, they were pushed off until they received funding from David Rubenstein, Trinity ’70 and vice chair of the Board of Trustees, Welborn said.
Although the plans aim to keep the character of the library and surrounding areas intact, updated technology—including improved Wi-Fi—will provide for enhanced preservation of old and rare materials. The new stack will also be environmentally controlled to protect the oldest manuscripts.
Following the presentation from Welborn, the senate heard an appeal from Duke Krav Maga, a new club focused on the self-defense-oriented martial art, and watched a demonstration of its signature moves. The Student Organization Finance Committee had denied the club’s request to be formally recognized, said club president Danica Liu, a sophomore. Liu also writes a column for The Chronicle.
SOFC Chair Kat Krieger, a junior, defended the previous decision not to give the club recognized status.
“None of the martial arts clubs are chartered,” she said.
Vice President for Academic Affairs, sophomore Nikolai Doytchinov, proposed legislation to award the club a recognized status, which passed by a vote of 24 to five.
Reviewing last week’s tailgate, Vice President for Social Culture, Neil Kondamuri, a junior, said students’ reactions determine the success of on-campus events, adding that he has heard mostly positive reviews of the event.
“We didn’t have any behavioral issues,” DSG President Alex Swain, a senior, noted.
Kondamuri added that there will be a different DJ at each tailgate. He then requested $1,200 to cover the upcoming tailgate expenses, which the Senate passed unanimously.
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